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According to authorities, Muhsin Hendricks, who is regarded as the first openly gay imam in history, was shot and killed on Saturday close to the southern city of Gqeberha. According to the police, the imam was in a car with another individual when a car pulled up in front of them and prevented their escape. The mosque was designed to serve as a safe haven for LGBT and other marginalized Muslims.
LGBTQ+ rights organizations have called for an inquiry into a potential hate crime, but authorities have not yet established a motive for the murder.
In Bethelsdorp, a suburb of Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth, Muhsin Hendricks was driving with another individual when a car blocked their way, according to police.
According to a statement released by the Eastern Cape police, two unidentified suspects wearing masks exited the car and began shooting at it repeatedly. The driver saw that Hendricks, who was sitting in the back, had been shot and murdered as they left the site.
A police spokesperson verified the veracity of a video that has been making the rounds on social media and seems to depict the targeted assault. Witnesses have been asked to come forward by authorities.
The murder was denounced by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Association (ILGA), which also demanded a comprehensive investigation into whether it was a hate crime.
“The family of ILGA World is deeply shocked by the news of Muhsin Hendricks’ murder and urges authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.”In a statement, executive director Julia Ehrt said, “What we fear could be a hate crime.”
Hendricks was born in Cape Town into a Muslim family, was married, and had kids before coming out as gay in 1996. After his divorce, he devoted his life to promoting the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in Islam.
He began throwing unofficial events for LGBTQ+ Muslims in his hometown in 1998, converting his garage into a place where they could congregate without worrying about criticism.
Hendricks made the decision to create a special place of worship after a friend told him about hearing an anti-gay lecture at a nearby mosque. He established the Al-Ghurbaah mosque in Cape Town in 2011, which offers “a safe space in which queer Muslims and marginalized women can practice Islam,” according to its website.
The Radical, a 2022 documentary about Hendricks, had made references to threats against him in the past.
He told the Guardian that although he had been persuaded to employ bodyguards, he claimed that “the need to be authentic” was “greater than the fear to die” and that he never dreaded attacks.
Hendricks came out to his mother at the age of 29 after working as a fashion designer and an Arabic language instructor. He was born into a Muslim family, got married, had kids, and was divorced before coming out as gay to his family eight years after his father passed away.
According to police figures, South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, with 28,000 killings in the year ending in February 2024.Although investigations are ongoing, authorities have not yet established whether Hendricks’ death was connected to his advocacy.
