Shahzad will be talking about connecting Muslim tourists in the digital space, at the upcoming World Islamic Tourism Conference 2024.
TECHNOLOGY has transformed the way Muslims engage with their faith and community, providing unprecedented access to knowledge and connection.
Yet there is still a majority of Muslims that feel marginalised on major social media platforms due to experiences of discrimination and exclusion.
Muzz founder and chief executive officer Shahzad Younas told StarBiz that social networks leave a large impact on people’s perspective and there are often times where the Muslim communities are affected by these negative connotations.
Positively enough, he said the future of tech is interesting and scaling well, especially in terms of Muslim-centred applications (apps).
He expressed optimism, stating that there will be a broader future for diverse spaces and technologies that cater to the Muslim community.
“The needs are great and the Muslim population is very young globally. So that means that the market has a young population who are mobile savvy.
“Smartphones, internet penetration and the ability to make payments are all getting better, and these factors are what makes us (Muzz) more and more interesting,” he said.
In fact, within the Muslim travel industry, a growing trend can be seen where apps assist Muslim travellers in locating halal food, prayer facilities as well as other essential services.
Hence by embracing technology, the industry can offer a more personalised, convenient, and fulfilling experience for Muslim travellers globally, meeting their changing needs and preferences in the digital age.
Additionally, Shahzad highlighted that the tech sector’s appeal lies in its capacity to serve a vast audience with a relatively small team.
“With a small team, you can actually serve a huge population. In fact, here at Muzz, we are a team of about 150 people and are serving 12 million people globally, and that is just huge.
“That is the power of what tech can do – it allows you to experiment and build quickly.
“But on the flip side, there are so many choices of apps and that is the real hard bit when you are involved in this business. So that is why our goal is to be getting the users married and getting them off the platform.” he stated.
Future of Muzz
Matchmaking is a concept that has dated back since the early centuries.
“Operation Match” by Harvard students Jeff Tar and Vaughan Morrill were considered one of the first computer-based matchmaking services created back in 1965. Dating apps have become a common means for people to connect, catering to various relationship goals, from casual encounters to serious commitments, and Muzz is among the successful platforms in this space.
Shahzad said that a future for dating apps is definite, with Muzz poised to be part of this growth.
Despite the worries on artificial intelligence (AI) surrounding inauthenticity among users, he said there are times where AI can be useful,
“I think that AI helps to better match people because at Muzz, we do actually employ several machine learning algorithms and it has been successful.
“In fact, it led to about 15% uplift in people matching and it was one of the biggest uplifts we have seen,” he said.
Known as one of the world’s biggest Muslim marriage apps and one of the top 30 digital Islamic Economy startups in 2024, Muzz empowers young Muslims to find a partner on their own terms with respect to one’s culture, faith and tradition.
And unlike conventional dating apps, Muzz sets itself apart through profile verification and transparency, as well as creating a respectful environment for the users.
Initially launched in 2015 under the name Muzmatch, Shahzad said the reason behind the creation of Muzz was to offer the Muslim community the chance to connect users via a high-quality app.
“In general, a lot of offerings for Muslims are not that great, so I really wanted Muzz to set the bar high. And for us, what makes Muzz so special is our intention is to genuinely help people find partners – which is very hard for Muslims here in the UK,” he shared.
Without disclosing any specific details, Shahzad hinted that Muzz has exciting developments on the horizon promising unique features that have yet to appear in any dating apps worldwide.
He also revealed that Muzz’s social networking feature, Muzz Social, will launch in Malaysia in two years time.
The social feature allows users to express and share thoughts, participate in groups, and build friendships.
With the ability to create their own spaces and maintain anonymity, Shahzad said the majority of the demographic of this specific feature were Muslim women.
“Because there’s a lot of Muslim women especially, who want to discuss and talk about certain topics that may seem as sensitive and get advice on those matters in which they may have not had the support network before – and that is what we strive to provide.
“I think women have really gravitated towards our social network, so I believe that Muzz is at the start of a really exciting chapter,” he stated.
Shahzad will be a keynote speaker for Day 1 of the fourth World Islamic Tourism Conference (WITC) 2024, talking about connecting Muslim tourists in the digital space.
His sharing session will include a mix of the history of social network, what Muzz is trying to build as well as its importance, along with statistics on how Malaysians can effectively match with others.
WITC 2024 will be held from Sept 12 to 13, 2024 at Sunway Resort Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, and will bring together more than 30 speakers to discuss new insights and trends of the Muslim tourist market following the theme “Forging Connections”.
For details, visit www.witc.gov.my. Key in promo code STAR for a 50% discount on conference tickets.
