ARTICLE:Identity is a complex creature, and as many traditional definitions of identity get redefined--such as age (you're as young as you feel), sex (the "third gender"), religion (organized religions losing footing) and political party--there is more room nowadays to be who you feel rather than what is expected. This fluid identity, however, hits some snags in more strict cultures, especially where the collective identity is valued more than the individual identity. Echoing the article Being Gay and So.East Asian in America, this article explores the plight of Muslims in America who find themselves wanting to date Muslim "hipsters;" the third culture kids trying to balance their traditions and faith in a new setting. HispterShaadi.com is a dating site that, while small, is gaining traction with young Muslims who want something more than matrimonial sites offer. The site is not without critics in the Muslim community, but it is an interesting microscope on how one subculture is trying to combine their Western and Muslim roots in today's tech heavy, online dating, identity blending world.
Also, musing: It feels as if "hipster" is the answer to finding your own, non-mainstream interpretation of your culture: with Chispters (chicano hispters), Mipsterz (Muslim hispters), Cultured Youth (Chinese hipsters) and many more, it's as if the hipster moniker is increasingly becoming the name of counterculture and amalgamated identities.
SITE: http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/11/30/247572566/single-muslim-hipster-seeking-same-you-may-be-in-luck
