Gulf Times – Qatar’s top-selling English daily newspaper – Qatar

Gulf Times – Qatar’s top-selling English daily newspaper – Qatar
Fatwa ‘gives green light’ to boy-girl chat on Net
Published: Monday, 17 April, 2006, 11:39 AM Doha Time
Staff Reporter
IF the intentions are genuine and transparency is maintained in the interaction, it is permissible for a Muslim youth to chat with a girl of marriageable age on the Internet and ultimately get married with the approval and blessings of their respective guardians, says a fatwa published on the Islam Online website of the Ministry of Awqaf (Endowments) and Religious Affairs.
A local Arabic daily, quoting the fatwa, says that although Internet chatting seems to be innocuous and above reproach, one cannot rule out mischief and malintentions. Hence the youth are advised not to resort to such means to select their life partners. They would be better advised to go by the age-old practice of match-making through the word of mouth, especially by elders in the family.