Spiritual Quest and the Development of the Female Identity in Leila Aboulela's Minaret

Abstract

Being a Muslim woman in a Muslim society might be challenging, and being a Muslim woman in a non-Muslim society can even be more. Najwa, the protagonist of Leila Aboulela's Minaret (2005), is an immigrant Muslim woman living in a non-Muslim British society. For this reason; Najwa’s journey throughout the novel seems to be difficult, complicated, and challenging since it was predictable to be after living such a confusing lifestyle and the changes that occur in Najwa’s life. In addition to her attempt to establish a new identity as a Muslim woman, while confronting issues in the Western society. The key concept of this study is to follow the journey of Najwa as a Muslim immigrant woman who has to face both social discrimination and racism in London along with the stereotypes and the religious ignorance inherited from Sudan. Moreover, this dissertation seeks to answer questions related to the novelist’s use of the Islamic religion as a source of power to the protagonist providing a different perspective about Muslim women. Finally, the study shows how Najwa as an immigrant Muslim woman has struggled to find and protect her religious identity.