World’s first openly Gay Imam shot dead in South Africa
Muhsin Hendricks, widely regarded as the world’s first openly gay imam, was fatally shot near Gqeberha, South Africa, over the weekend, police have confirmed. Hendricks, who led a mosque offering a haven for LGBTQ+ Muslims near Cape Town, was travelling in a car with another person on Saturday when an unidentified vehicle blocked their path.
According to a police statement, “Two unknown suspects with covered faces got out of the vehicle and started firing multiple shots at the vehicle.” The attackers fled the scene, and the driver soon realized that Hendricks, seated at the back, had been killed.
A police spokesperson verified the authenticity of a widely circulated video that appears to show the targeted shooting in Bethelsdorp, near Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth. Authorities have yet to determine a motive, stating that it is “part of the ongoing investigation” and urging anyone with information to come forward.
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA) strongly condemned the killing. “The ILGA World family is in deep shock at the news of the murder of Muhsin Hendricks and calls on authorities to thoroughly investigate what we fear may be a hate crime,” said Julia Ehrt, the organisation’s executive director.
Hendricks, a prominent advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, first came out as gay in 1996. By 1998, he had begun hosting gatherings for LGBTQ+ Muslims in his home city, serving as an informal imam for a community that often faced rejection elsewhere. “I opened my garage, put a carpet down, and invited people to have tea and talk,” he told The Guardian in 2022.
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His role as a religious leader grew stronger in 2011 when he established the Al-Ghurbaah mosque in Wynberg, near Cape Town, in response to a friend’s experience of a local sermon condemning homosexuality. “I said, ‘Maybe it’s time we started our own space so people can pray without being judged,’” he recalled.
The Al-Ghurbaah mosque describes itself as “a safe space in which queer Muslims and marginalised women can practice Islam”—a mission that often placed Hendricks in the crosshairs of conservative religious figures. The subject of the 2022 documentary The Radical, he had previously acknowledged facing threats over his activism. Despite being advised to hire bodyguards, he remained undeterred. “The need to be authentic is greater than the fear to die,” he said in a past interview.
Born into a Muslim family, Hendricks initially followed a traditional path—marrying a woman and having children—before coming out to his family at the age of 29, eight years after his father’s death. His journey also saw him working as an Arabic teacher and fashion designer before fully embracing his role as an LGBTQ+ Muslim leader.
South Africa, despite its progressive legal framework for LGBTQ+ rights, remains a country plagued by high levels of violent crime. According to police data, the country recorded 28,000 murders in the year leading up to February 2024.
As investigations continue, the loss of Hendricks has left a profound void in both the religious and LGBTQ+ communities, with many calling for justice in his name.
Content Credit| Agbetan Bisola
Picture Credit | https://www.timesofisrael.com/
