Roger Garaudy, controversial French philosopher, dies at 98

French philosopher Roger Garaudy has died on Wednesday, June 13, at the age of 98 at his home in Chennevieres-sur-Marne, near Paris.

An ex-member of the communist party, the controversial philosopher converted to Islam in the 1980s.

Roger Garaudy’s 1996 book The Founding Myths of Israeli Politics denied that the killing of Jews by the Nazis constituted genocide.

Roger Garaudy (Ragaa Garaudy) was given a suspended jail sentence for Holocaust denial in 1998.

French philosopher Roger Garaudy has died on Wednesday, June 13, at the age of 98 at his home in Chennevieres-sur-Marne, near Paris

During the war Roger Garaudy joined the French Resistance and later wrote more than 50 books – mainly on political philosophy and Marxism.

He was expelled from the French Communist Party in 1970 after criticising the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Born into a Catholic family, Roger Garaudy initially converted to Protestantism before rejoining the Catholic Church and eventually embracing Islam.

Roger Garaudy will be cremated on Monday, June 18, at Champigny-sur-Marne crematorium at 03:00 p.m.