Dr. Qanta Ahmed’s book, In the Land of Invisible Women, shakes you up in ways that you can never imagine. One often hears of multiple pieces of rhetoric that stems from the Middle East on the prevalence of patriarchy: it isn’t new. And yet, when true stories from the land snake their way out in the form of literature and cinema, you find yourself sitting up and taking notice.

A Muslim doctor, Dr. Qanta Ahmed lived much of her life in the West. She is unexpectedly denied a visa to remain in the United States, and is forced to move out to Saudi Arabia where she accepts a position as a doctor in a hospital. In the time that was to unfold after, as Dr. Qanta reflects on her journey in the memoir, life took her through plenty of things: shaming, racism, extremism, male chauvinism, patriarchy and antagonism towards women. Beset in the complex fabric of parochialism, Dr. Qanta also finds herself in the course of a life-changing pilgrimage at Mecca.

Dr. Qanta chronicles her experiences in Saudi Arabia with the harsh Muttawaeen ( moral police)  and their whips in a bid to enforce norms ( mainly among women ?) , her time with being in the minority as one among the few women doctors in Saudi and her experiences with the flawed interpretations of Islam and its teachings through the riddled and skewed perspectives of tribal warlord-ism. A part of me did feel that Dr. Qanta could have engaged more with the people of Saudi by so much as learning their language and conversing with them directly than to rely on translators: for by overlooking this, there are a few assumptions made in her assessment of the people of Saudi which may not necessarily be appropriate.

When Dr. Qanta sets foot in Saudi Arabia, she is sure of being smack centre in an exotic land, enjoying an adventure of sorts. But little does she know that the legendary sense of adventure prevails only in the kind of portrayal that fantastic literature offers. The Saudi Kingdom, she discovers, is a vast land of many intriguing extremes and challenges. While the book is least commended for the literary quality, it brings forth many revelations that are useful to every gender-rights activist. One often hears of skewed perspectives concerning Islam and its take on the status of women and their rights.

Dr. Qanta’s experience in the Middle Eastern country showed her the dark underbelly of patriarchy with full force. Women in the male dominated society are often looked upon as personified entities of flesh – worth simply nothing more than just base chattel. Men dominate and control women everywhere, and society is largely segregated into groups: men and women, Saudis and Non-Saudis, Muslims and non-Muslims. Women are forced to wear abbayahs – heavy black body and hair covering veils – even in the hot desert heat. Women who belonged to other religious faiths were also forced to follow the strict interpretation of Sharia Law. Women are not allowed to travel anywhere without a male companion. The strict dress code made the process of listening to heartbeats over a stethoscope a difficult prospect. Male and female doctors were not allowed to go on rounds together, toughening up the process even more.

This skewed interpretation of Islam and its teachings, as Dr. Qanta came to learn while on the Hajj, was wrong. Though most people are wont to believe that it has much to do with Islam, it truly isn’t. Islam as a religion does NOT advocate disrespect or discrimination of women – it is its interpretation by certain segments of society that leads to the continued prevalence of discrimination. Warlords and tribal communities embraced Islam in some of the earlier centuries. Despite embracing their religion, they allowed their culture to prevail in some sort of a bridled confluence with religion.

For instance, as Dr. Qanta points out in the book, The Quran does not encourage Polygamy. It reads thus: “If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, marry women of your choice, Two or three or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one, or (a captive) that your right hands possess, that will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice.” This verse is said to have been revealed in the aftermath of a war, when there were too many widows and orphaned children that needed support and protection. But look at how this is being interpreted by those who don’t look at the Quran in the right way.

The book is a relevant read for anyone seeking to understand the ethos in Saudi Arabia, as embedded against the larger backdrop of the Middle East and the prevalence of patriarchy in their society.