"These poisonous texts threaten remnant Jewish communities in the Arab world."
"Year after year, these publishers return to Frankfurt...The Book Fair's indifference to hate can render it complicit in the consequences."
Paris, 13 March 2012
In letters to Moroccan Culture Minister, Mohammed Amine Sbihi and Frankfurt Book Fair Director, Jurgen Boos, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre's Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, exposed publishers promoting antisemitism at the 18th SIEL (Salon International de l'Edition et du Livre) which recently ended in Casablanca.
Samuels recalled "the role played by H.E. Mohammed VI's grandfather, King Mohammed V, in defending his Jewish citizens from the colonial laws
of Vichy France during World War II", continuing, "for that reason, we bring to your attention the antisemitic book displays at the 18th SIEL Book Fair, which recently ended in Casablanca. The SIEL is billed as the most important Book Fair in the Middle East and North Africa, carrying major influence on readers and public opinion, especially among youth".
"Not only do such poisonous texts threaten remnant Jewish communities in Morocco and across the Arab world", he added, "they can only endanger the moderate Moroccan monarchy which is targetted by the same hatemongers".
The letter charged that offenders regurgitated the all-purpose conspiracy theories and default excuse for the region's woes - the myth of the omnipotent Jew - with covers iconizing Hitler and fixating on the Talmud and the Mossad etc"
Samuels pointed out that "the worst such texts were displayed on the Stands of Egypt and that of Syria" (see photos below) :
- Dar al Kitab al Arabi, Egypt (a consortium of Arab publishing houses)
(Stand D49) :
Right : "The Talmud : Secrets and Facts"
Left : "The Leaders of Zion : Documents, Pictures, Confessions", Magdi Kamal
Right : "Mein Kampf : A New Approach to the Memoirs of Adolf Hitler",
Farid al Falouji
Left : "The Other Face of Adolf Hitler", Farid al Falouji and Hassan Hamadi 
"The Protocol of the Elders of Zion", Mansour Abdul Hakim 
"Exposing Zionist Plots to Control the World" 
"Talmud Secrets in the Jew's Character" 
Left : "Facts About the Secret Ties Between Zionism and Nazism", Abdul Karim al Falouji, Al Maatsouat, Beirut 
"The Seventh War Brings Closer the End of the Jews and the Destruction of the State of Israel"
-Dar Afak (with Dar Kalimaz, Dar Ain, Kanouz) Egypt (Stand C27-2) 
"The Holocaust: The Gate to Eternity of the People of Zion", Isam Abdul Fitah, Kanouz 
"Mein Kampf : Memoirs of Adolf Hitler", Kamal Fouad, Nour 
Upper row right : "The Commanders of the Mossad"
Upper row middle : "Secrets of Espionage : Mossad and Shin Beth", Housam
Upper row left : "Mein Kamf"
Middle row right : "Mossad Assassinations of Leaders and Religious
Scholars", Hamad Imam, Kanouz
Middle row middle : "The Stone on the Chess Board", Kanouz
Middle row left : "The Commander Machiavelli", Kamal Fouad
Lower row right : "Secrets of the Death Circle in Israel : Mossad"
Lower row left : "The Cold War - Domination of Satan", Kanouz
- Dar al Haram, Egypt (Stand D69):
"The Star of David = the Swastika"
-Dar al Awail, Syria (Stand D75) :
"Protocols of the Elders of Zion"(Photography not permitted)
The presence of this stand is even more odious in view of the current governmental massacres of their own people.
The same information was shared with Frankfurt Book Fair Director, Jurgen Boos, which the Wiesenthal Centre annually monitors. Samuels urged him to "blacklist these publishers from participating in the 2012 Frankfurt Book Fair as they violate European Union and Council of Europe provisions against racism, German policy towards the Arab world, these exhibitor's contractual terms with the Fair and your own commitment to prevent such incitement."
The Centre lamented that "year after year, our Centre protests the behaviour of the same recidivist publishing houses, without any effective action taken to prevent recurrence".
"Should they be present, once again this October, we can only conclude that the Fair remains indifferent, and thus can be rendered complicit in the consequences" concluded Samuels.