Sheikha Hend Al Qassemi’s Black Book of Arabia showcases secrets, shatters stereotypes

By Hyacinth Mascarenhas

“The book is a storehouse of untold stories and secrets,” says Emirati entrepreneur, artist, writer and fashion label owner Sheikha Hend Al Qassemi. “Like the “black box” on an aircraft—the place you go to get the facts, the details, the truth.”

Perfectly describing her debut collection of short stories, Al Qassemi’s “Black Book of Arabia” (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing) is a thoughtfully curated medley of true stories from across the Arabian Gulf that is candid, witty and refreshingly real.

The twelve different, carefully curated tales featured were originally written in a more condensed form in the ‘True Stories of the Middle East’ column of Velvet, a regional lifestyle magazine of which Al Qassemi is Editor-in-Chief, but are revealed in their entirety for the first time in her new book.

“It became one of the most popular features in the magazine, and people began coming to me and telling me their own stories,” said Al Qassemi. “I continued to publish the most intriguing ones and they became the foundation of the book.”

While she did change the names and locations of the characters to protect the privacy of the people who told her their stories, embellished details and invented dialogue between them, Al Qassemi says she did not change the plot lines or the endings and was careful to stay close to the original stories.

The candid stories collected, however, are certainly gripping – From a young bride who mysteriously goes blind on her wedding day to a jealous wife who creates a tempting online persona only to have her husband fall in love with another woman.

“I wanted to provide a glimpse into the lives of all kinds of people—from royals to the migrant workers who are part of the Arabian Gulf states today,” said Al Qassemi. “The diversity in the region is tremendous. I have one story about a princess about to be married and one about a foreign worker forced into prostitution; one about a newlywed expecting her first child and one about a middle-aged man going through a midlife crisis. They’re real, they’re diverse, and, as in life, they do not always have a happy ending.”

Every story focused on confronting a different fear, insecurity or obstacle that either ended well or badly. Still, the theme woven through this little black book is deceptively simple – everybody struggles.

“Every person you pass on the street is facing their own challenge. You see a prince at the airport speaking on the phone. You think he has the world in the palm of his hand, not realizing you are witnessing the most anguished moment of his life,” said Al Qassemi. “You see a princess shopping for her trousseau in Paris. You think she doesn’t have a care in the world, not knowing that in a few hours she will see her dreams ripped to shreds. You see a young mother with a loving husband and beautiful children. You think she has it made. You have no idea of the mental torture she is going through.”

Focusing on women in the Middle East, Al Qassemi says the region is filled with “amazing tales to tell” and “inspiring stories of perseverance and triumph.” She also admits that there is a little bit of setting the record straight on Arab women and how the world views them.

“There are misconceptions about Arab women, and I wanted to address those. That’s why the book has the tagline, “Who said Arab women are weak?,” says Al Qassemi. “I think readers outside the Middle East will be surprised to see how independent, ingenious, and even headstrong Middle Eastern women can be. And their lives are all so different; you can’t stereotype us. At the same time, we face the same problems other women do—difficulties in our marriages, our jobs, and with our children.”

Moving in some parts and hilarious in others, the vignettes showcased differ in nationalities, emotions and the roles of women highlighted, yet are relatable in terms of the struggles that everyone goes through, in one form or another, and the flurry of emotions that follow.

In addition to shattering stereotypes of Arab women and providing another reason for people outside of the Middle East to rethink and evaluate their perspective of life in the region, the book also captures the beauty and need to sometimes focus on the universality of life’s daily struggles and power of the human spirit that translates and resonates beyond boundaries, cultures and patronizing perspectives.

“I was surprised at the strength of the human spirit,” said Al Qassemi. “We know some people are strong—we think of our heroes as strong—but I was struck by the strength of ordinary women from every culture and every walk of life. I was inspired by their resilience. I had to tell their stories.”

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