The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s director for international relations Dr. Shimon Samuels issued a denunciation on Monday of the Doha International Book Fair for allowing Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s book Mein Kampf to be displayed at a Jordanian publisher’s booth.
Mein Kampf (My Struggle) was authored by Hitler when he was serving time in prison for his role in the Beer Hall Putsch – the failed coup he attempted in 1923. An autobiographical manifesto, the book describes the roots of Hitler’s antisemitism and outlines his political ideology and future plans for Germany.
“This is the 8th year of our monitoring antisemitic publications at seven Arab book fairs," Samuels said. "Most this year were clean in the spirit of the Abraham Accords
The fair hosts several participating embassies: the United States, Russia, Italy, France, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, South Korea, Syria and the Palestinian Authority. Qatar and the US are celebrating 50 years of bilateral relations during the fair and the US Embassy is this year’s guest of honor.
The fair’s official catalog claims that “the Doha International Book Fair is a showcase... that reflects human creative and reflective knowledge... spreading the light,” which Samuels made sure to highlight, as the hateful symbol of genocide and antisemitism that helped turn millions against Europe’s Jewish population remains on display in another country that has a record of antisemitism.
“We call on Qatar’s Minister of Culture, H.E. Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, to remove Mein Kampf and make a sweep of recidivist stands from the fair, and to inform the US Guest of Honor accordingly.”