A differently-abled man from Derby, was left in tears when professional matchmakers told him to give up his search for a wife. Imraan Adam has been in search for love for quite some time and believed for a brief moment that attending Muslim Marriage Events may help him. However, months passed and he found no success. Adam claims a dating expert told him that the Asian community would not accept him and that he should “forget about marriage”. The 32 year old was so overcome with emotion with the comment that he began sobbing and reported the incident to police authorities.
A spokesperson for the Muslim Marriage Events however, denies Imraan was advised to give up his search for love at the London function. He was instead, suggested he “seek alternative avenues” because “most of the participants in these events are looking for fellow able-bodied participants.” Imraan has a speech and mobility problems due to cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. He had attended a handful of events organised by the London-based group. He said he was shocked at what the head organiser allegedly said to him at the event in Romford on April 19. “He was aware about my situation. He basically rambled on about how the Asian community isn't ready to accept my disability. And then he asked me to forget about marriage because no-one would want to marry me,” he said.
A freelance writer with a first-class degree in journalism, Imraan said potential love matches had expressed interest in the past. “The minute that he dropped that into the conversation, I broke down crying. I was very, very angry. I have never had anything that's hurt me as badly as this.” He said he did not complain at the time of the event because there were no members of staff who were more senior than the head organiser. He did however, make several phone calls to the company the following week. He said he also reported the incident to police, but the incident was not judged to be illegal. Imraan added, “The events are accessible, so it's not all doom and gloom. But this isn't representative of what the religion actually teaches. We are meant to look out for other people. This isn't what it's about at all.”
Phil Talbot, Head of Communications at disability equality charity Scope, said, “This type of behaviour is inexcusable and shows a complete lack of understanding about disability. Disabled people all over this country are in loving relationships. No one should be left to feel like they're not able to have a love life because of their impairment or condition. We hope this organiser's ludicrous comments do not put Mr Adam off in his search for a partner.”
