Match Group’s Hawaya brings its matchmaking app to Muslim Canadians

Single Canadian Muslims are looking for love online: over half (59%) could see themselves marrying someone they met via an online app or a website. (CNW Group/Hawaya)

Over half – 56% – of Muslim Canadian women agree it’s harder for Muslims to date and find a life partner compared to other Canadians

TORONTOJuly 13, 2020 /CNW/ – Finding love is hard. Finding love as a Muslim Canadian – even harder! With a relatively small Muslim Canadian population – just over one million – geographical and faith-based obstacles, finding a romantic partner whose values and beliefs align with your own can be daunting – to say the least! A recent survey of over 1,000 Muslim Canadians between ages 18 and 50 conducted by Hawaya on the Angus Reid Forum found that 73% think it’s easier to find someone through an app or a website created specifically for Muslims, over a general dating app.

Enter Hawaya, a mobile app by worldwide dating authority Match Group, that approaches matchmaking with respect for Muslim tradition and culture. It is designed for Muslim men and women with serious intentions and is culturally tailored with community traditions in mind. Currently available in 11 countries, with plans to expand to the U.S. and U.K. this summer,  the app is making its North American debut in Canada and offers a carefully curated solution to empower Muslims who want to take the search for a life partner into their own hands.

“Finding a life partner is hard and in the Muslim community there is often pressure – particularly for women – to settle down sooner rather than later, which I’ve seen first-hand with my sister,” said Sameh Saleh, CEO, Hawaya. “Regular dating apps are not effective if the prospects do not align when it comes to values, culture, and intentions.”

The survey findings highlighted the many challenges facing Canadian Muslims when it comes to finding a like-minded romantic partner. For Muslim Canadians, faith plays an important role in relationships. Some of the findings for all respondents included:

  • 82% of respondents said having a religious connection in a relationship is important to them
  • 53% of respondents said they have experienced difficulty finding love within their faith
  • 84% said it’s important to find someone with a shared faith

Some of the findings for single Muslim Canadians included:

  • 80% of Muslims said they would consider marrying someone who would convert to Islam
  • 61% said they would not likely consider marrying outside their faith
  • 56% said they would likely marry someone outside of their branch of Islam
  • 62% would consider moving to a different part of Canada and 44% would consider moving outside of Canada for the perfect match

“We know how challenging it is to find a romantic partner and that’s further amplified for Muslims in non-Muslim countries,” said Shaymaa Ali, co-founder and Head of Public Relations, Hawaya. “We are thrilled that the Muslim community has warmly welcomed this unorthodox and modern approach to matchmaking and we hope to celebrate many more success stories in Canada and around the world.”

Hawaya was founded in 2017 by Sameh Saleh, who crafted the app to help his sister go through a pleasant, comfortable and safe journey towards marriage. Shortly after, Saleh joined forces with co-founders Shaymaa Ali, Tamer Saleh and Aly Khaled, to amplify the platform. Ever since, Hawaya has grown in popularity, facilitating thousands of marriages.

The name itself is even romantic and was inspired by the word “Hawa” which means “love” in Arabic. Hawaya uses a scientific, safe, culturally accepted approach, and was founded keeping in mind sisters, cousins, and friends, as well as the founders’ collective personal experiences with matchmaking.

The apps matchmaking algorithm was built with the help of a team of psychologists, where the users’ preferences are analyzed to bring them appropriate matches. Hawaya also focuses on the privacy and security of its members. When signing up, it authenticates all new members using a ‘selfie verification’ system that works with a highly developed technological infrastructure to prevent the creation of fake profiles. The app also offers female users the option of initially displaying profile pictures out of focus. There is also a security function “Guardian”, which allows users to involve a trusted person, such as a friend or family member, in the communication while getting to know their match.

Hawaya also has helpful tools to facilitate a more fruitful conversation – engaging icebreakers, and personalised conversation starters. Another unique feature of the app is the “Exclusive Mode”, for when users have decided that they would like to be exclusive. This disables any other ongoing conversations for both users.

Hawaya is available free of charge on the AppStore on Apple devices and Google Play Store on Android devices. For more information, visit www.hawaya.com

About this survey
These are the findings of a survey commissioned  by Hawaya from June 19 to 29, 2020 with a sample of 1,003 Muslim Canadians aged 18 to 50 who are members of the Angus Reid Forum and partner networks. The survey was conducted in English and French.

About Hawaya
Hawaya is a Cairo-based app that approaches mobile matchmaking with respect for local traditions and cultures. The app was founded in April 2017 by four Egyptian entrepreneurs — Sameh SalehShaymaa Ali, Tamer Saleh, and Aly Khaled — who wanted to use technology to enhance the matchmaking process in a traditionally accepted manner. Hawaya has quickly grown in popularity and facilitated thousands of marriages in Egypt and around the world. It is currently available in CanadaFranceGermanyTurkeySaudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesKuwaitEgyptIndonesiaMalaysia and Singapore.

About Match Group
Match Group (NASDAQ: MTCH), through its portfolio companies, is a leading provider of dating products available globally. Our portfolio of brands includes Tinder®, Match®, Meetic®, OkCupid®, Hinge®, Pairs™, PlentyOfFish®, and OurTime®, as well as a number of other brands. Their products are available in over 40 languages to our users all over the world.

SOURCE Hawaya

Related Links

www.hawaya.com

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