AITA for choosing my boyfriend over my mom?

NTA. I was in this situation. Before getting married, my mother in law said I either had to convert to Islam, or my wife would be ostracised by her family. I said I wasn't going to do it, because I don't agree with religion, especially when they try to strong-arm people through intimidation. My wife was going to choose me and hoped her mum was bluffing, but started to get cold feet as time went on and saw her mum was still adamant on not speaking to her if she married me.

She loves her mum, so one day she begged me to reconsider converting, and I refused again, annoyed that she thought I would hold my principles with such low regard. I met her mum to show her I'm a good person, but she was cold and again it came back to the matter of conversion. I explained that while I don't prescribe to religion personally, I have too much respect for what it means to other people, my own mother being an example, and if I were to convert, it would cheapen her faith, because I still wouldn't believe and I wouldn't practise. She said it doesn't matter, I must convert.

So, I love my wife, a lot, and while she was still willing to choose me, I didn't want her to begrudge me for it, or miss her mum. I said I'd convert, we then had a Nikah and everything was put to rest. Since then, I've never been asked to pray, observe, etc and when our daughter was born everyone backed off when I put some bass in my voice.

Of course, I lied - I never said the Shahada and two of my Asian friends lied about being witnesses because they thought it was a bullshit situation. I feel like a prick for lying, but everyone's happy and that's what counts......... Right?

/r/AmItheAsshole Thread