A Muslim woman remaining married to a non-Muslim husband

Q: Your Eminence, a woman phoned me from Lebanon. She told me that she was a Christian, but that Allah had opened her heart to Islam. She belongs to a religious family that is fanatical about its religion. The woman said that if her husband knew about her acceptance of Islam he would kill her in a terrible way. She has started to give up the symbols of her Christian faith, such as wearing a cross, wearing short dresses, and drinking Khamr (intoxicant). However, there are certain things that she is afraid to give up otherwise she will be killed, such as marital relations with her husband. The woman says that if she is driven out of her house, she will die, because she does not have anyone there that she can turn to after Allah. All the members of her family and the people in her village hate Islam with a vengeance. She is married and has three married daughters, who have stopped visiting her at her home, because (Part No. 19; Page No. 25) she has taken her cross off from around her neck; so how much worse it will be if they know about her Islam. The woman states that it is extremely difficult for her to perform Salah (Prayer), but she will try to combine two Salahs in secret when her husband and family are not around. Dear respected Shaykh, how will she observe Sawm (Fasting) in Ramadan? The woman is suffering greatly and in deep trouble. She has two options, either to remain with them and return to Christianity or to abide by the teachings of Islam in secret, but she still has the problem of the marital relations with her husband; this is the major obstacle as she is afraid of being killed. Please, advise us and may Allah reward you well. This is an urgent matter. May Allah protect and guide you and benefit the Muslims through you.