Arranged marriages are a long-held tradition, and normal part of Asian culture. The Internet is now being used by Asians to help find the perfect partner, and a website specifically for Muslims has been launched in London.

Arranged marriages are a long-held tradition, and normal part of Asian culture. The Internet is now being used by Asians to help find the perfect partner, and a website specifically for Muslims has been launched in London.

There are many websites offering Indians a choice of partners, but muslimwedding.org is one of only a handful offering this service specifically to Muslims, covering the broadest spectrum of the Islamic community.

Similar to a dating agency for Western culture, muslimwedding.org allows members to enter their details, and also to browse for a potential marriage partner online. Traditionally, a sophisticated network of contacts is used to find a suitable partner with a similar background of interests and culture, but the Internet has added a new depth to this search.

Use of the website is free and easy, and with details of over 16,000 people from around the world on the site and more than 20 new people adding their details to the database daily, the choice of a suitable partner is extensive. Anonymity and security are assured as direct contact details are not displayed on the site. Instead visitors communicate with each other using the site’s inbuilt messaging system.

"The Internet is proving more accessible than newspaper personal ads," said Drummond Miles, owner of this site and matrimonials-india.com (an equivalent site aimed at the Indian market), "and e-mails from people who have just got married, thanks to the website, illustrate the success of muslimwedding.org with the Muslim community."