Marriage bureaus flood social media!

Manama : These days cupids are active on social media, may be to make sure that all marriages are made in heaven.

Mariam, a Syrian national, first met Bahraini Ahmed A, while standing in a queue to file application for her BBM programme.

Both would soon communicate on social media, blossoming their courtship and then relationship before becoming partners for life.

Traditional marriage brokers and relatives can now stay away! Social media have become the latest platform for men and women to meet and get married.

“I never believed in love at first sight. But felt love at first conversation. Social media is the best place to converse, know a person  and invite them to your life,” said Mariam, who feels the trend is set to conquer this part of the world.

Ahmed says he made the right choice. “It is a good feeling to get emotionally closer to someone from abroad. The first problem I faced when I decided to propose to Maryam was the difference in customs and traditions. Yes, we are all Arabs, but in Bahrain itself there are different marriage customs. And Syria is 2500km away, there is certainly a lot of difference.”

However, the concept of ‘remote love’ is not free from problems. Many get trapped in relationships only to get exploited in the later part of their lives, warns Saudi national Sultan, who discovered his love Fatima through social media.

“It’s like buying a watermelon,  you do not know whether it’s red or white inside. But at the same time there are many who are able to successfully get to know each other on social media.

I was following my wife through (Snap Chat App). I could see what she was cooking, where she was going, with whom she was sitting. I actually lived with her all the time, so I do not believe we fell in a trap,” said Sultan. Fatima says there is a lot of stigma associated with interacting on social media in the society.

“I was really worried about telling my parents about Sultan and that I met him on social media.” She opines social media is a tool to trace young men, their character and activities. “You check their profile and pictures and you will get to know everything about these guys. Then you can decide  whether you should accept their proposal or not.”

When asked on the religious angle, Sharia law expert and University of Bahrain expert Dr Naji Al-Arabi said, “There is nothing wrong for people to interact on social media. But it should be governed by morals, values and other existing social norms. And of course Sharia law forbids these things.”