Iran's state-approved dating app 'Hamdam' comes with marriage consultants

Government in Tehran is trying to address a declining birth rate through technology

Iranian woman Atefeh Khani checks the "Hamdam" dating app on her phone in a cafe in Tehran, Iran. Reuters.

Iran on Monday unveiled an Islamic dating application which it is hoped will lead to “lasting and informed marriages” for its young people, state television reported.

The app is called Hamdam – which is Farsi for “companion” – and allows users to “search for and choose their spouse”, the broadcaster said.

It is the only state-sanctioned platform of its kind in the country, according to Iran's cyberspace police chief, Col Ali Mohammad Rajabi.

While dating apps are popular in Iran, Col Rajabi said that all other such platforms, apart from Hamdam, are illegal.

Developed by the Tebyan Cultural Institute, part of Iran's Islamic Development Organisation, Hamdam's website claims to use artificial intelligence to find matches “only for bachelors seeking permanent marriage and a single spouse".

Tebyan head Komeil Khojasteh, speaking at the unveiling, said family values were being threatened by outside forces.

“Family is the devil's target, and [Iran's enemies] seek to impose their own ideas” on it, he said. The app, he said, helps to create healthy families.

According to Hamdam's website, users have to verify their identity and go through a “psychology test” before browsing.

When a match is made, the app “introduces the families together with the presence of service consultants”, who will "accompany" the couple for four years after marriage.

Registration is free, because Hamdam has “an independent revenue model”, according to the website.

Iran's authorities, including the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have spoken several times about the country's rising age of marriage and declining birth rates.

In March, Iran's conservative-dominated parliament passed a bill entitled “population growth and supporting families”.

It mandates the government to offer significant financial incentives for marriage and to encourage people to have more than two children, while limiting access to abortion.

The law awaits approval by the Guardian Council, which is responsible for checking that bills are compatible with Islamic law and the constitution.