Virgin Megastore Qatar makes Adolf Hitler 'Mein Kampf' gaffe

Virgin has been forced to withdraw a copy of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf from a recommended reading shelf at one of its Megastores in Qatar.

American communications executive Charles Gandelman spotted the gaffe last month in the Virgin outlet in the Landmark Shopping Centre in Qatar.

He posted a picture of it on his Twitter account, commenting: "Mein Kampf's next stop: Oprah's Book Club."

Gandelman said that he was alerted to the recommendation by his friend Anna Peregrini, who lives in Qatar.

Speaking to the National newspaper, Gandelman said: "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."

Mein Kampf was removed from the recommended reading section within a day of his posting on Twitter.

Virgin Megastore said in a statement that each store sets its own recommended reading for books, but did not reveal who put up Hitler's controversial tome.

"Recently, one of the region's Virgin Megastores included in its book section the Arabic translation of Mein Kampf, by Adolf Hitler, a title available worldwide in major bookstores and online," said the firm.

"For one day, the book was included in the recommended section. The recommended tag was not an endorsement of the book's author or its content. In response to a customer, we removed the title from the display."

Only Germany and Austria prohibit sales of Mein Kampf, the book published in 1925 that charts the Nazi leader's views on Judaism and communism.

Virgin Megastores is no longer owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, with Beirut-based retail holding firm Azadea Group operating the stores throughout the Middle East.