A Muslim Female Bildungsroman: Quest for Identity and Sisterhood in Islam in Leila Aboulela’s Minaret (2005)

After 9/11 and 7/7 incidents, the question of faith and identity continuously generates huge interest among Muslims and non-Muslims in the UK. This paper aims to scrutinise the quest for identity and its relation to Islamic faith in a Muslim female bildungsroman, Leila Aboulela’s Minaret (2005). It will explore the self-identification of the main character, Najwa and in particular will consider the geographical settings, Sudan and London, the shifting between twentieth and twenty-first centuries using Rita Felski’s models of self-discovery and self-knowledge. It will also examine the transition of Najwa’s identity from that of a secular Muslim in Sudan, to a woman with dual identities, before she becomes a practicing Muslim in London. The concepts of individualism and collectivism in Islam through the portrayal of sisterhood at Regent’s Park Mosque, London will also be explored in the protagonist’s search for an identity and rediscovery of faith.