Meet the 'Muslim Matchmakers' Helping Search for Love

Nura Maznavi got a kick out of learning that New York City Muslim mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani met his wife on Hinge. "It made me feel like less of a loser," Maznavi said about meeting her own husband online years ago, before apps like Hinge became a dating fixture for many. Mamdani's success on Hinge, as well as the existence of the Hulu show Muslim Matchmaker, provide a glimpse into some of the ways American Muslims meet their spouses, from the traditional to the contemporary, per the AP.

• Many must navigate the quest for love and marriage while balancing their beliefs, devoutness levels, and diverse lifestyles. "We just wanted a realistic assessment of what's going on in the love space for Muslim Americans," said Yasmin Elhady, one of two matchmakers on the Hulu reality series, noting that "we do have unique challenges, but we also have very universal challenges."

• For Muslims seeking Muslims, "most of us are pretty few and far between and quite spread out," said Hoda Abrahim, the show's other matchmaker. "You're not gonna go to the gym and just be surrounded by people that you could potentially marry." That may mean trying a long-distance relationship, she said, adding that many of her clients already use Muslim-specific and other dating apps, she said.
• Among the questions that Kaiser Aslam gets asked by some students he serves as Muslim chaplain at Rutgers' Center for Islamic Life are: How do you know if someone is compatible? And how can you get to know them without getting sexually intimate, which isn't allowed before marriage for Muslims? He suggests having serious conversations with accountability measures in place, like chaperones, meeting in relatively public places, and clearly setting intentions, as well as talking to the person's friends and family.
• According to a recent Pew study, 60% of US Muslim adults said religion was "very important" in their lives—close to the 55% of US Christians who said the same.
• Some parents object to their children marrying outside their culture, Aslam notes. Other times, he says, parents fear their children may be running away from their culture and need reassurance. Muslim or not, Elhady of Muslim Matchmaker argues that "people want to really fall in love—and it is hard to do in the modern age." More here.