A Russian dating app allowing married Muslim users to find additional wives will soon be made available on the international market, the Lenta.ru news site reported Monday.
The Mydiaspora app, which is already available in Russia in English, Russian and Farsi, will allow those living in countries where polygamy is permitted to search for a second wife, creator Arsen Kazibekov told the Russian news website.
The dating app, which Kazibekov said already has 10,000 users, lets men and women meet and communicate in strict accordance with Islamic traditions and Sharia law, including Muslims looking for a one-spouse family. Mydiaspora hides the names and photographs of its users, and matches people based on their answers to a questionnaire as well as on their nationality, religion and education, the report said.
If there is a match, the app allows the two users to communicate with one another and also offers the female user a chance to invite her father or older brother to observe the chat — thereby adhering to strict Islamic traditions, the report said.
Kazibekov said he was hoping to initially expand his service to Iran, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco before taking it even further afield, and added that he and two other investors are in discussions with venture capital funds in the United States to secure financing for expansion.
The Mydiaspora app has the approval of the Russian Council of Muftis, which represents the country's Muslim community, and its designers consulted the council when creating their app, Lenta.ru reported.