Minaret

Minaret by Leila Aboulela, published in 2005, follows Najwa, a privileged young Sudanese woman whose life unravels after a coup leads to her father’s execution for corruption, forcing her family into exile in London. Stripped of wealth and status, she grapples with loss—her brother’s imprisonment for drugs, her mother’s death—while working as a maid for affluent Arabs and navigating isolation. Through encounters at the Regents Park Mosque, Najwa rediscovers solace in Islam, embracing prayer, veiling, and a deepening faith that reshapes her identity amid a forbidden attraction to her employer’s younger brother, Tamer.