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‘I have to protect them’: The man guarding Mauritania’s rare Islamic books

Al Jazeera·Shola Lawal·about 1 month ago
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Chinguetti, Mauritania – Bookkeeper Muhammad Gholam el-Habot gently pulled a pair of white gloves onto his slender hands and set about his routine in his high-ceilinged, cool library lined with steel bookshelves. He opened a thick manuscript printed in Arabic. After leafing through its brown and frail pages, looking for damage, el-Habot closed the book with a satisfied thud, rubbed his fingers over the wrinkled leather cover, and carefully placed it in a white cardboard box. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 ‘Xenophobic’: Neighbours outraged over Mauritania’s mass migrant pushback list 2 of 3 ‘I’ll go back’, say African migrants deported in campaign by Mauritania list 3 of 3 ‘A step too far’: Malians protest military gov’t moves to hold on to power end of list “These books are very important to my family and me,” the librarian said, as the midday sunlight spilled in through open wooden doors.…

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