Virgin recommends Mein Kampf

I am still reading it. Hard work, but a lot more interesting than I expected. Exclude his thoughts on Jews, and just look at his theories on economics (Still only 30% through the book), and I am surprised that he is discussing issues that are relevant today. In fact it's like I am reading an analysis of Europe today with suggested options.

Yeah, Rolex, and I guess those who think that deserve to have Israel dumped on their doorstep as a consequence of what happened in WWII.

i think the customer who complain is jew :D

Jewish deserve what happen to them during WW2

i read it...its good book with good theories.. specially about Jews... he was right in every thing about them

Hitler was also an idealist! See what happens if you are one.

Yeh, i know he did. isn't that what the above post said? lol sorry abt that lol

Dohachap, Plato did understand the earth to be at the centre of the solar system http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/classes/109N/lectures/greek_astro.htm

Yes, Hindi, of course. Sorry. They can order it here

booksforyou.co.in/Books/Mein-Kampf-%28Hindi-Translation%29

Alexmar, Plato did not consider the earth to be at rest at the center of the universe. They thought it was round, and orbited about a central ...certainly this line of thinking imposed immense danger to other books, and their followers who believed it was flat, resting on the back of a turtle ^^!

Alexmar, I think this is looked at, by some people, in the context of being recommended in a country / region that is not particularly fond of Jews as it is.

Which, IMHO, was quite clear from the beginning of the discussion.

lincoln pirate i'm not touching that one.. that's an argument i've had one too many times and can't be bothered to do it again!!

I wonder why the Talmud, the Bible, and the Qur'an are not on the list. Do they incite violence?

incidentally.. plato has no relevance..there is no way his work would ever incite violence or anything else. i apologise for putting him in in the first place.

Wouldn’t it be more proper, if you demand for the printing to be in Hindi instead? Well since the term Hindu=Indian, or the faith that originated in Hindustan (India). So the book should be printed in Hindi not English. Just sayin!

miss mimi i'll play along.. first of all i disagree that books like these have been on recommended lists.. maybe they arent right now but im 100% sure they have been... in fact i recently saw george bush's biography on the waterstones recommended list and he's a war criminal too. anyway that's a whole other post.

as i can't go and search the shelves right now I shall argue with your logic instead.. let's look at a reputable recommondation list:

The Guardian's 100 greates non fiction books:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jun/14/100-greatest-non-fiction-books

So in your logic the guardian (one of the most reputable newspapers in the world) supports the shah of iran,taking lsd (elektric kool aid), oh and would you look at that.. the communist manifesto, plato AND chomsky are on there (all three of my examples from my last post that you said have never been recommended.. ALL THREE!

now don't get me wrong, i don't necessarily think those things are wrong in any way and obviously weren't written by a mass murderer like hitler. but politically they can be just as dangerous.. i love the ideas in the communist manifesto but we know they DO NOT work and that book has been the basis for many communist regimes that did things just as bad as hitler, and i LOVE chomsky but theres no doubt he promotes a radical left wing agenda bordering on the militant and has inspired anarchists the world over, and lastly i dont think i need to comment on how dangerous electric kool aids tales of adventures on lsd can be.

my point being again... any book of a political, philosophical, or sociological content will be potentially dangerous and definitely hated by many.. censorship and trying to pull the wool over your eyes like they dont exist is not the answer.

They should promote the English-language version, too. It is popular with the BJP in India so I expect some Hindu nationalists would like to read it.

And in all probability more people are reading it now, just out of curiosity, then they would have otherwise...TB for one on this thread itself...:)

And when a shop wants to make business, it has to be challenging! Now they got what they wanted: publicity. Clever business strategy!

That's because the bookstores you've been to had no courage!

Let anybody recommend whatever they want. I won't be touched by it anyways. But I agree, those 99.9% idiots in the world have to be protected, and someone else has to choose for them the 'good' and the 'bad'.

Fine, miss Mimi, whatever rocks your boat (:

but again, having been to a few Bookstores here and there, is not enough, to make such a sweeping generalzation.

The term few is relative. I believe it to be more than 2 but less than 10. stil too short of the world over!

I've worked for bookstores DohaChap, and I have been to quite a few the world over, and never have I seen highly inflammatory books "recommended" no.

A responsible corporation does not "recommend" books that might offend or incite violence in segments of the population, that's just common sense.

LOOL! like you been in everyone of 'em 'n checked! lool! GET a GRIP!

To alexmar, very well said. thumbs up.

