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Women in Malaysian Islamist Politics 185

popular Rohani, who was seen as a soft-spoken, motherly, and ‘typically Malay’
candidate. As one PH strategist explained to me, they wanted to capitalize
on the di erences by emphasizing Ha dzah’s status as a doctor and a leading
gure in local welfare initiatives, such as the establishment of a local shelter for
abused women. Her campaign poster and social media pro le pictures showed
her in a doctor’s white coat. Her campaign centre (bilik gerakan) was made
into an outpatient clinic that o ered free medical check-ups to local residents
11
and other visitors. She did not hide her academic approach. At her ceramah
kelompok she distributed the PH Kelantan manifesto and kicked o , after a
word of welcome, by asking attendees to ‘open the booklet on page one’. Of all
the women candidates we followed, Dr Ha dzah was also the most outspoken
and passionate advocate of women’s empowerment.

Figure 9.4 Dr Ha dzah Mustakim’s campaign poster. Tanjung Mas,
Kelantan, 4 May 2018 (personal collection of David Kloos).

We joined Ha dzah for a day of house-to-house campaigning, a strategy
that PAS has long excelled in and which both parties also refer to as ziarah
(courteous visits, a term with strong religious connotations because it is also

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