What Musawah does

Musawah is a global civil society movement founded in February 2009 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, dedicated to advancing equality and justice in Muslim family laws and women's rights within Islamic contexts. Operating as an independent nonprofit (Company No. 1162174-T) with 11-50 employees, the organization engages scholars, activists, policymakers, religious leaders, influencers, and human rights practitioners across more than 30 countries spanning South and Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and Southwest Asia. Its mission centers on distinguishing between Shari'ah (divine guidance) and fiqh (human juristic interpretation), and between ibadat (ritual acts) and mu'amalat (social/contractual acts), to provide theological and legal arguments supporting egalitarian family law reform.

The organization's programmatic architecture rests on five pillars: Knowledge Building (research, publications, and a 175+ item resource repository including Knowledge Building Briefs, Policy Briefs, and books such as "Men in Charge? Rethinking Authority in Muslim Legal Tradition"), Capacity Building (hybrid training including the I-nGEJ flagship course and short courses, with 749 learners reached across 19 I-nGEJ and 14 short courses), Campaign for Justice in Muslim Family Laws (a global mobilization campaign anchored by a 31-country legislative repository), International Advocacy (engagement with CEDAW, UN treaty bodies, OHCHR, and the African Union, producing 57 CEDAW reports across 39 countries), and Communications (podcast and multimedia narrative change programs including Musawah Lighthouse and the Women's Storytelling Project).

Musawah's business model is that of a donor-funded advocacy nonprofit. Revenue derives primarily from foundation grants and donations, supplemented by capacity-building training that is largely free or low-cost to advocates. The organization reports no commercial revenue and offers no priced products. Distribution is digital-first: a multilingual website (English, Arabic, French, Persian, Bahasa Malaysia), podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, Anghami, Deezer), YouTube, and social media (Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn), paired with in-person convenings and hybrid training. Notable partners include Equality Now, FEMNET, SIHA Network (co-founders of the Africa Family Law Network), and a network of academics supporting international advocacy. In May 2025, Musawah became the first Muslim women's rights organization to receive the 42nd Niwano Peace Prize.

Name

Musawah

Legal name

Musawah (Malaysia)

Website

https://musawah.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Musawah is a global nonprofit movement founded in 2009 in Kuala Lumpur that advances equality and justice in Muslim family laws by producing research, delivering capacity-building training, and engaging international human rights mechanisms (including CEDAW) across 30+ countries in the Global South.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights Advocacy and Gender Equality

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH)

Keywords

• Muslim family law reform
• Islamic gender equality
• Women's rights advocacy
• Islamic feminist scholarship
• Human rights education

Headquarters

HQ city

Kuala Lumpur

HQ country

Malaysia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Donations: As a nonprofit organization, Musawah operates primarily through grants from foundations and donations. The organization posts job vacancies and seeks fundraising consultants, indicating dependency on external funding.
2. Capacity Building Training Programs: Offers courses including the I-nGEJ (Islam and Gender Equality and Justice) hybrid flagship training course, suggesting some revenue may come from training fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Musawah is a global movement that advances equality and justice in Muslim family laws and practices through evidence-based research, knowledge publications, hybrid training courses (including the I-nGEJ flagship), international advocacy with UN human rights mechanisms, and multimedia communications. Its offerings are organized into five programmatic pillars: Knowledge Building, Capacity Building, Campaign for Justice in Muslim Family Laws, International Advocacy, and Communications and Narrative Change, targeting activists, policymakers, religious leaders, and the broader human rights community.

Product overview

Musawah is a global human rights movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family, not a commercial software product company. The organization operates through five interconnected programmatic areas: Knowledge Building (producing research, publications, knowledge briefs on Islamic jurisprudence and gender), Capacity Building (delivering training courses including the flagship I-nGEJ course), Campaign for Justice in Muslim Family Laws (mobilizing activists globally with a Global Repository covering 31 countries), International Advocacy (engaging with CEDAW and UN mechanisms), and Communications (podcast, multimedia storytelling, and narrative change work). Key products include publication series (Knowledge Building Briefs, Policy Briefs, and books like 'Justice and Beauty in Muslim Marriage'), training programs, multimedia content (Musawah Podcast, Musawah Lighthouse talk show), and regional initiatives like the Africa Family Law Network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Campaign for Justice in Muslim Family Laws: Global campaign organizing and mobilizing women's rights activists, academics, and policymakers from Muslim communities at national and regional levels across the Global South.
• Musawah Podcast
• Musawah Lighthouse
• Musawah Artist Collective (MAC)
• Africa Family Law Network (AFLN)
• Breaking the Chain
• We Cannot Wait Initiative