Alexmar, I suggest you go to book stores around the world and see if any of the books you just mentioned are on "recommended" lists. I guarantee you they aren't.

double post.. delete please mods

really people? it's a historic document, and a damn important one too considering what hitler went on to do... why are people not allowed to recommend a book of such historical significance? what about the other side of the spectrum? are we not allowed to recommend the 'communist manifesto'? how about plato's 'republic'? or more modern works like anything by chomsky? all these have huge groups of people who detest the meaning in them. recommending a book comes down to what you think will enrich someone intellectually, thats what non fiction books are supposed to do, knowledge is power, you don't have to agree with the ideology or the sentiment in the specific book... looking at the acts of the third reich, or the u.s. foreign policy, or stalin's russia, or choose any oppressive regime in history, without also reading the other side of the story is naive at best, blind and ignorant at worst. i have read mein kampf and yes i would recommend it to EVERYONE who is interested in history, and i despise hitler more than probably most of you in here as someone who's country was taken over by him and destroyed, and my grandparents suffered hugely as well as my parents who grew up in the post-occupation. get a grip.

Only an incredibly naive person think that recommending Mein Kampf is a completely innocent gesture aimed at promoting history.

Yes, and?

It's a significan¬t historical document. Only an idiot would get upset by Virgin Stores putting the book on their recommended readers list, or accuse Virgin stores of spreading Anti-Semitic notions, or make such sweeping generalizations as the ones made above, or wants to try an obliterate the past and pretend it didn't happen.

There is something noble about educating yourself. Those so obviously fighting against education and broadening one's mind are making a very powerful (I’m an idiot) statement.

Yes, and viva to putting the book on display at the next Doha Book fair!

There is a backlash

A group of Qataris have sent a complain to Virgin megastore Doha over Zionist titles like Green Crescent Over Nazareth: The Displacement of Christians by Muslims in the Holy Land (by Raphael Israeli)

I think at the end Virgin will stop selling books all together , and limit their display to gadgets & toys

One complaint does not constitute a backlash :O)

No, the store is entirely responsible if they put it in their "recommended" section. The very act of recommending the book means that you have not only read it, but that you recommend that others read it. Oprah doesn't recommend books that she hasn't read, neither do major book chains like Virgin. The backlash of recommending a book that might offend large numbers of people is to great to take that kind of risk.

If Virgin Middle East is so careless as to recommend books that they haven't read, then they deserve this backlash.

I don't think corporate responsibility is an issue here. It is purely business. This is an Arabic translation aimed at a certain market and the bookstore sees it as a good way of generating revenue.

If CR was considered, then Virgin in UK would not be carrying the drosh from Katie Price :O)

Ok, Miss Mimi. Let's take a book that discusses The Instabilities of Bianchi Type IX Einstein Static Universes. Who at Virgin would be able to read and understand the book? However, it was a hit in other countries and the manager at Virgin thinks that he should promote it here, too. He doesn't even know what the book is about, but he sees the sales elsewhere and gives it a try. Is he responsible for offering a book? I don't think so. You are responsible if you buy it!

As a novel, Mein Kampf, has hardly any literary merit. However the historical facts it contains are very important.

Now unlike what many ignorant people will tell you, this book doesn’t mention any kind of murder or genocide plan, however, it does mention several thoughts/perceptions of Adolf Hitler on the Jews and non-Aryan races.

if its poorly written why are you even p----d off about it.

Yes LP they are. I've worked for bookstores, and someone does have to read a book before head office recommends promoting it. Recommended books are taken very seriously, for reasons just sited above.

And I have attempted to read the book Doha Chap. It's poorly written ego maniacal drivel.

People just repeat things and make premature judgments without reading the book or its preview!

But on a different note, How does denying the Holocaust make a person Anti-Semitic?

No, they are not! They don't even have to read the book! They are only selling it. Or do you think any of the dickheads at Virgin reads all the books before they are displayed? And if there are enough idiots who buy it, the promotion was a success.

Pretty sure Virgin is responsible for which books they choose to promote LP.

And now please don't tell me that Virgin is responsible for what they are selling! Neither is Mercedes responsible for the accidents that are made by reckless or stupid drivers!

By 'recommending' a book one does not necessarily support the ideas of the book. But he might be a clever salesman and might know what sells! And if a product has a good chance to sell, it will be promoted. That's business!

There's freedom of expression and there's corporate responsibility genesis. If Virgin Middle East wants to promote an anti-Semitic book to it's Arabic readers then they are more than welcome to do so. However, by doing so, I no longer feel that this is a place I want to shop. I don't go hanging around Neo Nazi rallies either.

so much for freedom of expression ;)

Well it's good to know that their Middle East arm promotes anti semitism and hatred. I'll be sure to stop shopping at Virgin.

