An Ethiopian woman who converted to Christianity from Islam was beaten so severely by her husband that she had to be hospitalised.

Habiba Ibrahim, 34, who has three children with her husband, converted on 2 August in Bokulo Boma, where she lives, which is near the border with Kenya, Morning Star News reported.

Six weeks later her husband found out and after attending prayers at mosque, he allegedly beat her up. 

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

She suffered a head wound and bruises and has now sought refuge in another village with her children.

About one in five of the 100 million people in Ethiopia are evangelical Christian and a further four in ten are Christian Orthodox. More than three in ten people are Muslim. 

Persecution charity Release international said Ibrahim and her family had left everything behind to follow Jesus. "For most of us, becoming a Christian is the start of an exciting new journey in our lives. For many of our brothers and sisters around the world, however, it's when the trouble starts."

Open Doors ranks Ethiopia at number 18 on its world watch persecution list. "Although Ethiopia is traditionally an Orthodox Christian country, Christians are becoming increasingly vulnerable as Islamic extremism grows," says Open Doors.

"Christians are harassed, denied access to communal resources and violently attacked, particularly in areas where Muslims make up the majority. Sadly, the church itself is also a source of persecution in Ethiopia, with some fanatical elements of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church attempting to undermine other denominations."