Minaret (novel)

Minaret is the second novel from the Sudanese author Leila Aboulela. Published in 2005, Minaret follows the journey of Najwa, a young woman forced to flee her home in Sudan in the face of the Second Sudanese Civil War. After her father's execution, she and her family are forced to flee to London and leave behind the life of affluence and comfort that she once knew. As she loses everything, she manages to find herself again through her faith.

The novel is broken into six sections that follow a non-linear narrative. The events of Najwa's past run parallel with the events of her life in the present day with the alternating sections

The reader is introduced to Najwa and her family. Najwa lives a very privileged life, with her mother coming from a wealthy family and her father working as a high-ranking government official. She and her brother are both students at the University of Khartoum, which is where she first meets Anwar. When the coup occurs and their father is taken, Najwa and her family flee to London to await the news of his trial. Their father is found guilty and executed.

In this section the story jumps forward to the present day of the story on Najwa's first day of working for Lamya. Its been 18 years since Najwa had come to London and she is now a devout Muslim. The story walks through Najwa's routine of work, going to the Mosque, and visiting Omar. She is getting more comfortable in her job and she also properly meets Tamer and begins to get to know him.

Just after the death of her mother, Najwa is adjusting her new life alone and new freedoms of London. She begins working for her aunt, doing housework, and gets a letter from Anwar and agrees to meet with him. They talk and catch up and he persuades Najwa to help him with his articles for the newspaper he writes for and their relationship starts to build up again despite their constant disagreements. Najwa eventually loses her virginity to Anwar, something she feels immensely guilty over and further separates her from her faith.

Najwa and Tamer are getting closer thanks to their shared dedication to Islam. Their relationship is starting to shift towards a more romantic direction, and even though she faces criticism from her friend and her own internal reluctance about it she doesn't stop the progression of their relationship. Things come to a head when Najwa has to work at a party that Lamya is throwing. Najwa gets emotional when she sees a dancer their mocking the hijab and her faith and so she seeks out Tamer for comfort. Tamer kisses her and Lamya finds them like this, prompting her to slap Najwa.

Najwa and Anwar's relationship continues its decline and Najwa finally reaches out to get more involved in Islam. She reaches out to a woman from the Mosque to help her become a more devoted Muslim. She starts going to Mosque and finds solace and comfort in Islam and the teachings of the Qur'an. She ends her relationship with Anwar and starts wearing the hijab.

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