Celsius 7/7
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | June 29, 2006 |
| Founder | Michael Gove |
| Products | Book on Islamic terrorism |
| Parent | Weidenfeld & Nicolson (Orion Publishing Group) |
Celsius 7/7 is a publication authored by British Conservative figure Michael Gove, exploring the origins of Islamic terrorism. Released on 29 June 2006 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, a division of the Orion Publishing Group, the book delves into this critical subject matter.
Summary
In this work, Gove investigates the emergence of Islamism alongside Western reactions, making a clear distinction between Islam as a longstanding religious tradition offering spiritual guidance and Islamism as a "totalitarian ideolog[y]" associated with violence and repression. He draws parallels between Islamism and other 20th-century totalitarian movements such as Nazism and Communism.
Gove further explores the causes of widespread terrorism carried out by Muslim extremists and critiques the West’s inability to defend liberal principles effectively. He also highlights the problematic collaboration between fundamentalist Muslim factions and certain elements within the Western left.
Response
As reported by Andrew Pierce in The Daily Telegraph (December 2006), prominent members of the British Government have examined the book and incorporated some of Gove’s suggestions. The publication garnered favorable assessments from periodicals including The Times Literary Supplement and Literary Review, with endorsements from terrorism scholars Walter Laqueur and Michael Burleigh. Conversely, Steven Poole writing for The Guardian dismissed it as "remarkably trite," challenging Gove's viewpoint.
In The Daily Telegraph, Damian Thompson characterized Gove’s perspective as fundamentally "Manichaean," suggesting it oversimplifies the complexities surrounding Islamist terrorism. While he appreciated the critique directed at Western appeasers, Thompson cautioned that equating the counter-terrorism effort with a battle against an overarching totalitarian ideology is "misleading, and even dangerous."
Following its release, Gove encountered allegations accusing him of antagonism towards Islam and its followers. Historian William Dalrymple denounced the book as a "confused epic of simplistic incomprehension," emphasizing Gove’s lack of firsthand experience with Islamic nations or theological study despite professed expertise.
Supporters such as British writers Melanie Phillips and Stephen Pollard defended Gove, rejecting Dalrymple's criticisms. Gove himself issued a public rebuttal in The Times.