A website that helps Muslim men to find ‘second wives’ has more than 100,000 users in Britain, its founder has revealed.

Azad Chaiwala is the founder of SecondWife.com, which has attracted criticism amid accusations of potentially opening women to the possibility of physical abuse and sex trafficking.

But Chaiwala has since defended the site and says it came from his own ‘need’ for a second spouse.

‘It takes two hands to clap; a guy can’t do it on his own. We’ve got so many successful marriages and so many women signed up themselves… they are opting to enter this kind of relationship’, he told the BBC.

Here’s everything you need to know about the site.

What is SecondWife.com?

Secondwife.com was established by Azaid Chaiwala to help Muslim men find second wives in Britain.

Although experts differ on the amount of active users, Chaiwala claims that the website now boasts more than 100,000 users who are searching for a second spouse.

‘The second wife website came about from my need, and thinking there’ll be other people in my situation’, he told BBC Inside Out.

‘There are other deceiving ways of doing it – affairs, prostitution etc. Those are not necessarily good for relationships. Here it’s more honourable.’

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What does Islam say about polygamy?

Under traditional Islamic teachings, Muslim men are allowed to practice polygamy, which permits them to have up to four wives at one single time.

In the UK, secondary marriages are often performed under a Nikah ceremony, an Islamic non-registered marriage contract not recognised under British law.

What does UK law say about polygamy?

UK law forbids polygamous marriages from being performed, but may recognise them if they have been performed in another country.

Section 57 of the Offences against the Person act 1861 states: ‘Whosoever, being married, shall marry any other person during the life of the former husband or wife, whether the second marriage shall have taken place in England or Ireland or elsewhere, shall be guilty of felony, and being convicted thereof shall be liable to be kept in penal servitude for any term not exceeding seven years.’