UK marriage trends show Muslims more committed to marriage

NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release 
Single Muslim Ltd - Wakefield, United Kingdom.


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UK marriage trends show Muslims more committed to marriage

The success of SingleMuslim.com, the world's largest online community for Muslims seeking a marriage partner, supports research showing that British Muslims are the social group most committed to the institution of marriage.

Research by the Office of National Statistics into the UK's marriage trends has revealed that marriage rates have been in decline over the past few decades and in 2008 (the most recent year for which figures are available) provisional marriage rates for England and Wales reached the lowest point since 1862, when these rates were first calculated.

Of the 228,204 marriages that took place in 2008, two thirds of all marriages were civil ceremonies following a 25 per cent decrease in the popularity of religious ceremonies over the past decade.

These facts make depressing reading for supporters of the institution of marriage, yet there is at least one social group which is bucking the trend. Figures from the last census in 2001 show that young Muslims (16-24 years of age) were the most likely to be living as a married couple.

SingleMuslim.com, which has over half a million registered users worldwide, is a keen supporter of marriage and proof that British Muslims are withstanding the general trend.

Managing Director Adeem Younis commented: "These results should come as no great surprise to Muslims as marriage is central to Islam. The Muslim community as a whole agrees that marriage is a serious and permanent commitment and an act of worship in itself; a Muslim completes half the faith - or 'deen' - when they marry."

The average age at which people marry has continued to increase in recent years and provisional results show that, in 2008, the average age for men to marry was 36.5 years and for women 33.8 years.

Again, in contrast to these results, young Muslims were much more likely to be married at 22 per cent, 10 per cent higher than Sikhs, the second highest group. Christians and people who stated that they have no religion showed the lowest rates of marriage among young people (16-24 years) with only 3 per cent of them married.

Adeem Younis continued: "The success of matrimonial websites such as SingleMuslim.com shows that Muslims are not only very committed to marriage but they are also accepting new ways of finding a marriage partner. By searching online in a safe, Islamic environment, members can find someone who is compatible. And with four success stories a day, we'd certainly agree that the institution of marriage is still extremely strong among Britain's Muslims."


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Editor's Notes:

For further information about Singlemuslim.com, please visit the website at www.singlemuslim.com.

SingleMuslim.com has more than 500,000 registered users worldwide.

Sources:

*1 Office for National Statistics: Marriages in England and Wales 2008 (final figures to be published in spring 2011)

*2 Office for National Statistics: Marriage Patterns

For More Information Contact:
Adeem Younis, SingleMuslim.com
Tel: 0844 800 9255
Email: info@singlemuslim.com

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