An Egyptian woman has been murdered after she converted to Christianity and married a Coptic Christian.

Mother-of-two Marwa Ahmed, 26, had moved to Alexandria from Tamiyyah, according to Egyptian Streets.

She was murdered by her uncle and cousins when she returned to her home town to visit her husband's family two weeks ago.

Her father and brother tried to protect her by hiding her for ten days at her brother's home in Qalubiya, but her uncle eventually found her.

Who killed Ahmed, who had a boy and a girl, is disputed, with one news source, Esshad, reporting the uncle force Ahmed's younger sister to "kill her to punish her for her conversion". Another, Al-Masry Al-Youm, claims the uncle killed her.

Ahmed's father has informed the police, but the uncle has yet to be arrested.

A reconciliation settlement between the Christian family of Ahmed's husband and her family has been negotiated and resulted in the Christian family being relocated to avoid future sectarian clashes.

Sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians has plagued Egypt in recent years. Police complacency toward kidnapping of Coptic Christians in Egypt has fostered a climate where perpetrators are not brought to justice, according to International Christian Concern.