Products and services

• Knowledge Building Program Program that produces research, publications, and knowledge briefs facilitating access to knowledge about women's rights in Islam and lived realities, working with scholars and activists to democratize religious knowledge production. Targeted at researchers, scholars, and policy actors in Muslim contexts.
• Knowledge Building Briefs Series Series of publications providing insights into critical aspects of Islamic jurisprudence and family laws, including briefs on Shari'ah, Fiqh, reforms to Muslim family laws, gender equality in Islam, and CEDAW. Targeted at researchers, advocates, and policymakers.
• Policy Briefs Series Series of policy briefs addressing key issues including ending violence against women, financial rights upon divorce, ending polygamy, and other discriminatory practices in Muslim family laws. Targeted at policymakers and legislators.
• Justice and Beauty in Muslim Marriage Book exploring how Muslim marriages can be grounded in equality, justice and mutual well-being, produced through a partnership with 17 authors. Targeted at readers, scholars, and advocates interested in egalitarian Muslim family relations.
• Men in Charge? Rethinking Authority in Muslim Legal Tradition Publication examining male authority within the Muslim legal tradition, challenging concepts of qiwamah and wilayah. Targeted at scholars, religious leaders, and policy actors engaged in Islamic family law reform.
• Capacity Building Program Program offering transformative learning experiences on Islam and gender through hybrid courses designed to build capacity, knowledge and courage to create change towards equality and justice. Targeted at activists, decision makers, young changemakers, influencers, religious leaders, and the human rights community.
• Islam and Gender Equality and Justice (I-nGEJ) Course Musawah's hybrid in-depth flagship training course on Islam and gender equality and justice, designed for activists, decision makers, young changemakers, influencers, religious leaders, and human rights community members.
• International Advocacy Program Program that strengthens Muslim women's voices at regional and international levels through engagement with CEDAW, treaty body reporting, and advocacy with UN mechanisms. Targeted at national-level organizations and activists seeking to engage with international human rights bodies.
• CEDAW Thematic Reports Reports addressing women's rights and gender equality under CEDAW and the Universal Periodic Review, submitted to the CEDAW Committee. Targeted at UN treaty bodies and national CEDAW focal points.
• Campaign for Justice in Muslim Family Laws Global campaign organizing and mobilizing efforts of women's rights activists, academics, and policy makers from Muslim communities at national and regional levels across the Global South. Targeted at activists, academics, and policymakers in Muslim contexts.
• Global Repository of Muslim Family Laws Repository containing country overview tables outlining legislative frameworks, available case laws, policies, procedures and practices in 31 countries based on 12 principal issues of concern. Targeted at researchers, advocates, and policymakers working on family law reform.
• Musawah Podcast Podcast offering insightful discussions on gender equality and Islam in Muslim contexts, available on Spotify, Anghami, Deezer, and Apple Podcast platforms. Targeted at general public, activists, and scholars interested in Islamic feminism.
• Musawah Lighthouse Talk show that shines a light on new knowledge grounded in Islamic feminism and its connections to everyday life and activism, distributed on YouTube. Targeted at general public, activists, and scholars.
• Women's Storytelling and Multimedia Project Project to document discriminatory family laws and practices in the lives of African women and girls through film and storytelling. Targeted at advocates, researchers, and the general public.
• Musawah Artist Collective (MAC) Four-month non-residential online programme designed to build the capacity of artists to amplify diverse women's perspectives. Targeted at artists, filmmakers, musicians, and cultural influencers.
• Africa Family Law Network (AFLN) Regional strategic network working on family law reform in Africa, launched on October 5, 2022, connecting national and regional level actors including legal advocates, human rights defenders, and community organizers with a common goal to reform family laws in Africa. Targeted at African legal advocates and human rights defenders.
• Reclaiming 'Adl and Ihsan in Muslim Marriages Multi-year research initiative focused on reshaping Muslim marriages through ethical and legal perspectives, exploring frameworks for egalitarian ethics and jurisprudence. Targeted at scholars, religious leaders, and family law reform advocates.
• Rethinking Qiwamah and Wilayah Initiative Pioneering effort that sheds light on male authority within the Muslim legal tradition by examining the juristic concepts of qiwamah and wilayah. Targeted at scholars, religious leaders, and legal reform advocates.

