Amraha chimes in, “Even my parents would have encouraged me to go for someone with the same mentality. Yes, we are from Pakistan, but we grew up in a different culture, had a different childhood than someone raised in Pakistan.”
Within the Muslim American community, culture plays a significant role – to find a match from the same ethnicity, race, language, and country of origin is preferred by most.
While the sect – Shia or Sunni – matters, caste does not play a significant role when it comes to marriages among South Asian Muslim Americans.
Matches via Salams have resulted in 2,09,000 weddings since its launch in 2015. It was initially called Minder, a play on words Tinder and Muslim, but was rebranded in 2020.
“We went for Salams as it is the first greeting you make as a Muslim, exemplifying peace and connections during meeting online, as well as in a marriage. We wanted Muslims to have a dating app for serious marriage intentions without the less serious connotation, like Tinder,” Beyah explains.
Minder came about after Mokhtarzada heard eligible Muslim women complain about how tough it was to find partners.
“They had everything going for them and still they found it difficult,” he says.
Ironically, the preferences of members on digital platforms also mirror those in society.