It was RECOMMENDED for Arab Readers, as the book is in ARABIC.

With All due respect, no westerner has the right to dictate what should or shouldn’t people read here

Virgin Megastores no longer belongs to Richard Branson's Virgin Group after being sold off and broken up. Its Middle East arm belongs to a retail holding group based in Beirut.

I would totally agree with you, "it's just a book, ink on a paper, etc", if we were somewhere else. Do not forget people around here have a tendency on taking too seriously on some books, if you know what I mean...

I would agree totally with your comment "it's just a book, ink on a paper, etc", if we were in somewhere else. Do not forget people around here have a tendency to believe too much in some books, or take it too seriously, if you what I mean...

It has nothing to do with the book being sold (Jeez people need to learn to read) or on the shelves. It has to do with the book being RECOMMENDED. By RECOMMENDING the book they are supporting the ideals and thoughts in that book. It's very irresponsible of a major Western corporation to recommend a highly inflammatory and anti semetic book in a region that already has high rates of antisemitism, holocaust denial and hero worship of Hitler and the Third Reich in general.

This is as inflammatory as Virgin RECOMMENDING a collection of the Danish cartoons.

Segmund (:

a load of nonsense...

I am sorry for writing my previous comment. I did not know you had already worded my idea in a nicer way.

I really do not know why people would associate a book with evil. How ever abominable Hitler was, his book is, after all, a book. Just like we are curious to know about a hero's life, there is curiosity as to a villain's life and the reason behind their villainy. I really do not think we should make such an issue of a book being there on the shelf. He is not going to come back to life if the book is read and no difference is made to him if his book is not read. We should take the issue purely in an academic context and should not detest a book just because the writer's deed were too ugly.

n/a

I`ve read the comments here and again some people can’t help but have a go reacting to others. I have read Mein Kampf. It's a very important historical document. If you read it in the context of that era in History you will understand why the Nazis did what they did.

However, due to so much editing and rambling in the nook, I have to admit I didn’t get too far with it.

And As I remember, the book was really only released for students and academics.¬

It’s funny to learn that some think, people murder millions of innocent people and bring the World to the brink of destructio¬n by reading a book? Some people are very easily swayed, then.

So here is my recommendation and endorsement for the book …It’s a Good book to read if you have an interest in history and how not to make the same mistakes again as in the past.

Miss Mimi, I couldn’t give a flying S**T about, Salaman’s book, happy now (:

it was recommended cause Hitler uses the main thesis of "the Jewish peril", which speaks of an alleged Jewish conspiracy to gain world leadership.The narrative describes the process by which he became increasingly anti-semitic and militaristic, especially during his years in Vienna. Yet, the deeper origins of his anti-semitism remain a mystery. He speaks of not having met a Jew until he arrived in Vienna, and that at first his attitude was liberal and tolerant. When he first encountered the anti-semitic press, he says, he dismissed it as unworthy of serious consideration. Later he accepted the same anti-semitic views, which became crucial in his program of national reconstructio

I think many of the answers here have demonstrated WHY it was recommended.

I have no issues that it's being sold, I think it should be sold. However I find it questionable that it's being recommended, and I now question whether Virgin is a place I want to shop, if this is the type of book Virgin Middle East is recommending.

If you are trying to tell me something, sajmarhab, you should try to express it in such a way that I am able to understand what you mean. On the other hand, why should I listen to you at all. Have a nice day.

Dont twist tooooo much, it may TWIST u also.

u r already fallen in ground, now you just wanna rolll

People sometimes judge a book by it's cover and never bother to read it. I am curious if you have read Satanic Verses? It is actually a very poinent love story although it is mixed religion. What people have to remember about this discussion is that this is just a book. It's a bunch of paper with ink on the pages. Technically that can't hurt anyone. Just because you read it does not mean you are supporting the cause. I read controversial books to learn more about what happened at that particular time. I don't live my life by what I have read in these books.

Hitler originally wanted to call his forthcoming book Viereinhalb Jahre (des Kampfes) gegen Lüge, Dummheit und Feigheit, or Four and a Half Years (of Struggle) Against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice. Max Amann, head of the Franz Eher Verlag and Hitler's publisher, is said to have suggested the much shorter "Mein Kampf" .

Perhaps the reason Virgin recommended it was because the book was in Arabic and it would give locals and Arab expatriates a chance to explore the mindset of a maniac.

