'It would be a great loss': pioneer Islamic bookshop at risk of closure

London's oldest Islamic bookshop is at risk of closing within a year owing to declining customers and the rise of online shopping.

- Sundus Abdi

Founded in 1985 by the Egyptian publisher Samir El Atar, Dar al Taqwa has been a cornerstone of British Muslim life for four decades - a place where scholars, students and converts have long gathered to browse, talk and connect.

Staff say the shop is the only nonsectarian Islamic bookshop, and its stock ranges from politics and culture to children's books and translations of the Qur'an in major languages.

Since El Atar's death in 2022, his widow Noora El Atar, a 69-year-old Muslim convert from Leeds, has taken over, devoting her time and energy to keeping the business afloat.

The shop has launched a £25,000 fundraiser to cover rent and running costs. “The bookshop started organically, with no loans, everything came from the community,” she said. “Islam is very wide, that's why we want the bookshop to be the same.”