The Muslim World - A 'Neutral' View

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend an industry event and the good fortune to attend a presentation on Muslim attitudes across the world. The difference in this presentation is that the authors are Indians based in Dubai and not some western researcher based in New York.  Here, I am pleased to share with you some of the findings of this research

 The research was designed to segment the market in such a way that marketers can subsequently target each of these segments with customised products. An example would be 'Islamic banking'. A 'conservative' Muslim would be an excellent target for this concept. Therefore one must note that the authors designed this research not to understand the political machinations of the Muslim world but to help marketers identify opportunities in the Muslim world.  The two main objectives of the research were a. Understand values that resonate across the Muslim world, and b. Understand differences in value systems that could impact the choices made by consumers The following countries were covered - Algeria, Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia. About 7000 citizens were interviewed in these countries, a sample size large enough to draw meaningful interpretations about each of these countries.  Summary of findings: :

a. While Family was paramount across the region, marital insecurity amongst women was high in some regions (MENA)

b. There was an over-riding desire for traditions to adapt to changing times

c. There was almost universal emphasis on the Importance of education amongst both men and women

d. A large proportion of people felt that Individual opinions should be respected

e. A large proportion aspired to be a part of a social forum wherein they can voice their views and concerns

In other words, most of what Muslim world customers want is not significantly different from what the average household in New York, Tel Aviv or New Delhi wants.

Apart from these basic findings, the researchers attempted to segment these individuals on the basis of their beliefs and attitudes. The five segments they identified are 

a. Religious Conservatives: These are extremely religious individuals, and also extremely conservative.  They do not approve of gender interaction. They also expect others to follow religious practices. They are anti-media and information averse. They would override their personal choices for religious beliefs 

b. Societal Conformists: These are individuals who believe that social norms should be adhered to, even if it means overriding personal choice. They do not approve of a reason based approach. They lack self confidence and depend on others to make decisions. At the same time they are not particularly religious themselves. 

c. Pragmatic strivers: These individuals are non-traditional & ambitious. They are open minded, and are willing to compromise on religious values in order to get ahead in life. They are also economically the least affluent group.

d. Liberals: These people are very liberal, independent and assertive. They are not very particular about traditions & religious practices. They like to explore different options even if those do not conform to accepted religious/ societal norms.

e. New Age Muslims: These are religious individuals, yet they do not expect others to follow religious practices. They believe in societal progression and support female empowerment and gender equality. They are pro-media and realize the potential advantages of internet.

I need to warn you in advance that segmenting people has often been a challenge and it is highly likely that many of us may end up being a member of more than one group. The idea is to associate an individual to a group closest to his/her beliefs and attitudes.

Now, the question is whether a country segmented on the basis of these segments matched with the perception amongst outsiders about them? The answer is yes and no. A few snippetsa. Which country has the highest proportion of religious conservatives in their population?

Ans: Egypt, closely followed by Jordanb. Which country has the highest proportion of liberals in their population?

Ans: Turkey, followed by Pakistanc. Isn't Saudi Arabia a very conservative country?

Ans: Yes and No. Only 15% of the population have been identified as 'conservative' as opposed to nearly 50% in the case of Egypt and Jordan. However if you include 'societal conformists', this figure would increase to close t 40%d. What about Pakistan?

Ans: Again, only 10-15% of the population can be classified as 'conservative'. Add 'social conformists' and this comes to only 30%. e. Which country has the largest proportion of 'New age Muslims’?

Ans: UAE followed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabiaf. Which country has the largest proportion of 'Pragmatic strivers'?

Ans: Indonesia, followed by Malaysiag. What about Iran?

Ans: A very small proportion of the population can be classified as 'conservative'. 2/3rds of the population are 'new age', liberal' or 'pragmatic'Some of the findings of this research surprised many who thought they knew everything about the Muslim world. I thought it was an excellent research paper which attempted to provide a more practical understanding of Muslims across the Muslim world. While one can disagree with the size of the segments, the clear underlying conclusion is that Muslims are far more like us than the terrorists that many people associate them with. It is a pity that 30% of world's Muslims were not covered in the research (India and Bangladesh) but I suspect our Muslims would be more like Turkey rather than Pakistan. Hopefully our friends in the right understand this and figure out ways to reach out to our Muslim brothers. The current factionalism is ruining the nation. 

Source: AMRB JWT research. This will be available shortly via syndication