Judge Marilyn Mornington (England)

Judge Marilyn Mornington
	"Allah subhanau wata'ala had His eyes on me ... He led me down a path from where there was no turning back from, because the more I got to know about Islam, about Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, [the more] it became obvious to me that this is where I wanted to belong and it is what I wanted to be."
Judge Marilyn Mornington

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Marilyn Mornington is a District Judge in England, an international lecturer, and writer on family law including domestic violence.

She was a recipient of a scholarship in Notre Dame Convent and obtained her LLB (law degree) from Sheffield University, being the 6th in the Bar Finals of 1976. She started practicing Family Law in Liverpool in 1976. In 1994, she was appointed as District Judge in Birkenhead, Liverpool, and was the first Barrister to be appointed as a District Judge at the age of 40.

She was elected as a fellow of World Academy of Arts & Science. She is highly respected in the field of Family Violence and holds the following positions:

Chair, Northern Circuit DomesticViolence Group, which has over 800 members from all over the UK and overseas

Chair, Inter-Governmental Initiative on Domestic Violence 'Raising the Standards'

Member, Lord Chancellor's Advisory Group on Domestic Violence

Member, Family Justice Council

Member, Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), Domestic Violence Steering Group

Chair, Working Group on the Interface between the Civil and Criminal Justice Systems

Chair, Kids in Need and Distress (KIND)

Honorary Patron, Community & District Nursing Association, advising on elder abuse and nursing; since 1995

Chair, Wirral Domestic Violence Forum

Patron, Wirral Children and Women's Refuge, 1995-2002.

I was also very comfortable with the family life and the stories of the wives of the prophet and the companions.

For ten to twelve years prior to her conversion to Islam, she had been working on the issue of violence against women and children in general, and also among Muslims in particular. In order to understand the issue better among the Muslim community, she began to read about Islam and associate with Muslims. "I was also very comfortable with the family life and the stories of the wives of the prophet and the companions", she remarked later. Her research led her to a point when the choice became obvious.

Yet, not everyone answers that call of truth and takes that bold step, for various reasons ranging from considerations for family and friends to social status. For Morington, she felt there was no option:

"I have to say I did not really have any choice in the matter. Allah subhanau wata'ala had His eyes on me, and that was it from that moment on … He led me down a path from where there was no turning back from, because the more I got to know about Islam, about Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, [the more] it became obvious to me that this is where I wanted to belong and it is what I wanted to be."