Freedom as Connection to God: An Analysis of Two Novels by Muslim Women’s Writers in the Western Diaspora

This article is built on the postulation that critical reading of fiction by Muslim women writers has often favoured frameworks that locate the texts as a form of ‘writing back’ against stereotypes of Muslim women. I suggest that while such perspectives are useful, they have also led to the under exploration of the influence that Islam has on fiction writing, particularly on the portrayal of women and their everyday lives. As an attempt to address this shortcoming, in this article, I present an analysis of two novels, Minaret (2006) by Leila Aboulela and Saints and Misfits (2017) by S.K. Ali, which are focused on the demonstration of faith by the female characters, particularly relating it to how they connect to God. This is done by utilising Allison Weir’s (2013) conceptualisation of freedom as connection and belonging to God where the submission to rituals and norms is seen as a method to create a connection to God. I argue that, in the novels, the centrality of God in the lives of the protagonists is prominent. Thus, when they experience moments of spiritual depravity, they are pushed towards an improvement of personal religious commitment. This commitment has a central aim of connecting to God, and when it is realised, the female protagonists are released from the captivity of worldly desires and expectations.