UK Muslim Dating Site Slammed for Promoting Polygamy and Violence Against Women

A UK-registered Muslim dating platform, NikkahGram, launched in 2023, has sparked widespread condemnation for promoting polygamy, virgin brides, and content endorsing violence against women, raising alarms about extremist Islamic influences in Britain. The site, which claims to uphold “core Islamic values of modesty and submission to Allah without modern excuses,” targets men seeking “shy, untouched spouses” or up to four wives, offering subscriptions from £24.99 monthly to £499.99 for “lifetime VIP” access. Virgin women under 35 and those open to polygyny receive free membership, while women must declare their virginity status, defined as having no “previous relationship, haram physical touches, or any type of intercourse.” Promotional materials encourage men to seek foreign wives who are “less prone to feminism” and “more traditional,” reinforcing patriarchal norms.

Most alarmingly, NikkahGram’s social media, with over 7,000 Instagram followers, shares videos advocating wife-beating as a “wake-up call” for disobedience. One clip advises, “From those wives whom you fear arrogance, first advise them. After one month of advising, then if they persist, forsake them in bed—don’t have any intimacy. Show them that you don’t desire them. And if they persist, finally strike them lightly, not with a baseball bat, not from the very beginning boom, no. This is gradual.” Such content has drawn sharp criticism from women’s rights advocates, with Labour MP Jess Phillips calling it “a disgusting justification for abuse.” As polygamy is illegal in the UK, punishable by up to seven years in prison, NikkahGram promotes “non-registered connections” to evade legal scrutiny, claiming official registration causes “injustice.”

The platform’s practices, linked to figures like Asif Munaf, a former NHS medic suspended for anti-Semitic comments, intensify concerns about rising extremism amid growing anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment in the UK. An estimated 20,000 polygamous marriages exist in Britain, often leaving women without legal protections. Social media posts on X express outrage, with one user stating, “NikkahGram normalizes abuse and polygamy—this has no place in the UK.” Critics warn that the site exploits vulnerable women and undermines gender equality, reflecting a broader, troubling trend of extremist cultural influences that clash with British values and fuel moral concerns over spousal abuse and illegal marriage practices.