GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA: "All I want to do now is find a boyfriend and get on with my life."

That was the immediate response of a relieved Tan Ean Huang, 39, who was finally allowed to renounce Islam after two years of litigation at the Syariah High Court.

Tan, whose Muslim name was Siti Fatimah Tan Abdullah, said she looked forward to leading a normal life again.

"It has been traumatic for me while my case was pending.

"However, now that it is finally over I hope to move on. I also hope to be able to find a boyfriend now that the issue surrounding my religious status has been cleared up."

She said it had been difficult to build up a relationship with Chinese men as they were afraid of getting tangled up in the religious issue.Tan, who is the eldest of eight siblings, said she was thankful for her family's support.

"They were there for me and I plan to treat them to a big dinner with my mother on Mothers Day."

Tan was speaking after the Syariah High Court here allowed her application to renounce Islam.

She initially did not fully understand judge Othman Ibrahim's decision, which was read out in Bahasa Malaysia interspersed with Arabic. It was only outside the court that her lawyer, Ahmad Jailani Abdul Ghani, explained the decision.

However, she took fright when a reporter told her that the Penang Islamic Religious Council (MAIP) planned to appeal the decision. Ahmad Jailani advised her to calm down as it was normal procedure and she had nothing to fear.

After talking to the press, Tan accompanied by an unidentified family member drove to the Goddess of Mercy temple in Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling to offer prayers.