Muslim and single? Musly app helps you find your partner

Anyone who has tried dating apps in search of love knows what an emotional rollercoaster it can be.

While there are success stories of people meeting, forming strong relationships and even getting married, for many the experience is anything but a fairy tale.

Dating apps can quickly become tiring with endless swiping, ghosting and poor communication, while also navigating fake profiles and catfishing, making it harder to trust someone.

Add to that the constant pressure to present a “perfect” version of yourself, and with so much focus on looks rather than personality, it can be easy to feel frustrated and disconnected.

As more people turn to dating apps in today’s digital world, app founders are working to solve these challenges, among other things.

While the founders of apps like Thursday and Raya have made progress in addressing some of these issues, important elements are still missing when it comes to building lasting and meaningful relationships.

And that’s where Musly comes into play, a new private member dating app founded by women.

Although Musly is specifically designed for single Muslims, it takes a conscious and curated approach that sets it apart from other platforms.

In an exclusive interview with Musly app founder Ifrah Khan, The new Arab examines what this means in practice.

Quality over quantity

Launched at the end of October 2024, Musly is aimed at people aged 25 and over in London, Paris, Dubai and New York. The focus is on a selective review process and membership model.

According to Ifrah, this careful selection process makes Musly a platform that prioritizes quality over quantity and helps members build real and lasting connections. Additionally, this focus on curation ensures members are more likely to find meaningful connections rather than endlessly scrolling through profiles that don’t align with their values.

“I wanted to create a platform where people can meet exciting, like-minded people who are ambitious, adventurous and determined,” says Ifrah, explaining the app’s founding.

Ifrah says what sets Musly apart from the aforementioned apps like Thursday and Raya: “While Raya is aimed at creative professionals and Thursday focuses on events, Musly goes beyond that by bringing members together based on shared values, interests, travel plans and lifestyles .”

Ifrah continues, “What really sets Musly apart is its focus on face-to-face interaction and real-world events.” Unlike Thursday’s party events, Musly organizes curated, invitation-only gatherings like dinners, pasta classes and coffee meetups for real, face-to-face connections to promote.”

Concierge Matching

Beyond the careful vetting process and curated events, Musly offers a unique and exciting feature not commonly found in other apps: concierge matching.

In simple words, this means a highly personalized matchmaking experience where a dedicated dating coach helps love seekers find the right partner based on their individual needs, preferences and relationship goals.

Ifrah explains that the purpose of Musly’s concierge matching service is to provide a personalized, high-touch experience that makes the dating process smoother and more focused, providing tailored support throughout the journey.

On November 21, Musly launched this new feature where members will now receive a weekly “concierge match” from Musly’s dating coach Heera Ispahani, who works closely with the Muslim community to match members based on their profiles and select people to date they could probably get in touch.

Heera goes into more detail about the matching process and explains The new Arab that their role starts with checking the basics – age, location and religion – all of which are already covered by the app.

From there, Heera delves deeper into the user’s profile and analyzes how they respond to the app’s carefully crafted prompts.

According to Heera, these prompts, while simple at first glance, are strategically designed to provide insights into the way members perceive and present themselves and provide valuable clues about their personality and values.

Then Heera goes a step further and assesses whether potential matches are aligned in terms of interests, hobbies and deeper compatibility.

After this process, it’s up to the members to decide whether to message each other and accept the match, which, in Heera’s words, will hopefully result in “the stars aligning for a successful pairing.”

By considering all of these factors in the matchmaking process, Heera adds that this level of thoughtful curation offers more than just superficial connections; It also ensures that matches are aligned with each member’s core values ​​and interests.

“This tailored approach is key to the app’s philosophy and creates a more targeted and meaningful dating experience for each user,” says Heera.

Important questions

Beyond matchmaking, Heera also engages in conversations with members, helping them build confidence and navigate the complexities of modern dating with clarity and authenticity.

Heera informed The new Arab Some of the questions she addresses with members include:

How can I improve my dating profile? What can I do better to attract the right matches?

How can I be more confident when messaging for the first time?

How to start a good conversation or keep the conversation going?

How do I deal with the fear of dating or meeting new people?

How do I set boundaries and expectations early in a relationship?

How do I stay positive and avoid frustration when I don’t find matches?

How can I express my real interests and personality in my profile?

How do I deal with ghosting or rejection?

Can you help me figure out what I really want in a relationship?

For Heera, such questions are “particularly important for members of minority cultures such as Islamic communities, where dating is often a taboo topic.”

The future of Musly

Musly is currently in its early stages, meaning there may be some bugs as the team works to optimize the app. Looking ahead, however, there is much to be excited about.

In the coming weeks, members will be able to fill out a 20-question form to help the app better understand their personalities and preferences.

Once the forms are submitted, Ifrah and Heera plan to use AI software to analyze the responses and summarize each profile.

This allows both Ifrah and Heera to gain a deeper understanding of each user and, in Heera’s case, match them with the right person.

Additionally, a Compatibility Percentage feature will be introduced to show how likely members are to connect with their Trainer matches, making the entire matchmaking process more accurate and effective.

Eventually, Ifrah plans to expand the app globally.

The Musly events have officially begun, with dinners several times a month and coffee meetings every two weeks starting in January 2025.

The first Musly event in London, organized by event curator Maryam Khan, took place on December 4th and was an exclusive dinner with only 20 guests.

For those interested in attending future events and joining in the search for love, membership applications can be submitted here

Zainab Mehdi is an associate editor and researcher at The New Arab, specializing in governance, development and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa

Follow her on X: @zaiamehdi