London’s oldest independent Islamic bookshop is at risk of closing within a year owing to declining footfall and the rise of online shopping platforms.
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 non-sectarian Islamic bookshop and stocks all kinds of titles 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 to keep 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.”
For 40 years, Dar al-Taqwa has stood as a cultural and spiritual hub for the Muslim community in the UK and beyond. Its founder opened the store after recognising the lack of accessible Islamic resources in the UK during the 1980s.
“He was very ambitious, my husband. He worked very, very hard,” says Noora, who encouraged him to open the shop because of her lifelong love for reading. The couple chose Baker Street for its proximity to London Central mosque and because, at the time, “a lot of international customers, especially Arabs, would come and stay here in the summer, so it was essential for them”.
The shop, which Noora runs alongside just three part-time staff, began without bank loans, in accordance with Islamic teachings that forbid interest. Instead, the couple relied on community investment and savings. Today, Noora describes the atmosphere as familial: “We are a family here, we keep customers and they become one of us, as staff.”
Dar al-Taqwa’s shelves are lined with many books that are rare or out of print. “There are books you’ll find here that you’ll never find anywhere else,” Noora says proudly.
Some authors, including the US scholar Hamza Yusuf, have personally donated their works. The shop also sells academic titles from major publishers such as Routledge and Macmillan, and hosts readings and community events. Last year, they launched author sessions and plan to start a book and poetry club. It is even occasionally used to officiate Islamic marriages.
Longtime staff member Ibrahim Abdirahman Hassan, 60, first visited as a customer before joining the team in 1996. “A lot of people don’t visit because they read online now,” he said. “In the 90s, people came to buy books.”
Despite this, he remains attached to the place: “I meet so many interesting people here – it’s the centre of what’s going on. You get the news when you’re here; if a new book is published, people will tell you.”
Dar al-Taqwa has welcomed prominent visitors over the years, including Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), the British diplomat Gai Eaton, and Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan. Yet, its reach goes far beyond London.
On a recent visit, Yusry Yusoff, a customer from Malaysia, said he made a point of visiting the bookshop after hearing of its closure the day before his flight home. “It’s a unique bookstore, not many of them exist – even in Malaysia,” he said. “It’s not just a bookstore, it’s a melting pot.
“People from all over the world come here for the sole purpose of looking for books and the knowledge contained in them. It’s something very important and defines the character of London.” Saddened by the prospect, Yusoff said of the bookshop’s potential closure: “It would be a great loss.”
