DETROIT — A Detroit-area man must pay his former wife $50,000 under the terms of their Islamic marriage certificate, a report from ClickonDetroit said.

The man argued that a Wayne County judge overstepped her authority by trying to resolve a religious issue in a divorce, but the Michigan Court of Appeals said that Judge Melissa Cox simply applied common law regarding contracts.

Cox used “neutral principles” in coming to her decision, the court said.

The payment of $50,000 is called a “mahr” in the Islamic faith. According to the appeals court, the payment constitutes a gift of money or property made by a man in marriage. The decision sets a new precedent for Michigan judges, the report said.