BERLIN, December 10, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) - The first Muslim matchmaking service in Germany is attracting scores of matrimonial profiles from Muslims searching for Mr. or Mrs. Right.

"Finding a wife or husband is no longer a headache for Muslims in Germany," Samer Fahd, the founder of the Islamic Marriage Center, told IslamOnline.net on Saturday, December 10.

Fahd said several Muslims have tied the knot since the service was launched in February of this year.

"We were not that famous at the beginning," he said. "But the center has become reputable over the days and has received so far 150 applications."

Islam comes third in Germany after Protestant and Catholic Christianity.

There are some 3.4 million Muslims in the country, including 220,000 in Berlin alone. An estimated two thirds of the minority are of Turkish origin.

German-born Fahd, who hails of a Palestinian background, said they also have an online matchmaking service on the center’s Web site.

"All s/he needs to do is to fill in an online application and state clearly whether s/he is a practicing Muslim.

"Women should specify whether they wear hijab or have children," he said, noting that several divorcees and widows have also applied.

Fahd said German women who reverted to Islam constitute 40 percent of all female applicants.

"Their age ranges between 30 and 35."

He noted that German Muslims from all walks of life have sent their profiles to the center.

"We have physicians, engineers and craftsmen."

Fahd said the center is applying strict rules in matchmaking.

"We fully take into consideration the religious backgrounds of the applicants to have a harmonious marriage," he said.

"The personal information of all applicants is treated as strictly confidential," stressed Fahd, who is helped by his mother in categorizing female applications.

He said the center has received some requests from non-Muslims, who want to marry Muslim women.

"We politely tell them that is not permissible in Islam for Muslim women to marry non-Muslims unless they officially reverted to Islam."

Fahd, 37, denied having faced any government hitches to register his center, which abides by relevant German laws.