Tulkarem woman marries Israeli Jewish who converted to Islam

A Palestinian woman from the Tulkarem area in the northern West Bank has married an Israeli Jew who converted to Islam. Saedah Haroun, in her 30s, told a Ma'an reporter that her Jewish husband Dawood is in his 40s. She said he proposed to her after he converted to Islam and had registered himself as a Muslim in Palestinian Authority courts. Haroun added that David changed his name to Dawood as part of the conversion. She also noted that for years Dawood had maintained good relations with Arabs and Muslims in Israel, where he was from. She mentioned that during these years he had become increasingly attracted to Islam, and finally accepted to convert as part of his marriage to her. She added that many of her friends and family members had attended the wedding, pointing out that it was "far from secret," and was instead as joyous as any wedding in her village. According to the prevailing Palestinian interpretation of Hanafi Islamic law, Muslim women are restricted from marrying non-Muslim men. However, converts to Islam are treated similar to any other Muslim.