Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Dating behaviors between Muslims have changed after the pandemic, with dwindling ‘meet-cutes’ and participants between the ages of 25 to 34 years old leaning on utilizing dating and matchmaking platforms, according to global creative agency, TBWA through its audience intelligence arm 65db Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia-based Muslim insights unit, Halal Wave.
Data from the report suggests that Muslim singles in Malaysia are increasingly harnessing the power of technology in their search for love with close to 77.8% of leveraging on matchmaking platforms such as Muzz, Salams, and BaitulJannah to search for potential partners.
However, the report highlights that the quest for marriage among Muslims is not without its challenges. As Muslims live and interact in a culturally diverse background, conversations concerning interfaith marriage are a significant topic of interest. Specifically 62.3% of respondents are concerned about marriage regulations between different faiths as well as conversion to Islam as part of interfaith marriage.
Other challenges presented were 20.6% of respondents citing lack of guidance as the second largest barrier as they are unsure whether their approach in forming an acquaintance is aligned with Islamic teachings, 3.9% of respondents citing language barriers as a challenge, 3.0% of respondents expressing fears of being scammed in online dating and matchmaking realms, and 2.6% of respondents being worried about mismatched intentions when it comes to marriage.
The report also garnered several results through the use of identifiers between Malaysian Muslims using online matchmaking, with the first one being the ‘8 Areas of Marriage Readiness’ which lists out spirituality, character, family consent and blessings, communication, financial and security, health, future home, and finally, the Nikkah/Wedding.”
In the areas of marriage readiness, the study also concurred three distinct personas representing varying levels of commitment. First, ‘Someday, InshaAllah’ individuals seek knowledge for marriage without a fixed timeline. Second, ‘One Day, InshaAllah’ individuals actively plan for a stable future and family. Lastly, ‘Today, InshaAllah’ individuals prioritize marriage with a focus on blessings over extravagance.
Nazirah Ashari, head of 65dB Kuala Lumpur, strategy director at Halal Wave, TBWA\Asia, said, Household management, financial planning, and cost-effective wedding planning are amongst the many services that businesses can offer for all three different segments of the marriage personas. Undeniably, there is a growing need for businesses to empower and support marriage-minded Muslims throughout their journey towards matrimony. Faith-friendly offerings customized to different life stages will certainly do well in this day and era.”
Meanwhile, Hui Tsin, Yee, chief executive officer of TBWA Group Malaysia, commented, This concerted effort to gather data demonstrates our proactive stance in crafting strategies that resonate within this thriving and diverse demographic.”
