title: Black Book of Arabia: Stories
author: Hend Al Qassemi
description: <b>Sheikha Hend Faisal Al Qassemi</b> is an accomplished Emirati artist, a successful entrepreneur, and committed philanthropist. She is editor-in-chief of <i>Velvet</i>, a high-end fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published in Dubai and distributed around the world. She lives in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, and Doha, Qatar.
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  ![](../images/00002.jpeg)
  
  [Begin Reading](part0003.html)
  
  
  [Table of Contents](part0074_split_000.html)
  
  [Newsletters](part0073.html#Appendix1)
  
  
  [Copyright Page](part0075.html#Copyright2)
  
  
    
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  _For Victoria, as always…_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [1](part0074_split_000.html)
  
  Seven ministers entered the famed Al-Bourah Hotel in Doha. Seven ministers
  from Jordan, Syria, Qatar, Iraq, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen,
  grim-faced, all carrying briefcases locked to their wrists by chains, each
  needing thei