'Find love in the mosque'

2004-05-12 10:51

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian Muslims should look for love in the mosque, not on the Internet, a national religious organisation says.

The Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM) said it was concerned about a decline in the number of Muslim marriages in the country and urged mosques to play matchmaker, Utusan Malaysia reported Wednesday.

The institute said a total of 95 312 Muslim couples tied the knot in 1998, but this figure had fallen to 90 267 in 2001 and 85,588 in 2002.

"This downtrend should not be happening, and it must be given serious attention," said IKIM chairman Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid.

Mosques could become social venues to help Muslims meet marriage partners, especially those who faced difficulties due to their age or status, IKIM director-general Abdul Monir Yaacob said.

"It is not wrong for mosques to become matchmaking centres because marriages are already held in mosques nowadays," he said.

"In fact, this would be better than finding love through the Internet and entertainment centres," he said.

- AFP