Islamic feminist org Musawah ramps up research and comms efforts with Ogilvy MY

Islamic feminist organisation Musawah has appointed Ogilvy Malaysia to lead its end-to-end global research and communications strategy hubbed out of Malaysia. Ogilvy has been tasked with extensive market research to provide a rich understanding of Muslim Women across Southeast Asia, South Asia, Middle East and North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The aim is to identify discriminatory Muslim family laws against women who are living in these countries and speak to them to better understand the support needed to amplify the impact of the movement in a now-predominantly digital world. A holistic communications strategy will then be rolled out across these regions to reform Muslim laws and strategies making them more accessible to women especially around the 12 principal areas of concern.

Musawah, which means equality in Arabic, was launched in February 2009 at a global meeting in Kuala Lumpur. The organisation said in a press statement that it has a five-year plan to amplify the voice of its global network of activists and accelerate their impact on the ground in changing “discriminatory family laws and practices within Islam”, by galvanising collective action and broad-based public support.

Huda Jawad, co-director Musawah said it believes equality and justice in the Muslim family are not only necessary but our duty to pursue and realise. "Our vision is of a world where the basis for all human relations is equality, where justice and dignity thrive, and where oppression and prejudice are dismantled. Impactful change is being birthed across our Muslim ummah and with Ogilvy’s help we can better nurture, amplify and sustain it," Huda said.

Given Ogilvy Malaysia’s unique Islamic expertise, coupled with global network reach and involvement in women’s rights, Musawah is delighted to partner with the agency on this quest for better understanding and movement building for change, she said.

At the same time, Ogilvy Malaysia's chief executive, Nizwani Shahar, said this is the first step towards driving a global movement for equality and justice amongst Muslims worldwide. "We are well-placed and in a unique position to partner with Musawah by tapping into our knowledge, expertise, and global network in Islamic communications. We are genuinely buzzing to be given this opportunity to make a real change to the millions of women globally who suffer at the hands of injustice and inequality," she explained.

Ogilvy's VP, Islamic marketing, Shelina Janmohamed, added that this is a first-of-its-kind project to gather primary data about Muslim women whose voices are too often ignored. "We hope our unique expertise in understanding Muslim audiences, our global network and our communications capabilities will deliver meaningful change. It is a cause we are passionate about at Ogilvy and feel proud to support Musawah in their work," she said. Ogilvy’s Islamic consulting was set up to offer practical advice and strategic counsel on how to build brands compliant with Shariah principles that appeal to Muslim consumers, globally.

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