Out With the Old: In With the Blue?
I found a really interesting blog by Laura of Arabia on the enigmatic topic of Saudi romance. It wasn’t too long ago that Saudi dating was virtually impossible given the strictly conservative codes of conduct in the country. Saudi youths would hang around at traffic lights in their cars, or food courts or shopping malls where it’s a little more difficult to keep the sexes apart, hoping to make contact with members of the opposite sex. Not surprisingly, this didn’t go down too well with the powers that be and young men are now often banned from entering malls so that they don’t make a nuisance of themselves.
Enter technology and the game rules have changed: It’s easier for both sexes thanks to Bluetooth. Young Saudi guys can be less conspicuous – they activate the Bluetooth function on their phones and press the search button to see who else has the feature switched on within a 10-metre range. The screen then flashes up a list of ID names of anyone in the area – which can be all manner of things from the sublime to the downright enigmatic: poster boy, sensitive girl, lion heart, kidnapper of hearts, little princess or prisoner of tears… to name but a few. The guy then clicks on a name, judges her “appeal” by the cuteness of her Bluetooth ID, sends a text message and voilà… the rest, as they say… is kismet.
Saudi Love: A Click Away?
Be it via cellhpone or computer, online dating and matchmaking are also revolutionizing the way modern Saudis date. Although many internet dating sites are blocked in the Kingdom, savvy Saudis skirt around the issue, usually by connecting with singles from other countries, especially Canada and America, or entering chat rooms which make it easier to duck below the radar. The only potential snag is when this moves from the interface to the real world: Saudi girls are only allowed to marry a foreign sweetheart with King Abdullah’s permission.
Popular online Arabic matchmaking matrimonial websites in Saudi Arabia (in Arabic) include www.sendbad.net, www.arabsgate.com and www.zojah.com, some of which are quite accepted by the religious establishment.
Arab News reports that almost 85% of the marriage applicants are men; andthey start as young as 21. Plenty of women who surf for a partner on these websites don’t mind a month-long misyar marriage, (a semi-secret arrangement that is perfectly legal in the Kingdom.)
Give Me The Old Fashioned Way Any Day!
A half-way house between virtual dating and traditionally arranged courtships are matchmaking offices that help young single Saudi men and women find a suitable and often ‘less expensive’ partner. The Charity Project for Helping Youths Get Married is a Jeddah matchmaking office that has been in action for three years, and tries to match men and women who have similar specifications and requirements. Girls, divorced women or widows typically (though not exclusively) aged 18 to 35 and sometimes older, apply. The great thing about these offices is that they often involve less financial pressure for the grooms and a more personable approach for the cyber wary (or weary.)
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
i become awesome when i come 2 know tht the youth in saudi arabia finds there mates through blue tooth. this shows tht technology can break any rules! but a little complicate thing was the girls should aware the persons which they met throgh this way. because they were unaware abut the nature of the persons they meet. hence the government must accept more friently method in case for youth….