It is also possible that the buyer bought too many and Virgin wanted to get rid of it.

Sorry, but I still don't understand the fuss. :O(

You see, many people have a university degree. And you still want to tell them what they should read, eat, or do? So, what good is the degree then?

The book is boring and the style is horrible as in all "holy" books!

this is an Islamic country, and we are following those (as per your west saying) "cultureless sharia law", we are backward people (muslims) thats why we banned Rushdies book.

so what is your EXCUSE for standing against the book.

You are not the first person to tell me this. IE that some people in "this region" and that too Muslims, are actually supporting the views held by Hitler and praise him for them as well. This for me is very very disturbing. And just goes to show how foolish some folks are that they would think Hitler's hatred for Jews would have stopped at that and not extended to other faiths including Islam had he not been stopped. Do people really believe he wouldn't have at some time planned on eradicating Muslims the same way he did Jews? And supposing he never wanted to even does that make him a person to be heralded when the Prophet,, himself and his companions never did such heinous acts to the Jews under their rule, despite a Jewish woman poisoning the Prophet himself which caused him to become sick(the sickness that eventually killed him)At the time of his death even there was clear evidence that Muhammad, Peace be upon Him,yet had business ties with the Jews too. Knowing all this would Muslims then praise a man who cold bloodily murdered so many innocent people in such torturous ways? Terrible!

brit, nobody is saying Mein Kampf should not be on the shelves, it is the matter of RECOMMENDING it.

Having read the Satanic Verses, I was one of those who stood up for the right of Salman Rushdie's book to be sold and people to make their own minds up.

Why is it that people would argue that books like "Princess" be allowed on the bookshelf here, yet Mein Kampf not.

and their so called, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression...

I like it..

clear double standard. just to protect the interest of JEWS..

Well then, I'd say all is clear....as usual.

And why would one really care what the west thinks here?... in the Middle EAST?

......It's one thing to pay for someone to guard your gates and quite another when your guard picks on the dishes served!

Would you still be saying that if it was the "Satanic Verses" or something else anti-Islamic on the recommended list Doha Chap?

I don't see what the issue is. The book is written by a truly historical figure and would allow readers to make up their own minds as to the content and the mindset of the author.

If you don't like the book then don't read it. It's really that simple. Americans piss me off sometimes. (I'm from the U.S.)

what's wrong with adolf hitler fathimaH?

So the book was on the “Recommended shelve" so what?

Free minds and free people are never afraid of ideas. Only totalitari­an people with, my way or the high way type of mentality, fear a free exchange of ideas, however hateful or ill-concei­ved.

"The way I see it is the recommendation was for only reading the book not supporting the cause."

That's pretty kind of you. Personally though, after hearing so many people praise Mr. Hitler in this region, I'm not so kind. I think whoever put it there was definitely supporting his views.

A very good point.But that's exactly what makes the Western world different from the said Islamic countries,yes?The freedom factor. Besides Hitler is dead and gone and will have no idea people are buying his book,nor benefit from it, where-see somebody like Salman Rushdie, though not even half as deadly as Hitler, is very much alive and kicking and will likely benefit from the sales of his books hence those who hate his works and him, would not like him to prosper under their watch.

That said personally I feel its even a good thing to know what goes on in the mind of Mr "Satanic Verses" Rushdie's as well. It helps us know the other side and knowledge in cases like this is essential in order to avoid further disasters. So we see the warning signals early on before it turns a menace.

The way I see it is the recommendation was for only reading the book not supporting the cause.

On, and TB, why did you waste your money? The bloody book is all over the net (posted by such enlightening websites as crusader and other neo-nazi based sites).

http://www.crusader.net/texts/mk/

Exactly No Merci. When you put something on a recommended list you are promoting that thing, and if that thing is a book that promotes a particular ideology, then vicariously, you are promoting that ideology.

If I walked into a bookstore and saw that Sarah Palin and George W. Bush's books were all on recommended reading lists, but books by Clinton and Obama weren't, I would assume that store was promoting the Republican agenda and 9 times out of 10, I would be right.

No Richard Branson probably has no idea that the book was put on the recommended list. Neither would Virgin head office.

It says here:

"Each Virgin Megastore in the Middle East is responsible for the merchandising of products within its respective store and is not merchandised via a planogram from headquarters"

So someone at Virgin Middle East wanted to recommend the book. Not Richard Branson.

Fathima, it is not about wanting or not wanting people to read a book. It is about promoting a particular book, in this case one that is as badly written as it it is heinous.

Sure, people should be able to read what ever they want...which, btw, is not possible in most Islamic countries, but why put something like Mein Kampf, on a "preferred" list?

