"Why would any American Christian want to live in Malaysia or any other muslim country?! The idea totally boggles me." ~ AlaskaErik
"He said the officers demanded to see his marriage certificate, although he had told them that they were Christians and should not be subjected to Islamic law."
I think the above quote answers your question. He thought Islamic law didn't apply to him. The intersting question is whether he properly learned the lesson here.
Obviously not, he wasn't on the plane with his wife.