Muslim marriage app faces boycott after secret sale to company with pro-Israel CEO

Muslim dating app Salams has come under fire following its quiet acquisition by US-based Match Group — the company behind Tinder, Hinge and OKCupid. The deal, finalised in October 2023, was only disclosed in a February 2024 earnings report, with no official announcement or communication to Salams’ 7.5 million users.

The Muslim dating app Salaams, with over 6M users, was acquired by the Match Group.

This is the Match Group’s new CEO, who boasted about giving financial assistance to American Jews to go commit war crimes & genocide against Palestinians.

It seems zero announcements were made… pic.twitter.com/IpM430o2XL

— Sana Saeed (@SanaSaeed) April 1, 2025

The backlash has intensified following the appointment of Match Group’s new CEO, Spencer Rascoff, last month. Rascoff has publicly expressed support for Israeli occupation soldiers committing genocide in Gaza. “Proud to support Ohana co-founders Jacob Ian Halbert and Ezra Gershanok’s campaign to help cover rent bills for Israeli soldiers fighting overseas,” Rascoff wrote in a now-deleted social media post, linking to a fundraiser for Israelis in the US who joined the occupation army’s war efforts.

Rascoff’s previous role on the board of surveillance firm Palantir has further fuelled concern, especially among Muslim communities already angered by the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.

The Muslim dating app Salams (6M+ users) was secretly acquired by Match Group—the company behind Tinder & Hinge.

Their new CEO? A man who bragged about funding American Jews to join the IDF in Gaza. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/uXuZns73Pa

— boycat (@boycatapp) April 1, 2025

Muslim users across platforms like Reddit and X have called for a boycott of Salams, accusing the app’s new leadership of being complicit in the genocide in Gaza. “Do you guys have any shame? Sold your soul to Zionists,” one user wrote.

Shahzad Younas, CEO of rival Muslim app Muzz, criticised the acquisition, saying he was “glad we resisted Match Group’s attempts to buy us… I felt I was selling out.”

Match Group has not responded to mounting criticism. Salams’ founders have remained silent, and concerns continue to mount over transparency, ethical leadership and the growing monopoly of faith-based platforms.

READ: App reminding Muslims when to pray selling location data on to third parties