Muhsin Hendricks, known as the world First openly gay imam, Was shot and killed in South Africa during the weekend, while the authorities investigate whether the murder was a hate crime.
In a statement obtained by the BBC, the police said that Hendricks was killed on Saturday morning while traveling near the City of Gqberha In the province of Eastern Cape in South Africa. Allegedly his car was ambushed.
“Two unknown suspects with covered faces came from the vehicle and started firing several shots on the vehicle,” the authorities said.
Hendricks founded the inner circle, a safe haven for gay Muslims, shortly after he had been released as open gay -imam in 1996. He was previously married to a woman before he separated her in the same year that he was coming out.
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Imam Muhsin Hendricks is getting ready for the start of the Jumu’ah prayer in the Inner Circle -Moskee, in Wynberg, in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2016. (Rodger Bosch/AFP via Getty images)
“The inner circle is the longest, largest and most influential human rights organization in the world that deals with Islam, gender and sexual diversity from an Islamic theological perspective,” is the website of the organization. “The Inner Circle works internationally and supports international partner organizations to do similar work within an Islamic framework.”
In a statement, the Cape Town Ulama Board – an organization of Sunni leaders – convicted the murder, but said that his views “do not match the views of the deceased.”
“We claim that Islamic teachings strongly condemn violence, murder or such actions that undermine the rule of law and destabilize society,” the statement said. “This is how the Cape Town Ulama Board urges our communities to allow the law to investigate the incident, and by following the right process, we hope to maintain peace and order.”
The international lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, trans and intersex associations (ILGA) said in a statement that they believe that the murder “can be a hate crime.”
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Imam Muhsin Hendricks leads the start of the Jumu’ah prayer in the Inner Circle Mosque, in Wynberg, in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2016. (Rodger Bosch/AFP via Getty images)
“He supported and guided so many people in South Africa and all over the world in their journey to reconcile with their faith, and his life has been proof of the healing that solidarity can bring everyone’s life in various communities,” ILGA executive Director Julia Ehrt said. “Our participation goes out to all who have been touched by his presence in all those years.”
In 2022, Hendrick’s concern issued concern about a Fatwa who was condemned homosexuality published by the Muslim Judicial Council. The statement found that homosexuality is incompatible with Islam and said that homosexual Muslims ‘have taken themselves out of the fold of Islam’.
An aerial photo of Pollok Beach in Port Elizabeth, a city in the bay of Algoa in the province of East Africa in South Africa. (Istock)
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“Although it did not come as a complete shock, it was painfully left to me given that it was released when we just had Pride Month,” Hendricks said at the time. “The expression Homosexual was only conceived in the 18th century and the qu’ran has been around for much longer, so how can there be writings those relationships between the same sex?”
Authorities actively investigate the incident. At the moment no additional details are known.
