Minder dating app helps western Muslim singles meet

Published February 25, 2015
– Photo credit: thedailybeast.com
– Photo credit: thedailybeast.com

Gone are the days when you'd be stuck in a tea-trolley situation.

Especially for overseas Muslims, websites like Shaadi.com were once the primary source for finding the 'perfect match' – but that too has become 'unfashionable' as Muslim-Americans are now using matchmaking mobile apps in their quest to find love.

Tinder, a matchmaking app where you can swipe through reams of desirable – and not so desirable – potential dates, seems to have taken over the western matchmaking scene and has recently inspired a new wave of innovations among marriage-minded Muslims who are trying to find their soul mates without having to troll the internet.

According to The Daily Beast, a Muslim version of the app called Minder launched around Valentine’s Day and has already received nearly 2,000 requests for approval. The app will be released to the public in two weeks and will be available on all platforms, starting with iOS.

“This new generation really appreciates the convenience of being able to meet people on their phones rather than having to go sit in front of a computer scrolling through public profiles,” the app's founder, Haroon Mokhtarzada told The Daily Beast. “It’s not like the old-school models where you have to do a search in parameters, then reach out and hope they respond and feel rejected when they don’t.”

Minder functions in the same way as Tinder where users can see the face and brief profile of another user and can choose to like or reject potential matches using a simple swiping gesture. If two users are interested in each other, it is a "match" and the app allows them to chat.

Minder is not the only match making app for Muslims. Ishqr is a Muslim dating site that does not allow users to see the profiles photos of users they are interested in before swiping on, aiming to connect people based on personality rather than looks. Other apps include Cresent and Salaam Swipe, which will both launch soon.

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