Iran launches Muslim dating app to encourage marriage

• According to the chief of Iran’s cyberspace police, this is the only such platform approved by the State in the Islamic Republic.
• Although dating apps are popular in Iran, the chief of the cyber police stated that all other platforms except Hamdam are illegal.
• Users must verify their identity and pass a “psychological test” before browsing.

Tehran: According to a report from national television, Iran launched a Muslim dating app on Monday aimed at providing “lasting and informed marriages” for its young people.

According to the broadcaster, the service is called Hamdam-“partner” in Persian-the service allows users to “search and select their spouse.”

According to Colonel Ali Mohamed Rajabi, the chief of Iran’s cyberspace police, this is the only platform of this type approved by the State in the Islamic Republic.

Although dating apps are very popular in Iran, Rajabi said that all other platforms except Hamdam are illegal.

Hamdam’s website was developed by the government’s Tebyan Cultural Institute, claiming that it uses “artificial intelligence” to find matches “only for bachelors seeking permanent marriages and single spouses”.

Komeil Khojasteh, head of Tebyan, said at the unveiling ceremony that family values ​​are threatened by external forces.

“Family is the target of the devil and (Iran’s enemies) try to impose their own ideas on it,” he said, adding that the app helps create “healthy” families.

According to Hamdam’s website, users must verify their identity and pass a “psychological test” before browsing.

When the pairing is successful, the app will “introduce the family with the presence of a service consultant” and they will “accompany” the couple for four years after marriage.

The website stated that registration is free because Hamdam has an “independent income model”, but did not explain further.

Iranian authorities, including the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have repeatedly warned that the country’s age for marriage is rising and the birth rate is falling.

In March, the Iranian Parliament passed a bill called “Population Growth and Support for Families”.

It requires the government to provide major financial incentives for marriages, encourage people to have more than two children, and limit abortion opportunities.

The law is awaiting approval from the Guardianship Council, whose task is to check whether the bill complies with Islamic law and the constitution.