Muslim Dating Sites

A recent worldwide phenomenon has taken shape in the form of online dating, with revenue of up to over one billion dollars there must be some sort of success behind this booming industry. And what about such courtships in the Muslim community, how does that tend to shape up you ask..

Well I'm sure by the above image you'll have noticed I'm focusing on the website singlemuslim
To begin with these sites are not exactly labelled as dating sites but more of an introductory marital agency. Basically the same concept as your auntie finding you someone to marry but in a broader scale. One part of this that may make these sites controversial is that there is NO MIDDLE PERSON!! YIKES! So does this lead to falling into the trap of dating?

I'm not doubting the success rates of the website but more so the concept. I know there are many mature people that have found it to be a great service in providing them with their lifetime partner, but what about the rest? Are there people who see this site as an easy access of finding a boyfriend/girlfriend and does it make it more accessible to date in Islam?

Is this site used to protect and better Muslims? Or is someone just making some big bucks out of it.. hmmm

To some it may seem that the website itself contradicts itself. Under the tab Marriage articles, it says,
'There is no such thing as “dating” in Islam. When young Muslims are able to marry, they are encouraged to find a suitable partner for marriage, following strict rules of courtship, and always keeping the intention of marriage at the forefront of any interaction.'
Nothing new there..

But other websites are not picking up the same information about this 'strict dating policy'
A testimonial on the website provided by datingsitereview says
'"Given demographic trends and search data, the market for online dating for Muslim individuals is set to take off and become increasingly mainstream," say Bickey Russell and Elizabeth Song.  A July 2010 poll of more than 3,600 SingleMuslim.com  users "found that religious compatibility was ranked as the most important dating criteria by 33% of Muslim singles, ahead of appearance or education level," a strong indication that the popularity of Muslim dating sites will continue to rise.''

I understand the website is branded as a dating website although it isn't technically a dating site (I know, talk about confusing! Again its all to do with the big bucks!) but does this not lead non-Muslims to brand Muslims as something they're not? Also, constantly referring to it as a dating site possibly brings forth people in search for a NEW DATE?!

There is just so much to be said about this website and others like it, this post just does not cut it!!
Come on guys, share your thoughts on this facade.