Quantifiable outcome

• 39 countries reached through CEDAW interventions; 57 CEDAW reports developed
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Equality NowcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2022Founding partner of the Africa Family Law Network (AFLN), contributing expertise in strategic research and litigation for family law reform in Africa. AFLN connects and amplifies regional and national efforts to advance justice and equality for women and girls.
• African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2022Founding partner of the Africa Family Law Network (AFLN), contributing expertise in feminist movement building across Africa. FEMNET brings experience in regional advocacy and communication for women's rights.
• Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2022Founding partner of the Africa Family Law Network (AFLN), contributing expertise in national and regional advocacy. SIHA Network works on women's rights issues in the Horn of Africa region.
• National and Regional Advocates (Network)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2009Musawah has engaged scholars, activists, and policymakers from over 30 countries in South and Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa to promote equality and justice within Muslim family laws and practices.
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey strategy involves engagement with CEDAW and the CEDAW Committee. Musawah supports national-level organizations and activists to engage with the CEDAW reporting process through preparing independent or joint thematic reports on Article 16.
• United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusawah promotes perspectives derived from its Framework to OHCHR, United Nations treaty bodies and special mechanisms, and international, regional, and national NGOs involved in international advocacy.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights: Rapid-response feminist fund supporting women's rights defenders globally. Partially comparable as a women's rights funder/movement enabler, though focused on rapid grants rather than long-term legal reform advocacy like Musawah.

Broad incumbents

• ICJ (International Commission of Jurists): Global organization of judges and lawyers promoting human rights through rule of law and international standards. Comparable as a legal advocacy organization engaging with UN mechanisms and treaty bodies, though broader in mandate than Musawah's family law focus.
• AWID (Association for Women's Rights in Development): Global feminist membership organization supporting women's rights movements across themes and geographies. Comparable as a movement-building and capacity-strengthening entity in the women's rights space, though broader in scope than Musawah's Islamic family law focus.

Direct peers

• Karama (Middle East/North Africa): Egypt-based coalition working to end violence against women and advance gender equality in the Arab region through legal reform and advocacy. Comparable to Musawah's regional legal reform and movement-building work in MENA contexts.
• Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML): International solidarity network supporting women whose lives are shaped by laws and customs said to derive from Islam. Closely comparable to Musawah in mission, geographic scope, and the 'women in Muslim contexts' framing, though more network- and less institution-driven.
• Equality Now: International human rights organization advancing gender equality through legal reform and advocacy. Direct peer and founding partner of the Africa Family Law Network alongside Musawah, with shared focus on discriminatory family laws in Muslim and other contexts.
• FEMNET (African Women's Development and Communication Network): Pan-African feminist network coordinating women's rights advocacy across the continent. Co-founding partner of the Africa Family Law Network with Musawah and a directly comparable regional advocacy network.
• CREA (Creating Resources for Empowerment in Action): International feminist human rights organization advancing sexual and reproductive rights and gender justice in the Global South. Directly comparable as a Global South feminist advocacy organization using knowledge-building, capacity-building, and movement support approaches.
• Karamah: Muslim Lawyers for Human Rights: US-based organization led by Islamic scholars and lawyers advancing gender equity through Islamic jurisprudence. Comparable to Musawah's intellectual approach of working 'from within the tradition' to advocate for women's rights and family law reform.
• SIHA Network (Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa): Regional network of women-led civil society organizations in the Horn of Africa addressing women's rights, including family law. Direct peer and AFLN co-founding partner with overlapping regional advocacy scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/musawah
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/musawah
• Facebookfacebook.com/musawahmovement
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/musawah
• Instagraminstagram.com/musawahmovement

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Musawah