Hanan Elsayed (Pennsylvania State University) will discuss Alifa Rifaat’s Distant View of a Minaret (1983), which gives a vivid look into the lives of Muslim women in Egypt. Many critics have focused mainly on themes of gender oppression in the book. This talk takes a different approach by exploring the Sufi influences in Rifaat’s writing. By looking at how she uses ideas of love and prayer from Sufism, Professor Elsayed shows how Rifaat sees faith not just as worship, but also as a way for women to better understand themselves.
Free and open to the public
A vegetarian Middle Eastern lunch will be provided.
