Romance conventions can be redirected to valorize spiritual over sensual fulfillment

Evidence

Indeed, the central Najwa–Tamer relationship bears the hallmarks of the romance form while at the same time subtly transvaluing and diverting that form. The search for love is a central theme of the book. However, a distinction is drawn between sexual love and spiritual love, or love for the Prophet. Najwa’s sexual consummation with Anwar leaves her feeling fragile and soiled. By contrast, Tamer shares her religious priorities. However, it is noticeable that he operates to reconcile the spiritual and the sensual—the latter still a powerful force in Najwa’s makeup. There is much emphasis on touch in both relationships: Najwa experiences an acute physical response to both men—even via simple physical proximity. Tamer’s first kiss immediately follows the religious outrage he and Najwa share over a party guest’s sacrilegious use of the hijab in an impromptu striptease, and their first encounter in the lobby of the St John’s Wood apartment has an erotic edge that is nonetheless couched in religious terms—a breathless Najwa feels she can almost “smell Paradise” on him (3). Thus, the usual romance dynamics are set in play. What differs in Minaret is that they are figured through Islamic ideals and their attendant imagery. This figuration subtly prepares us to accept—or at least expect—that the same ideals will determine valorized characters’ choices, even if that means a rejection of the usual love story resolution. — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 483

Categorization

• XREF: Directly usable for reading The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Home Boy — what does each do with the romance form relative to Islamic ideals. — connects to: Romantic metaphysics originated in magic and serves to veil reality