Qatar Branch of Virgin Megastores Under Fire For Recommending “Mein Kampf”

A Virgin Megastore in Doha, Qatar faced an on-line backlash, after a photo posted on Twitter revealed that Hitler’s Mein Kampf was “recommended” by the store. American communications coordinator, and Doha resident Charles Gandelman took the photo at Virgin’s Landmark Shopping Centre location, after a friend, Anna Peregrini, told him about the “recommendation”.

"My friend was very shocked and sent a very passionate email to Virgin but got no response. I have seen this book on sale before but to have it in the recommended section of an international British brand associated with Richard Branson is surprising. After Anna got no response from the company I posted it on twitter to see where it would go,” Gandelman told The National.

"It is one thing for this to be on sale, I do not believe in censorship, but to be promoted in this way crosses a line. This isn't a specialist history bookshop, it only has a small number of such titles on sale, so the fact it has been chosen says something, but to be recommended in this way is shocking,” said Peregrini.

"To start with I gave Richard Branson the benefit of the doubt, I'm sure this would not be something he would know about, but to write and then receive no response from the company is disappointing, which is why we tweeted it,” continued Peregrini.

After a firestorm erupted on Twitter apropos of the posted photograph, the “recommended” Mein Kampf disappeared from the section.