Alia

Alia is Salma’s younger daughter and is much more liberal and reckless in her approach to life than her mother. She is not hugely spiritual, being rather skeptical about religion, and she has a sarcastic charm that is both attractive and repellent to those around her. Alia was very close to Mustafa before he died as the pair of them were close in age and had similar interests. Alia ends up marrying Mustafa’s best friend, emphasizing the closeness between brother and sister.

Alia dresses less conservatively than many other Arab women and is interested in Western culture more than Salma would like. When Alia has children of her own, she is a loving mother but sometimes comes across as cold and detached. Her relationship with her husband fluctuates and they often have arguments, but ultimately come back together in love. It is clear that she cares...