Muxlim pal, became the world's first Muslim-friendly virtual world to be launched allowing users to have an online personality, interact with others, and even purchase items.

Called Muxlim Pal and created by the Finnish-based company Muxlim.com, the English-language site caters primarily to Muslims living in western countries who long to reconnect with other Muslims and Muslim culture.

"Muxlim Pal is just another channel for our users to socialise, have fun and express themselves using social media in a safe and friendly atmosphere," Muxlim chief executive Mohamed El-Fatatry, 23, told AFP.

On Muxlim Pal, which is free of charge to join, users can shop for clothes for their avatar at the mall, hang out at the beach cafe, pray at the mosque or go to concerts.

What makes Muxlim Pal different from other popular websites such as Second Life is that content portraying violence, drugs, sexual references or profanity is not allowed.

Users can flag content they find unsuitable and inform community managers, who will delete material after it has been flagged a number of times.

The absence of obscene material is not only out of respect for Muslim values, but also to create a family-friendly site.

"We are not trying to segregate anybody; we are trying to build a platform for Muslims to have a voice and dialogue with others," El-Fatatry said.

He said he believed Muslims who live in countries where they are in the minority have a greater need to express themselves and share content than those who live in countries where they are in the majority.