Iran sets up Islamic dating app to boost marriage rates

The app Hamdam is suited for those seeking a spouse in accordance with the country’s Islamic laws.

Divorce rates have been increasing and birth rates going down in Iran in recent years (Getty Images)

Authorities in Iran have launched an Islamic dating app in an attempt to boost the country’s birth and marriage rates.

Hamdam, or Companion, is the first ever licensed Iranian matchmaking app according to Komeil Khojasteh, the manager of Tebyan Cultural Institute which developed the application, reported Tasnim news agency.

The Tebyan Cultural Institute is run by an organisation that answers to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran’s divorce rate has been on the rise, whilst its birth rate has been declining at a rate of 7.67 per cent since 2015, according to government data.

Indeed, in 2020, birth rates in the country fell to a 100-year low, leading to Iran’s parliament deciding to pass budgetary provisions in March 2021 to encourage childbirth and marriage.

These provisions have included loans to young married couples as well as first-time homeowners with children.

“Authorities probably opened their eyes to global trends and realised that they need to have a matchmaking app of their own, but tuned to Islamic standards,” said Mehdi, a single, 33-year-old Tehran who didn’t give his surname, reported Bloomberg.

Currently, foreign dating apps such as Tinder are not allowed in the Islamic Republic.

The app Hamdam is suited for those seeking a spouse in accordance with the country’s Islamic laws.

According to the app’s website, users must verify their identity and undergo a “psychology test” before they can start to use it.

The app “introduces the families together with the presence of service consultants,” once a match is made. These “consultants” will “accompany” the couple for a period of four years after marriage.

According to the website, Hamdam has “an independent revenue model,” hence registration is free.