A Muslim matchmaker recently caught flak for her high standards of participants with some people accusing her of being elitist.
Princess of Hearts owner Iman Chilwan, 38, has been playing matchmaker since 2014, introducing Muslim men and women looking for marriage.
The bubbly vrou told the Daily Voice that she is living proof that her strategy works, after meeting her husband via a matchmaker.
“There are many companies who are doing the same. However, my concept is a bit different.
“At Princess of Hearts, we offer a bespoke, safe and discreet matchmaking service that prides itself on serving the Muslim community with its much needed services.
“The concept was born while I travelled to the United Kingdom.
“They hosted similar events, but were not Muslim-friendly, so when I returned to Cape Town I pitched the idea to my grandpa who’s a moulana and he told me I would need to follow the proper procedures, like approach the ulema [Islamic clergy] and get accredited.”
Chilwan then became a member of the International Association of Professional Matchmakers.
The CEO said she previously hosted successful events for singles and divorcees in Australia, and Gauteng.
“Majority of the time our clients end up either finding love or finding themselves.
“The setting is also comfortable and safe. We have our own mahrams [chaperones] and imams and we encourage participants to bring their own too.”
However, her “premium package” matchmaking criteria was criticised online with mense noting some of the requirements, such as that men must own a car and have a job, women needed to have a job or study full-time, as well as that applicants should be fit, have no major health issues and be mentally stable, and have a “normal” body mass index (BMI).
One user said: “Please add your discriminatory matchmaking criteria to your adverts.
“People who aren’t skinny, women who don’t work or study and men without cars aren’t welcome.”
Another user commented: “Nee gottalla..then I’ll ma stay single..and that’s why our divorced Muslim brothers and sisters don’t want to marry because mense is judgerag..nee tramakasie.”
Chilwan is aware of the criticism but claimed that her criteria is not meant to shame anyone.
“For example, the criteria about the vehicle is because most women request this. We find most of the time people with a normal BMI are also emotionally stable.
“It is also to help boost their confidence because we’ve had instances where people with higher BMIs do not meet any of their matches, and this makes them feel less [secure]about themselves.
“But it’s definitely not to body shame anyone.”