When a bird is caged, freedom becomes the ultimate goal, but only the brave dare to pursue it. When The Haboob Sings by Nejoud Al-Yagout is a clear example of this. It is the story of a woman caged within the limits imposed by society.
Born to non-religious parents, Dunya Khair is a liberal, open-minded woman living in "an unnamed Muslim country in Arabia, a desert on a coastline." A writer and journalist, Dunya, ends up in prison for several months after publishing an article announcing that she is an apostate.
It all began with an all-male gathering: When Dunya and her husband, Adam, joined the discussion, one of the men remarked on women’s stupidity.
From that moment on, Dunya shifted her writing from culture and entertainment to social issues and human rights. She calls this kind of work "unsafe writing."
Dunya knew very well that she was breaking the law, but the anger within her demanded expression, and the truth had to be spoken. "I was not afraid. Not one bit. I held no claims over the right path, but I knew the path that was right for me. And I wanted to defend myself and others who were on this path. I wanted to give a voice to the voiceless."
Forbidden words
Dunya's first article explores why women cannot marry non-Muslims or pass their citizenship to their children. She then moves on to writing about the roles of men and women, censorship, democracy, and, eventually, apostasy.
Through her writing, she hopes to change an entire country, but her pursuit of change comes with devastating consequences.
Her words spread rapidly across social media, sparking widespread controversy, dozens of lawsuits, and public threats from religious sheikhs.
Soon, her mailbox fills with death threats, including one from Mr X, who wishes someone would kill her and put an end to the debate she has sparked:
"Do you know who you are? You are a haboob, a dust storm. A destructive haboob that obscures vision. But even the most powerful haboob has no chance but to disappear in time. Even the most powerful haboob is forgotten."
While Mr X uses the haboob as a symbol of destruction, Dunya ultimately reclaims it as a symbol of freedom, refusing to remain caged and determined to soar beyond the boundaries imposed on her.
Price of freedom
"By writing about apostasy, just rows and rows of words on paper, I committed a crime. And it brought me here to this cell." The state arrests Dunya and throws her into a prison cell.
Apostasy is a crime. To be an apostate is against the law. Yet Dunya has committed no real crime. She simply becomes a victim of her own beliefs.
"I chose transparency. I chose to be the martyr of penmanship. And here I am. Someone had to do it, and I, a victim of delusions of grandeur, decided that person would be yours truly." Dunya has no regrets about writing on apostasy. She does what she believes is right and continues to ask: "How weak is our country to feel threatened by a writer?"
Explaining her decision, she writes: "You might ask why I consider myself an apostate. It is because I do not want to believe that God puts us in hell for what we eat or drink, or what we do, or which gender we love, or how we worship. I do not want to believe in a God who has created hell."
Through her writing, Dunya exposes the reality of her society rather than its polished public image. It is a society where many pretend to believe in things they may not truly believe, simply to avoid punishment.
In such a place, freedom comes at a cost. Yet her aim is not to provoke, but to challenge a deeply traditional society that suppresses opposing voices.
To many, Dunya is an infidel and a traitor for breaking the law and saying what should never be said publicly.
But for Dunya, speaking out is an act of courage, a way of expressing herself while giving voice to others. In doing so, she becomes a victim of a society that keeps its people caged within its norms and inherited beliefs.
Writing as healing
After her release through an official Amiri pardon, Dunya begins to realise how deeply her imprisonment affected her family.
Everything has changed. She discovers that her family paid the price alongside her: her father died of a heart attack after being unable to see his daughter in prison, while her mother refuses to see her, blaming Dunya for his death and accusing her of killing him.
Imprisonment not only devastates Dunya's life but also puts the lives of her family and her husband at risk.
Eventually, the weight of anger and grief leads her to a mental breakdown, forcing her to confront despair and fight her way back from the brink.
However, Dunya never surrenders. Instead, she not only rediscovers her passion for writing but also realises that writing can become a means of resisting despair and healing from her wounds.
"I am not letting them take away my greatest passion [….] They can say what they want, but I will continue to support causes that matter and continue to address injustices that need to be addressed."
Ultimately, what Dunya longs to see in her country is equality. And even if that day never comes, she can at least know that she did her part by using her writing to imagine and fight for a better reality.
However, her story extends beyond her own experience.
In When The Haboob Sings, Nejoud Al-Yagout tells the story of a fictional character whose experiences reflect the lives of many Arab writers and journalists who have paid the price of freedom and ended up in prison.
By telling the story through Dunya’s voice, Al-Yagout allows readers to connect with her struggles and understand her fight for freedom.
Through Dunya Khair, she portrays the harsh reality of those who choose to speak up rather than surrender to fear, proving that the power of the pen is stronger than prison walls.
In her book, Nejoud Al-Yagout sheds light on censorship, the absence of freedom of speech, and the personal cost of challenging oppressive systems.
More than that, the novel is a call to defend freedom of expression and stand with those who refuse to be silenced, despite the cost.
Joyce Bou Charaa is a Lebanese freelance writer and book editor, with a keen interest in writing about literature, culture, and history
Follow her on Instagram: @joyboucharaa