First Openly Gay Imam Killed in South Africa

A man regarded as the first openly gay Muslim imam has been fatally shot while sitting in a car in South Africa in what many are calling an assassination because of his teachings. Muhsin Hendricks, 57, was ambushed by two men in a pick-up truck while visiting the southern city of Gqeberha on Saturday, the AP reports. Police said the men involved in the killing had their faces covered. A security video of the shooting shows one of them jumping out of their vehicle, running up to the car Hendricks was in and firing a pistol multiple times through a side window. Police said Hendricks was with a driver, who survived.

Police have not established a motive for the killing, but political parties and LGBTQ+ organizations say Hendricks was targeted because he started a mosque in Cape Town for gay Muslims and called for members of the LGBTQ+ community to be welcomed into Islam. Homosexuality is forbidden in the Islamic religion. South Africa's Justice Ministry said it was investigating claims that Hendricks was the target of an assassination.

• Hendricks was known internationally and spoke at the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association's conference in South Africa last year. The ILGA 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, executive director of ILGA.

• Hendricks was the subject of a documentary film released in 2022 called The Radical, in which he said that there had been threats against him but "it just didn't bother me. The need to be authentic was greater than the fear to die." The film also focused on young gay Muslims who said Hendricks provided somewhere they could pray and practice Islam while still being themselves.
• The Muslim Judicial Council of South Africa said in a statement Sunday that while it had consistently stated that Hendricks' position was incompatible with Islamic teachings, "we unequivocally condemn his murder and any acts of violence targeting members of the LGBTQ community or any other community."

(More South Africa stories.)