Caroline Fourest
Caroline Fourest (born September 19, 1975 in Aix-en-Provence) is a French feminist writer, journalist, columnist (every Saturday in Le Monde until 14 July 2012), radio presenter (every Monday on the France Culture public radio channel), editor of the magazine ProChoix ("antiracist" and "secularist"), and author of Frère Tariq ("Brother Tariq"), a critical look at the works of Muslim intellectual Tariq Ramadan.
Education and career
A graduate in sociology and political science,[1] Fourest has written many books on such topics as the conservative right, the pro-life movement (France and USA), and on current fundamentalist trends in Abrahamic religions, i.e. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim). She served as President of the Gay and Lesbian Center, beginning in 1999.[2]
In March 2006, Fourest signed MANIFESTO: Together facing the new totalitarianism, a manifesto "against Islamist Totalitarianism" that gained wide publicity. The other 11 signatories include Salman Rushdie, Ibn Warraq, Maryam Namazie, Taslima Nasreen, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
She has been accused by Pascal Boniface[3] of "constantly pointing the finger at the Muslim population."
Fourest has received several political awards for her work, including the National Award of "Laïcité" in 2005, and the "Award of the political book" in 2006.[4]
She is member of the advisory board of the Anna Lindh Foundation, for dialogue between cultures.
Fourest has attacked FN politician Marine Le Pen and her politics in a book co-authored with Fiammetta Venner.[5]
Defamation accusations
In October 2012, Caroline Fourest was sentenced to pay a fine of 800 euros and 3300 euros respectively in damages for libeling Marine Le Pen, Jean-Marie Le Pen and Franck Chauffroy in the biography she wrote titled Marine Le Pen.[6]
In October 2014, she was sentenced to pay 6,000 euros for libeling a young Muslim girl, victim of an attack in 2013. Fourest had suggested that the attack could have been fabricated, or if it was real that the girl's family could have been responsible; Fourest said she would appeal the verdict.[7]
Books
- Fourest, Caroline (2000). Faith against choice : the religious right and the prolife movement. Paris: Golias.
- Fourest, Caroline (2003). Crossfire : jewish, christian and muslim fanaticism against secularism. Paris: Calmann-Lévy.
- Fourest, Caroline (2008). Brother Tariq: The Doublespeak of Tariq Ramadan. New York: Encounter Books. p. 262 pages. ISBN 978-1-59403-215-8.
- Fourest, Caroline (2009). The last utopia : threats again universalism. Paris: Grasset.
- Fourest, Caroline; Taslima Nasrin (2010). Libres de le dire : Free to say it. Paris: Flammarion Lettres. p. 320 pages. ISBN 978-2-08-123300-3.
- Fourest, Caroline; Fiammetta Venner (2011). Marine Le Pen. Paris: Éditions Grasset.
- Fourest, Caroline. Inna. Paris (2014: biography of Inna Shevchenko): Éditions Grasset. ISBN 978-2-24-680732-2.
References
- ↑ L'École des hautes études en sciences sociales: Liste des mémoires soutenus 2002 (in French)
- ↑ McCaffrey, Enda (2005), The gay republic: sexuality, citizenship and subversion in France, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., p. 207, ISBN 0-7546-4502-9
- ↑ Pascal Boniface, Les Intellectuels Faussaires, Jean-Claude Gawsewitch editeur, Paris, 2011. (ISBN : 978-2-35013-277-8) (in French)
- ↑ Scott, Joan Wallach (2007), The politics of the veil, Princeton University Press, p. 175, ISBN 0-691-12543-0
- ↑ Fourest, Caroline; Fiammetta Venner (2011). Marine Le Pen. Paris: Éditions Grasset. (in French)
- ↑ "Le Pen : Fourest condamnée pour diffamation", Le Journal du Dimanche, October 9, 2012 (in French)
- ↑ "Caroline Fourest fined €6000 for defaming young Muslim victim of racist attack", Islamophobia Watch, October 26, 2014
External links
- Caroline Fourest's blog (in French)
- The blog of her review, ProChoix, in english
- Columns on Alliance of Civilizations's web site
- The two faces of Tariq Ramadan (by Caroline Fourest)