Roger Garaudy, a French philosopher, politician and author of over 50 books, has died at the age of 98.

Over the course of his life, Roger Garaudy surprised the world with his sudden and radical changes of heart. Born as a Catholic, he later became a zealous atheist and member of the French Communist party before converting to Islam in 1982.

During World War II, Mr Garaudy joined the French Resistance movement, despite justifying Hitler’s anti-Semitic policies.

In 1998, Roger Garaudy was tried by the French court for denying Holocaust in one of his books.