Caroline Fourest is a filmmaker, director, scriptwriter, journalist, columnist, co-founder of the journal ProChoix (feminist, anti-racist and secularist), and the director of the weekly newspaper “Franc-tireur”.
She teached at Sciences-Po Paris on the topic of “Multiculturalism vs. Universalism”. And has been a columnist for Le Monde, France Culture and Marianne.
She has written many famous essays on the far right and fanaticism, including Crossfire (a comparison between Jewish, Christian and Muslim fundamentalism), Brother Tariq (the doublespeak of Tariq Ramadan), Marine Le Pen unmasked, In praise of Blasphemy (why Charlie Hebdo is not ‘islamophobic’) and The genius of Secularism.
Most of her books are published in paperback and she has received several awards for her work, including the National Award for Secularismin 2005, the Political Book Award, the Jean Zay Award, the Condorcet-Aron Award, the Fetkann Award, as well as the Adrien Duvand of Academy of Moral and Political Sciences Award.
Having been a journalist at Charlie Hebdo from 2004 to 2009, she covered in its pages the cartoons controversy. In praise of Blasphemy, in defence of Charlie, is a best-seller in France and received the Price for Tolerance Lucien Caroubi 2015. Salman Rushdie described the book as « A Vitally important book ».
She also wrote a book about Inna Shevchenko, the leader of Femen. More than a portrait, it is a journal of the contemporary fight for feminism, which unites young rebels from the Arab Spring to the Ukrainian Spring.
Her last book, The genius of Secularism, explains the difference between French and American Secularism.
She has given conferences in many countries: Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Yemen, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, USA, Canada…
A well-known hate figure for extreme right-wing and racist groups, she has been physically beaten by members of neo-fascist groups during Marriage for All demonstrations.
As a filmmaker, she has directed 21 documentaries, a TV show on France 2′ and a Radio Show on France Inter, and has produced 70 films about Muslim women’s voices around the World. She also received an award for the best script for a short film in 2003.
Her first feature film is a fiction based on true events. « Sisters in Arms » tells the story of an international brigade of female fighters who joined the Kurdish Resistance to save Yezidis women.
Links:
Read one of Caroline’s books in English: In praise of Blasphemy or Brother Tariq
- Read some of her papers in english.
If the majority of her texts are in French, some have been translated in English, in Spanish, in Croatian, in Persian, in Italian, in Arabic, in Japanese , in Russian.
CAROLINE FOUREST 