Marriage is commonly characterized with the term "love" in most civilizations. In Islam, the term "compatibility" is much more common. Muslims will find a mate based on their compatibility, as their parents will do the searching for them. This means that romance will not blind the decision of the youth in question, and instead a logical decision will be made as to who they shall marry.



In the world of modern Muslims, however, dating is starting to become more and more acceptable. American Muslims are far more likely to engage in unlawful dating than Islamic Muslims, although modern Muslims everywhere are starting to become somewhat more lenient overall. Yet, there are lawful ways for Muslims to date.

Western civilizations have had a large impact on the Muslim community in terms of dating. Some Muslim Americans will even practice their Muslim traditions only on holidays- disregarding many laws in the process. While this is unlawful, statistics show Muslim Americans are becoming increasingly lenient to the fact.

The most popular form of dating that has become available to the Muslim communities is Halal dating. Halal dating is a form of dating that involves an introduction between friends or family members. The two parties involved will make phone calls or conduct Internet conversations to get to know each other better on a one to one level.

In some cases, Halal dating will even mean that Muslims can go out on real dates. However, strict Muslim practice often demands that the dates be chaperoned or otherwise accompanied by escorts. This helps protect youth from violating any Muslim laws that are in effect, as youth often have an impaired sense of judgment.

Because of the upbringing of this new form of dating, there have been a large number of social networking websites available for Muslims in particular. These dating websites allow Muslims to connect much as previously described, and the best part is that it is permissive by Islam. Although for strict Muslims, this form of dating may not be allowed and should not be practiced without the consent of one's parents- so as to not start any arguments or violate any laws parents may have set in stone.

In general, online dating has become a very big success for Muslims who still want to date on their own terms, but do not want to violate the Muslim code of laws. In that case, special Internet networking websites will conform to Muslim law in order to network Muslim youth together in hopes to find friends and mates in a commonplace. As time goes on, we can only watch as technology helps bring Muslims all over the world together in a common meeting place.