'All I want to do now is find a boyfriend and get on with my life,' says a Malaysian woman who created history by reverting to Buddhism from Islam.

In a landmark verdict Thursday, a Shariat court that deals with cases covered by Islamic jurisprudence permitted Tan Ean Huang, 39, to renounce Islam, the country's state religion.

She had told the court that she had become a Muslim during her brief marriage to an Iranian who left her after some months. She had never practised Islam.

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.'

She said it had been difficult to build a relationship with Chinese men as they were afraid of a getting tangled in a religious issue.

Tan said 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. She was alarmed when a reporter told her that the Penang Islamic Religious Council (MAIP) planned to appeal the decision, but Jailani advised her that it was normal procedure and there was nothing to fear, The Star newspaper said.