Islamophobia Watch

"Public libraries are stocking hundreds of Islamic books by advocates of 'holy war', with many glorifying acts of terrorism, a new report claims.... An investigation by a leading think-tank found extremist literature at six libraries, three in the London area, two in the Midlands and one in the North....

"In the report, Hate on the State, published by the think-tanks Vigil and the Centre for Social Cohesion, the authors warn that some libraries have become 'saturated with extreme Islamist books'.... authors on the shelves include Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the radical Muslim Brotherhood, and Sayyid Qutb, a major influence on Osama bin Laden.

"Inayat Bunglawala, a spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain and a Government adviser, said: 'These are authors who are widely read in the Muslim world and it is not surprising that they are stocked in areas where there happens to be the highest concentration of Muslims. It does not necessarily mean you agree with them, it is part of a free society'."

Daily Telegraph, 6  September 2007

See also BBC News, 5 September 2007

Hate on the State can be downloaded (pdf) here

BBC Newsnight devoted a large chunk of last night's programme to promoting the report, assisted by Ed "Lock 'em up" Husain and Haras Rafiq of the neoconservative (and largely non-existent) Sufi Muslim Council.

See also Yusuf Smith's comments at Indigo Jo Blogs, 5 September 2007