How about putting Salman Rushdie's books on a promotion / recommendation list in bookstores in Arabic countries ?

What do you think would be the reaction here?

Would it be "oh, but people should be able to read what they want"?

I think not....

The recommendation was to read the book not follow the ideological of Adolf Hitler. But maybe its a play with words here. I highly doubt a man of Richard Branson's stature would ever support and recommend others to support the Nazis..that's just preposterous IMO!

While the definition of recommend is:

rec·om·mend/ˌrekəˈmend/

Verb:

1. Put forward (someone or something) with approval as being suitable for a particular purpose or role.

2. Advise or suggest (something) as a course of action.

So I hate to say it, but yes, if you recommend something, a book or a course of action, you are putting your endorsement behind it.

There are two reasons that a bookstore "recommends" books (and I worked at a major book chain in Canada so I know this). A) It's a best seller (which unless a lot of Arabs read Mein Kampf, it is no longer a best seller anywhere in the world.

B) you are trying to make it a best seller.

You will rarely find politically motivated books on recommended lists in the West UNLESS they are major bestsellers, because major corporations do not want to be seen to be endorsing a certain political movement or person.

So, by Western standards, putting this book in the recommended section meant that Virgin was promoting it and endorsing it.

Does recommending that people read this book actually mean supporting Nazis? The way I see it, its always interesting to know how those from the "darker side" think. To know what motivated them to do such heinous crimes, so that such tragedies can be, perhaps, averted in the future.

Preventing those who wish to read this book, whatever their reasons maybe, is IMO wrong. This is exactly what parties like the Nazis, Khmer Rouge, etc did...denying the right of gaining knowledge to their subjects via banning and burning books they deemed problematic and against their ideologies.

now im curious about this book, is it still available here?

But why would someone bother for someone else recommending a book moreso when it is a bookstore visited by people with different tastes.

Anyways, this happens when too much leg room is provided allowing people to impress upon their life onto yours (though not without reason, but still)... much more to come, in all probability.

Alright, Mein Kampf IS an extremely important book, gain insight into the atrocities of the past! Now how come the recommendation of such an enormously historically informative book, is wrong?

Order Summary: Details: Order #: D01-6824478-6349100 Sub-total of items: £2.14 ------ Total for this order: £2.14 The following item is auto-delivered to your Kindle or other device. You can view more information about this order by clicking on the title on the Manage Your Kindle page at Mein Kampf [Kindle Edition] £2.14Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.

Whats' wrong in recommending a book if they think its a good read.... ????????

No one's saying you can't buy the book Doha Chap, the issue is with recommending it.

I like Adlot Hilter 2 ^_^ my role model! with 5 STARS*****

If You can buy Hitler's bad paintings, apparently­, so why not his bad book?

to try to stop people reading it is no different to the Nazi book burning.

I'm not surprised. I have been told by quite a few people that they like Adolf Hitler. Not that I can understand that, but hey, each to their own.

I also think people should be able to make their own decisions.

Although, a Western store "recommending" this book is, well, pretty tasteless..

genesis they are afraid of the americans and their penchant to file a lawsuit for anything and everything...

what is the new policy on refunds by Alshaya group?

Ok... I am going to read it. And then I am going to read this:-

The Auschwitz Chapter (Under Total Eclipse We Will Tremble Like Birds Without Song)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Auschwitz-Chapter-Eclipse-Tremble-ebook/dp/B00513NCWY/ref=pd_sim_kinc_1

I don't know who is ranking it highly timebandit. It's one of the worst written books I've ever attempted to read. I guess it's a bit of insight into the mind of an ego maniac, but his writing abilities are no better than his painting.

Regardless of its content, i don't think that person has right to question what people read here. This have only provoked the locals & it's just getting started. Local tweeps now demands that the book is featured in the upcoming Doha Book fair

it was just one American who complained & the book was revoked!!!

Now Qataris on twitter started a hashtag to question the decision as the book was in Arabic not in English And demand that the ministry of culture investigate as Qatar is not committed to any anti Semitism law

I have just been reading the reviews on Amazon.co.uk and was surprised by how well it has been rated.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mein-Kampf-ebook/dp/B005IZJH38/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1323157389&sr=1-1

Now I am tempted to see what all the fuss is about and have a read myself.

I tried, but it's really so horribly written and boring that I couldn't get past the first couple of chapters.

Regardless of the racial implications of recommending the book they should be ashamed for recommending something so badly written!

Out of interest has anyone here ever read Mein Kampf?