Salaam - Has Anyone Else Had a Creepy Experience with a Man on a Matrimonial App?
As-salaam-u-alaikum sisters. I finally feel ready to share something that happened to me earlier this year when I tried a Muslim matrimonial app. I was shaken by it and kept quiet at first, but I want to talk about it now in case it helps anyone. I matched with a man who lived in another country. He was around my age, a bit older, and I’m not picky about age differences, so we started talking. When he asked for my WhatsApp I naively gave him my number - I’m not great with these apps and I regret it. We moved off the app and chatted for a couple of days. At first nothing seemed alarming, but then he began to say very strange and inappropriate things. I didn’t recognise the red flags early enough and wish someone had told me to stop the conversation sooner. At one point he told me that one of his sisters was allegedly in love with him and wanted his child, and he asked me if I would be “okay” with that. I felt disgusted and unsafe. I blocked him on WhatsApp straight away, and discovered he had already blocked me on the matrimonial app - which made me think he might be doing this to other sisters. I don’t have any identifying information about him now. I also couldn’t save evidence because the app stops screenshots for reasons I don’t understand; I tried to save his profile picture and it came out black. I hope platforms change settings like that to protect women. I feel violated and unsettled, and I deleted the app from my phone. Sisters, please be careful online and when meeting people in person. Share your experiences so we can look out for each other. May Allah keep us safe.