Online Dating And Muslim Cultural Traditions

Thousands of young British Asians are spurning the tradition of allowing their parents to choose their partners and are instead relying on matchmaking via the internet. 
Online dating is growing increasingly popular with young Muslims, some of whom are forbidden from dating before marriage and have to accept their parents’ choice of partner. Now they can browse through potential partners online without breaking any of the rules of Islam. 
According to some Muslim dating sites based in Asia, about ten percent of their members are in Britain.
Internet dating has solved the dilemma for young people who want to choose their partner but marry within their religious and racial groups. Many dating services incorporate traditional aspects. Parents can view — and veto — potential partners on some sites, while chaperones attend any meetings between the matched couple to ensure that there is no impropriety.  
Marriage websites can be an extension of having family and friends introduce potential partners. They let design the perfect partner. It’s a way of meeting people, and you don’t have to continue if it doesn’t work out — that’s what’s different from strictly arranged marriages, experts say.
Also it turned out, that many second and third generation Muslims were turning away from traditional arranged marriages in favour of a more modern approach. And as a new symbol of such approach is Internet online dating - people put up a profile, and what they’re looking for — how religious they are, age, height, disabilities, pretty much everything. Then they can search for people. Everything from a basic search within an age range to every possible criteria. “Then people get their wali, a guardian, involved. We encourage people to meet up with their guardians in public or usually the guy will go to the girl’s place. The wali can ask all the tough questions, they can get to know each other and, if they’re not compatible, they can say ‘Assalam alaikum, sorry it didn’t work out’ and continue the search” - said founder of one Muslim dating site.
(by http://www.timesonline.co.uk)