“I intend to do my part in helping marginalised groups, especially single mums.

“I know it is so tough to be one and the hardship that a single mother goes through, like taking leave just to take care of children,” she told reporters outside the Syariah Court here.

Earlier, the Syariah High Court ruled that the former wife of businessman Mahmud Bekir Taib (the son of Sarawak Governor Taib Mahmud) deserved to get “mutaah” from him. It awarded Shahnaz RM30 million.

She also said she was considering other programmes, such as fighting domestic abuse as well as helping refugees and orphans.

Shahnaz said throughout her 10-year separation without divorce from Mahmud Bekir, she had held on to the principle of patience as a virtue to keep on living.

“I have done a lot of prayers, gone to (religious) classes and practised ‘sabar’ (patience).

“I tried to settle with him (Mahmud Bekir) many times through my son (Raden) and our lawyers,” she said when asked if she had tried to settle the “mutaah” issue amicably with her former spouse.

She also disclosed that Raden’s interim pay from his father had yet to be paid.

“At the end of the day, we have to answer to Allah and do the best of what we can.

“Stand up for our rights, this is what Allah wants us to do.”

Shahnaz and Mahmud Bekir were married on January 9, 1992 have a son, Raden Murya, who was born on December 11, 1993.

They were divorced on May 11, 2011. Prior to their divorce, they were separated for 11 years.