In the Land of Invisible Women

I found Dr. Qanta Ahmed's memoir of her time in Saudi Arabia as an ICU physician in Riyadh interesting, horrifying and gushing all at once.  In the Land of Invisible Women (#542) is an aptly chosen title.  Not only is the all-encompassing abbayeh mandated wear for women in Saudi Arabia, but their movements in society are equally constrained, even for those women who have broken through the initial barriers into a professional position outside their homes.  I did not find much of what she relates here new, since I have a friend who travels frequently to Saudi Arabia on business.  Suffice it to say that his wife refuses to accompany him there despite frequent invitations to do so!

One of the chief reasons I was interested in reading In the Land of Invisible Women, though, was the fact that Qanta Ahmed is Muslim.  Although of Pakistani heritage, she was raised in London and educated there and in the United States.  What brought her to her position in Saudi Arabia was the fact that her visa to remain in the States was turned down after she completed her residencies in New York City.  The National Guard Hospital in Riyadh had been actively headhunting her, so she figured why not give it a try.  Being thoroughly Westernized, and having never worn a veil, she experienced such culture shock it was in some ways surprising even to her.  She thought her Muslim upbringing would ease the way for her.  It didn't.  She documents the many ways she butted heads with the Saudis around her, both male and female.  She developed a crush on one of co-workers, although a romance was out of the question in the claustrophobic social atmosphere, but it did give her many insights into male/female relationships there.

One great gift that she came away from after two years of living there was a rekindling of her Muslim faith.  One of her co-workers took her aside to suggest that since she was already there she should make her pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the seven pillars of Islam.  On impulse, she decided to do it, and her travel there changed her life.  She describes the experience in detail, and it was a fascinating and moving glimpse into a closed world.

I did think her writing was a bit over the top for my taste; nonetheless, her time there opens a window on a world that I was curious to learn more about.    Even there, the times, they are a-changing.