The Cairo International Book Fair. Photo: Mohd Tarmizi via Wikimedia Commons.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Wednesday called on Egypt and Oman to remove antisemitic materials from their annual book fairs.

The fairs, which are state-supported and take place in the capital cities of Cairo and Muscat, have long featured virulently antisemitic titles.

At the 2020 Cairo International Book Fair, among the books sold were The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and The International Jew, both based on a conspiracy theory charging that the Jews control the world.

Adolf Hitler’s manifesto Mein Kampf was also available and the author of a newer antisemitic tome held a book signing.

At the ongoing Muscat International Book Fair, numerous antisemitic books are on display.

“Even as Egypt was setting an example by publicly celebrating the history of Jews in that country with the restoration of Alexandria’s historic synagogue, their state-sponsored book fair continued to legitimize antisemitism by peddling some of history’s most dangerous antisemitic tracts,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt stated.

“We are calling on the government to take action now to ensure that such hateful materials are not exhibited again,” he added.

The group sent a letter to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi asking him to prevent the sale of antisemitic materials at upcoming events, including the Alexandria International Book Fair.

A letter was also sent to the sultan of Oman with the same request.

The ADL noted that a similar appeal made to the Qatari government resulted in the removal of many of the antisemitic titles at the Doha International Book Fair.