Innovative new site, MyMuslimRoommate.com, gives Muslims better options when finding a roommate

A common concern for students, their parents, and professionals is the availability of "Muslim-friendly" housing when moving to a new city to pursue their education or new job. We have all heard or have our own tales about experiences with roommates.

The following post was found on a Muslim community discussion board.

I am looking for a FEMALE roommate to share an apt with in the South Bay area. I am looking to pay around 500-600 for rent. 

I am a student at SJSU and in my last year. I need someone who doesn't smoke, drink, do drugs, eat pork, have lots of overnight guests, etc. - basically no party animals plus these things not good for your health anyway. I go to school full time and work almost full time so I am not home a lot - but when I am home, I want to relax so someone stress-free and no drama is ideal 🙂 

Such posts are commonly found on discussion boards and Mosque bulletin boards. Until now, there has been no central place in the US or Canada where Muslims can post, search, and find a Muslim or Muslim-friendly roommate. A new website, called MyMuslimRoommate.com offers users the ability to find their roommate in an ideal location. Advertiser revenues fund the site, and hence no costs are passed along to the end user.

The site also plans to provide educational resources on faith and customs. The following article that was published in Christian Science Monitor shows how roommates with different faith backgrounds with the proper understanding can have an enriching experience.

"Several times a day, Atena Asiaii pulls her maroon prayer rug from under her bed and lines it up on the scuffed linoleum floor, kneeling on it to face northeast, the direction of Mecca. She has figured out which corner to turn toward without the help of a compass because her roommate, Yael Richardson, prays facing East, the direction of their dorm-room door. Far beyond it lies Jerusalem. They're both college sophomores. They like gossiping about guys and eating ice cream. They're taking beginning Arabic. But what unites them most is the very thing people might expect to keep them apart: their religious devotion. Living together as a Muslim and a Jew wasn't intended to be a statement. Yael and Atena met as freshmen at Brown University and decided to request a room together the next year in Interfaith House - a dorm where matters of faith are the stuff of spontaneous conversations in the halls. The house was especially appealing for Atena, who had had a chilly reception from her freshman roommate... Now she feels blessed to be free from that burden. She prays in her room whenever she wants to, and she never feels 'different,' because Yael does the same. At times they even find themselves praying simultaneously. Among the books on the shelf above Atena's desk is a paperback Koran, its spine cracked from use. Yael's side of the room is a mirror image, except that her shelf bears a Torah. Both their walls have posters of events they've helped plan for their respective religious organizations." May 16, 2006 The Christian Science Monitor.

MyMuslimRoommate.com was created with the intent of easing the stress families and individuals face when a student is going off to school or when people are relocating for their work in different cities. MyMuslimRoommate.com's recent press release reads, "As Muslims, we have a number of lifestyle choices including our no shoe preference, other-white-meat aversion, watering can in our washrooms, and conservative social life that can make a roommate situation awkward. I hope that our site will allow Muslims to find Muslim-friendly housing with Muslims or non-Muslims, and ease the stress for the person moving and their family." 

So, breathe a sigh of relief, and send your loved one off to college or their new job opportunity!