Ethiopian Muslim beats wife for converting to Christianity

An Ethiopian woman spent three days at a hospital after she was beaten by her husband for converting to Christianity. Habiba Ibrahim, mother of three, had been a Christian for about a month before her husband found out and attacked her.

Ibrahim converted to Christianity on Aug. 2. Her husband, Ibrahim Dido, found out about her conversion on Sept. 10 after the morning prayers at a nearby mosque.

"He locked me in the house and began beating me with sticks, and immediately neighbors arrived and rescued me from my husband's wrath," Ibrahim told Morning Star News.

One of her neighbors said that Ibrahim's clothes were blood-stained due to a deep cut on her forehead.

"Her husband was shouting, saying that she should die for forsaking Islam," the neighbor said.

Ibrahim was brought to a clinic in Bokulu Boma and was sent home after three days.

Her conversion was part of an evangelistic program in northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia that began 10 years ago. The evangelists used the Burj language which was spoken by people living in the Moyale area on both sides of the border.

Ibrahim said that she wavered from performing Islamic rituals after conversion which was noticed by her husband.

"My husband began questioning me on my laxity in Islamic activities, which I did not respond to," Ibrahim said.

A week before the attack, a woman from the church came to her and warned her to be careful because Muslims have discovered her conversion to Christianity.

At present, Ibrahim and her three children have relocated to another village but they are still in need of financial and medical support.

About 34 percent of Ethiopia's population are Muslims. The Open Doors World Watch list ranks it as 18th most difficult country to be a Christian.

Earlier this month, more than 700 Muslim prisoners received pardon from the Ethiopian government as part of the celebration of Eid al-Adha. Some of the pardoned convicts were charged under a controversial anti-terror law. Critics claimed that the law has been used to suppress dissent and imprison political opposition members.