Minaret (novel)

[1] 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.

Najwa lives a very privileged life, with her mother coming from a wealthy family and her father working as a high-ranking government official.

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.

Tamer wants to move forward with the plan to get married, but Najwa doesn't want to hold him back or stunt his future.

Tamer is promised that he can study whatever he wants in university as long as he returns home and agrees to break things off with Najwa.

A great deal of her father's money was confiscated by the new government in Khartoum, and the wealth she does have is lost very quickly to her brother's addiction, her mother's illness, and paying for Anwar's schooling.

Her faith in Islam empowers her to stand up for herself and leave the toxic relationship she had with Anwar and the hijab becomes a symbol of strength and agency for her.