RUMFORD – The first time Jane McLamb met her future husband was the day they married.

She and Noman Ahmad met and married in Pakistan in January. The couple had corresponded online for about six months after posting profiles on an international matchmaker Web site.

Relatively early in their online relationship, he asked her to marry him. She said she needed more time. Eventually, he won her over.

“We fell in love over the Internet,” she said.

At their home in Rumford, she wore a Pakistani outfit, red with gold trim and gold beads, a gift from her mother-in-law. She’s adopted his dress, name and religion; he’s adopted her country.

Now known as Jane Noman – women in Pakistan take their husband’s first names as surnames – she has converted to Islam. Ahmad, after a months-long wait for a visa, has moved to her home town.

His family had wanted him to find a wife through an arranged marriage, but he wanted “a love marriage,” he said.

Jane’s profile caught his eye. As they communicated online, she struck him as “a very innocent person, a sweetheart, a straight-forward,” he said. “I like these things about her.”

She was intrigued by his personality, looks, sense of humor and intelligence, she said. “And I liked the culture.”

Pakistan wedding

In Pakistan, Ahmad met her at the airport with gifts and an entourage of men. He was concerned about her safety. At the time, some Pakistanis were angry with Europeans and Americans because of Danish cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that were considered sacrilegious by Muslims.

He wanted the marriage to be held right away, because once she was his wife she would be safer.

A woman helped Jane dress in a green Pakistani outfit with matching scarf. The ceremony was religious and private, officiated by an Islamic scholar. “It was very businesslike,” she said. “I had to say ‘yes’ three times.”

After the wedding, she returned to Rumford, where she works as a children’s behavioral specialist at group homes. She visited Pakistan three more times, getting to know Ahmad’s family. Initially, Jane and Noman had planned to live in Pakistan. “I had my own business. I was all set over there,” he said. But he didn’t think she would be safe there. “This was the only reason we decided to settle down in America,” he said.

He applied for a visa in January and was told it would take six to eight weeks, but it wasn’t approved for six months. Waiting was hard, he said. He closed his computer network installation company and had nothing to do for four months. “They kept telling us it could be any time.”

Life in Rumford

With help from U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe’s office, Ahmad was finally cleared to immigrate. That made Jane happy.

“I’m complete. It’s everything I’ve been waiting for,” she said. Ahmad and her 16-year-old son are close. “This is the first dad my son’s had.”

Ahmad described his wife as “a beautiful person” and said he feels blessed. He reached for her hand as he spoke, and teared up as he talked about the months they waited for him to be cleared to enter the country. Earthquakes and riots in Pakistan made her worry. When she had problems, he wasn’t there.

“I respect the security of America,” he said. “I know how important it is for the American government to take care of Americans and protect them from terrorists. But I’m not a terrorist,” he said. “I just fell in love with an American lady. We got married and we were trying to be together.”

He continued, “The good thing is this: We are together.”