Muhsin Hendricks, recognized as the world’s first openly gay imam, tragically lost his life in a shooting incident in South Africa recently, sparking concerns about a potential hate crime.
The police, as reported by the BBC, stated that Hendricks was fatally shot on a Saturday morning while on a trip near Gqeberha in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. According to reports, his car was attacked.
“Two unknown suspects with covered faces got out of the vehicle and started firing multiple shots at the vehicle,” authorities said.
Having disclosed his sexual orientation in 1996, Hendricks established the Inner Circle, a sanctuary for gay Muslims. Prior to coming out, he was married to a woman, but they divorced in the same year of his revelation.
Imam Muhsin Hendricks leads the start of the Jumu’ah prayer at the Inner Circle Mosque, in Wynberg, in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2016. (Rodger Bosch/AFP via Getty Images)
“He supported and mentored so many people in South Africa and around the world in their journey to reconcile with their faith, and his life has been a testament to the healing that solidarity across communities can bring in everyone’s lives,” ILGA Executive Director Julia Ehrt said. “Our condolences go out to all who have been touched by his presence in all these years.”
In 2022, Hendricks raised concerns about a fatwa condemning homosexuality issued by the Muslim Judicial Council. The ruling found that homosexuality is incompatible with Islam, and said that gay Muslims “have taken themselves out of the fold of Islam.”
An aerial shot of Pollok Beach in Port Elizabeth, a city on Algoa Bay in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. (iStock)
“While it did not come as a complete shock, it has left me sore considering that it was released when we just had Pride Month,” Hendricks said at the time. “The phrase homosexual was only coined in the 18th century and the Qu’ran has been around way longer before that, so how can there be scriptures condemning same-sex relationships?”
Authorities are actively investigating the incident. No additional details are known at this time.
