6/12/2023 0 Comments Minaret aboulela![]() I’m not sure if this was intentional or not but I found it interesting nonetheless. With the exception of Tamer, Najwa’s employer’s brother, members of the upper class seem to have little, if any religious influence in their life, while Muslims who are working class appear to have a more obvious religiosity. Class and religion is interwoven throughout the novel. The class division is very apparent in Najwa’s interaction with the house staff, despite them all being Muslim. In fact, she rarely notices the servants who work for her family. Because she is so privileged, she doesn’t notice the turmoil that is erupting in her country (and will eventually cause the downfall of her family). What I found so interesting about this period in Najwa’s life is her complete obliviousness to the world outside her privileged life. We’re also told that the family servants pray more than she does. In fact, she tells the reader that the extent of her religion extends to fasting during Ramadan and charity work with her mother. During this period Najwa isn’t very religious. Najwa herself is consumed with fashion, pop music and her social circle. ![]() Her brother Omar is carefree and more concerned with parties and the latest trends than with school or the aspirations his father has for him. Her father is an advisor to the president, her mother a housewife who spends lots of time doing philanthropy. In the first, she is part of an elite family in the Sudan. ![]() The book goes back and forth between two periods in Najwa’s life. ![]()
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