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Dateline: July 5

On SBS Dateline looks at an online dating service run by the Iranian government.

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Tonight Dateline looks at an online dating service run by the Iranian government.

But what singles also want is shifting as part of modern cultural change.

It’s online dating as you’ve never seen it before – no profile photos, matches are chosen for you, and parents must also go on the first date – but is Iran’s government-controlled dating service fighting a losing battle against Western desires?

In Iran, pre-marital sex is illegal; however, half of the under thirty-five population isn’t married, so the government is concerned they’re not playing by the rules and is stepping in and playing cupid.

They have launched an online government-operated, Islamic dating institute, and according to the website, they have already set up two hundred and fifty marriages this year – yet there are growing concerns about how people find love in the 21st century, given the recent cultural shifts in Iran.

“[translated] In emotional or romantic relationships, say in the US, ninety-three per cent ultimately lead to divorce… Loving at first look or sight is – I emphasise – very dangerous”, Doctor Mohamad Kamand tells dating hopefuls.

In a country bound by strict Islamic law it’s not common for women to openly seek a husband – but the list of demands from these love seekers is growing.

“If you compare it to ten years ago expectations are higher, people are more demanding. If a woman has a degree she won’t accept someone who doesn’t”, matchmaker Miss Mogdam tells journalist, Shaunagh Connaire.

Tuesday 5 July at 9.30pm on SBS.

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