One of the most important things to consider when signing up for any dating service is just how well it suits you personally. It is the personal side of things, after all, that will inevitably lead to whatever matches you are able to make.
Nevertheless, while that individual, personal component is important (and the stuff of delightfully snarky dating profiles all across the Internet) there is always the urge to try to narrow the field a little bit.
There are billions of Internet users out there, and suffice it to say, not all of them are eligible singles.
True, there is a lot of fish in the sea, but that doesn’t mean that you should cast a wide net and simply take on whatever you happen to catch.
One way of being more selective is to narrow things down to a group or groups that more closely resemble your own personal situation. While multiculturalism and the mingling of cultures and faiths is a beautiful thing.
If you are on the more reserved side or are new to the world of online dating, it can be helpful to start in a place that’s more naturally familiar and thus comfortable to you.
For many Muslim daters online, that place is Muslima.com.
One of the largest and most detailed dating sites for Muslims online, it has a growing user base of more than 4.5 million Muslims from all walks of life, as well as those willing to convert should they find the right match for them.
An Overview of the Userbase
First, let’s take a closer look at the user base of Muslima.com, and one of the things it has going for it.
- The fact that it’s male/female ratio of users is very close to a 50-50 split. One of the biggest problems dating sites run into from time to time is an imbalance of gender-identifying users on one end of the spectrum or the other. If you’re on a site with 75% women and 25% men, the user experience for both sides can quickly sour as men’s messages get lost in the shuffle as women are (even more than usual) bombarded with a barrage of unwanted messages from way too many men
- Muslimas 50-50 split of its 4.5 million users is thus a good sign for the platform’s short and long-term health.
- The majority of users of the site fall between the ages of 25 and 44, typical for non-age-specific dating site.
- Only around 300,000 users live in the United States.
- The countries with the largest populations of Muslima.com users are Saudi Arabia, France, and Algeria. If you live in any of these countries or – given the presence of France and Algeria on the list – the Francophone Islamic world, your chances of having a positive experience with the site are that much better.
Even so, 300K is nothing to sneeze at for a US user base, with that working out to a little less than 1 in 10 US Muslims being active on the site.
Getting Signed Up
One of the biggest things going for Musima.com is the fact that it makes the signup process relatively easy. You can sign up either through Facebook or logging onto the site itself and beginning to fill in the fields presented to you as part of the registration process.
We’ll take a closer look at what a typical profile on the site is like in a moment, but for now, suffice it to say that you’ll have plenty of time to get acquainted with them because the setup process is a little long. It can take some time to fill in all the fields of the requested information.
However, this is necessary, as these fields will be some of the primary means of generating matches for you.
Contacting Other Users
Whether or not you’ll actually be able to contact those matches, on the other hand, is another matter. One of the biggest strikes against Muslima.com is the fact that its instant messaging system is reserved only for members who pay.
If you have a free membership, this can put you at a distinct disadvantage, especially if you’re the type of person who really relies on your words when it comes to matchmaking. If you are a member with a free membership, you’ll only be able to send and receive messages from those with premium, paid memberships.
While that may incentivize some users to spend the money on a membership, its intentions may turn others off, and it can seriously hinder the ability of well-matched free users to communicate.
Memberships
- Gold Membership:
- $34.99 for one month
- $69.98 for three months
- $139.99 for twelve months
- Platinum Memberships:
- $39.99 for one month
- $79.98 for three months
- $159.00 for twelve months.
The pricing is in line with other dating sites, having a membership dramatically increases your chances of making a match on the site.
A Profile Overview
A big plus for Muslima.com is the effort it takes to try to ensure the authenticity of its profiles. Muslima.com awards badges for successfully completed and verified profiles, helping to up the trustworthiness factor, and that’s definitely a welcome feature.
As for the profiles themselves, all the aforementioned grinding away during the setup phase pays off here. By the time you’ve finished that, you should have a detailed profile with up to five pictures uploaded and everything from your interests and inclinations to your social and religious preferences outlined for all to see.
Looking to date more liberal and progressive Muslims?
You can do that.
Looking to keep more to more conservative Muslims?
You can do that, too.
A Look at the App
The mobile app doesn’t offer anything new, and thus it is the same as its Web counterpart. On the one hand, if you like the setup, that may be good news for you. On the other hand, users have expressed frustration with the way in which match suggestions can get buried as a result of the app forcing you to scroll down forever, which causes problems for some.
It may be like the site, but that doesn’t mean it’s always the most user-friendly app when it comes to managing your matches.
Conclusion
All in all, while the price may be a bit steep and the app leaves a bit to be desired, Muslima.com is one of the leading sites for Muslim singles in the Middle East and Francophone countries with a growing user base in America. If you’re willing to pay the price for a membership, it can allow you to cast your net in friendlier waters and hopefully find the right catch for you.