Re: Desi Muslim Dating in the West
I think what some of the posters here are trying to say is that dating in Pakistan has become more common than it was in previous decades, not that it is extremely common or as common as it is in western countries. Frankly, no one can say with any amount of certainty exactly how much more common as people in Pakistan are probably not terribly keen to discuss such personal aspects of their lives with others as many people still view dating as taboo and not something they would want others to know about. If people do date, I doubt they are posting it all over their social media and telling all and sundry about their dating experiences.
As far as the comments stating "well, that is not how it was when I was in Pakistan..," I think people should take into account that social behaviours can change rather quickly and can be influenced by a variety of things, so just because dating wasn't common when you lived in Pakistan, it doesn't mean that it isn't more common now. And yes, things can and often do change in a matter of years. For example, I've noticed that adolescents seem to be doing more "adult" things these days and have seen 14-year-olds do things these days that I was not doing and were not common when I was 14 and that was only 10 years ago.
**Disclaimer: I've never been to Pakistan and am not asserting that what I have commented here is a proven fact. It is simply my opinion, so I would kindly appreciate not being tarred and feathered (as seems to have become common on this thread).
I've only been here an year. I don't think Pakistan has changed that much.
It is...do people marry blindly in Pakistan? Do they not meet or talk? Do they not communicate in any way, shape or form?
They do.
That is dating.
I don't understand why the Western concept of dating is always equated with sex while the Pakistani version is all paak saaf.
Some still do marry blindly, without meeting or talking prior to marriage.
Back in back Pakistan people don't cohabit together until they're married, unlike they do over here. Not everybody at your school is paired up with somebody. It's possible that the Pakistani diaspora here is all paak and saaf, probably more than people back home. But they don't represent the whole of Western society (if you can group them all together).
It's possible that some people in Pakistan date, might even sleep together before getting married. But what percentage of Pakistanis do that? 10%? 20%? What percentage of Americans do that?