KUALA LUMPUR, May 15 — For technical support engineer Firdaus Zulkefli, much of his days are spent meeting clients for work — which leaves him with little time for anything else, let alone finding a life partner.

But thanks to support from his friends, the 27-year-old tried his luck at Halal Speed Dating (HSD), a Shariah-compliant matchmaking event for Muslim men and women.

“I only have one problem, I am working. Even now, I just got back from work so I don’t have the time to find (someone),” Firdaus said when met by ProjekMMO at the ninth HSD session yesterday.

He had previously tried his luck at online matchmaking portal myJodoh and a few other groups as well as via Whatsapp before being attracted to the concept of ‘halal’ and ‘family-accompanied dates’ offered by HSD.

Firdaus was not alone. There were 72 men present yesterday, evenly matched with 72 women who were also there at the biggest-ever HSD event in the country which was held at the Telekom Malaysia (TM) Convention Centre.

Though some men at the event appeared shy, the attendance record this time around was an encouraging increase from the previous HSD session, where the female attendees outnumbered their male counterparts with a five-to-one ratio.

“This time, we anticipate the registration to hit 144 people — 72 men and 72 women,” HalalSpeedDating.com chief operations officer, Munirah Tunai Shamsidi told ProjekMMO.

“At the start of the programme which we organised, the ratio of men who came was a mere 1:5 but now, thank God, we are able to balance the number.

“We don’t want a situation where there are six men and 12 women in a group. It’s not fair,” Munirah added.

As the morning session continued to extend well into the afternoon, ProjekMMO observed that on average, those who signed up for HSD were Malay youths in their early 20s and late 30s.

Most have stable jobs but no time to search for a life partner due to work constraints.

There were also some who are still studying either at undergraduate or postgraduate level.

“We have also received a non-Muslim male participant seeking a life partner. He told us he is keen in learning about Islam, so we allowed him to join as well,” Munirah added.

HSD, which began last year, is the brainchild of Munirah and her husband Zuhri Yuhyi.

The concept is similar to regular speed dating events where participants are given limited time to get to know one another.

The difference? Female participants will be accompanied by their guardians who will monitor the chat and interactions with non-mahrams (men who are not related by family ties or marriage), in addition to a strict vetting process for those who are serious in wanting a soulmate.

Only those who have passed the vetting process by the organiser will be invited to attend and the ticket is priced at RM120 per person or RM80 for early bird registries.

Although 58-year-old Aisyah Mohammad initially found the HSD concept to be a little awkward, it did not deter her from accompanying her youngest daughter who participated in the event.

“Sometimes, the internet is also vicious, with too many lies. Fake pictures and details.

“This concept is better still as we get to see the men and we can know how they look like and we can question them. As people say, it’s more sincere,” said Aisyah, who lives in Ulu Kelang.

“But this does not necessarily mean that a partner will be found. If it is meant to be then it will be.

“This is my first time, coming to see if this way would work or not,” she added.

Aisyah said that her daughter’s busy schedule — balancing work and a part-time IT degree at Universiti Malaya — made it difficult for her to find a soulmate.

“We are getting older. As old people would say, before we pass on, we would like to see her get married and have someone care for her,” she said.