Musawah appoints Ogilvy Malaysia to lead global audience research and communications strategy

Musawah, a global movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family, has appointed Ogilvy Malaysia to lead their end-to-end global research and communications strategy hubbed out of Malaysia.

Musawah, which means ‘equality’ in Arabic, was launched in February 2009 at a Global meeting in Kuala Lumpur which was attended by over 250 women and men from 47 countries, including 32 Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries.

The organisation has a five-year plan to amplify the voice of their global network of activists and accelerate their impact on the ground in changing discriminatory family laws and practices within Islam, by galvanizing collective action and broad-based public support.

Huda Jawad, Co-director, Musawah, said: “Musawah believes equality and justice in the Muslim family are not only necessary but our duty to pursue and realise. We are rooted in our faith and are driven by its teachings to advance the liberty and equality of women and men in Muslim contexts, in both their public and private lives. 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. Given Ogilvy Malaysia’s unique Islamic expertise, coupled with global network reach and involvement in women’s rights, we are delighted to partner with them on this quest for better understanding and movement building for change.”

Nizwani Shahar, Chief Executive, Ogilvy Malaysia, 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.”

Shelina Janmohamed, Vice President, Islamic Marketing, said: “We could not be more thrilled to be working with Musawah on a project that will significantly impact the lives of Muslim women around the world. 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.”

Ogilvy Malaysia will be tasked with extensive market research to provide a rich understanding of Muslim Women across the four regions of 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.

Ogilvy’s Islamic Consulting has a pioneering role in the growing Islamic branding and marketing industry, and the growth of the Muslim consumer market. It has been set up to offer practical advice and strategic counsel on how to build brands compliant with Shariah principles that appeal to Muslim consumers, globally. It is a practice that aims to build strong authentic brands that empathise, appeal to, and engage with Muslims audiences across the globe today.

The appointment is set to begin on November 1 with global audience research spanning 2021-2022. Communications and meaningful action steps will progressively rollout thereafter.

To find out more about Musawah please click here.