World’s first openly gay imam shot dead in South Africa

Muhsin Hendricks, known as the world’s first openly gay imam, was shot and killed in the southern city of Gqeberha on Saturday, police confirmed.

Authorities said Hendricks was inside a car with another person when a vehicle blocked their exit and two masked gunmen opened fire. “Two unknown suspects with covered faces got out of the vehicle and started firing multiple shots at the vehicle,” the Eastern Cape police said in a statement.

Hendricks, seated in the back of the car, was fatally shot. The attackers fled the scene, and the motive for the killing remains unknown, according to officials. Police have urged the public to provide any information that could aid the investigation.

A police spokesperson confirmed to AFP the authenticity of a video circulating on social media, which allegedly shows the targeted killing in Bethelsdorp, a suburb of Gqeberha.

Hendricks was a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ Muslims and ran the Al-Ghurbaah mosque in Wynberg, near Cape Town, as a refuge for queer Muslims and marginalised women. He started providing safe spaces for LGBTQ+ Muslims in 1998, beginning with informal meetings in his garage.

His mosque was founded after a friend endured a sermon condemning homosexuality.

The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association 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,” executive director Julia Ehrt said in a statement.

Hendricks, who had previously spoken about threats to his safety, once noted that he had been advised to hire bodyguards. However, he dismissed fears of being targeted, saying, “The need to be authentic is greater than the fear to die.”

Born into a Muslim family, Hendricks married a woman and had children before coming out as gay at 29. He later divorced and dedicated his life to advocacy and education.