Libraries stock books which preach terror

Extremist Islamist literature linked to terrorism is being stocked in London's public libraries.

Council taxpayers' money has been spent on more than 80 books in libraries in Tower Hamlets which advocate violent jihad, anti-Semitism, sexism and hatred of non-believers, an investigation found.

Multiple copies of radical texts, known to have inspired 7/7 bombers Mohammed Siddique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer, were found alongside publications by convicted race hate preachers Abu Hamza and Sheikh Abdullah el-Faisal.

El-Faisal writes in Natural Instincts: "The kaffirs (non-believers) are the henchmen of the Shaitaan (devil) ... the only language the kaffirs respect is jihad."

Bethnal Green library, Whitechapel Ideas Store and Chrisp St Ideas Store (the new names for libraries) were among the eight libraries stocking the books, according to the report by the Centre for Social Cohesion think-tank. The Hate on the State report found: "Many of the books ... glorify acts of terrorism against followers of other religions, incite violence against anyone who rejects jihadist ideologies and endorse violence against women."

Critics have condemned the use of public-money to fund the circulation of extremist thinkers such as Egyptian Sayyid Qutb, said to be standard reading for would-be suicide bombers. Qutb talks of "Jewish conspiracies" while Hamza tells readers it is permissible to kill non-Muslims. More than 20 copies of books by Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahab, founder of the doctrine adhered to by Osama bin Laden, are on the shelves.

Douglas Murray, of the Centre for Social Cohesion, told Newsnight: "Taxpayers' money should not be used to fund extremism." Patrick Mercer MP, Government adviser on security issues, said: "I don't oppose free speech, but the amount of this material is frightening."

Tower Hamlets council has refused to remove the texts, but admitted its Islamic range had been too narrow and it was now ordering books centrally rather than leaving it to individual libraries. A spokeswoman said: "If publicly available material has not incurred legal penalties then it should not be excluded on moral, political, religious, racial or gender grounds, to satisfy the demands of sectional interest."