Latest news with #MuhsinHendricks
News.com.au
11-05-2025
- News.com.au
‘Shot in cold blood': South Africa rocked by disturbing trend
South Africa has been rocked by a disturbing trend of violent attacks against LGBTQ individuals following the recent assassination of the world's first openly gay imam. Muslim leader Muhsin Hendricks, 58, was attending a wedding in Haley Place, Bethelsdorp, Gqeberha, on February 15 when he was gunned down in cold blood, which many believe was a targeted hit. Mr Hendricks ran a LGBTI-friendly mosque at Wynberg near Cape Town and came out as gay in 1996. In a chilling video shared on social media, Mr Hendricks was sitting in a gold-coloured VW T-Roc with his driver when a silver-coloured HiLux double cab pulled up and blocked their path. A hooded man jumped out and fired multiple shots into the vehicle, killing Mr Hendricks instantly and injuring the driver before fleeing the scene in the HiLux. Mr Hendricks was a respected religious leader and a long-time advocate for queer rights, beloved by many. His death was a sobering reality for queer individuals in South Africa, with at least 47 people members of the LGBTQ community killed in the last year. 'He wasn't just any spiritual leader,' one activist who worked with Mr Hendricks at The Inner Circle — a queer organisation founded by Mr Hendricks — told 'He was a lifeline and a beacon of hope for queer Muslims. His murder has been devastating for us and was a direct attack on that hope.' Mr Hendricks' murder is widely suspected to be a religiously motivated hate crime, fuelled by years of death threats and relentless condemnation from prominent figures who vilified him for advocating an inclusive vision of Islam that embraced queer identity. Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg, spokesperson for the South African Police Service (SAPS), confirmed a statement from the Eastern Cape Office of the Provincial Commissioner, which indicated that Mr Hendricks was killed in the shooting. 'The motive for the murder remains unknown, as it is still under investigation,' she stated. While police have opened an investigation into Hendricks' death, there have been no arrests, and authorities have not commented on the possibility of a hate crime. For almost 30 years, Mr Hendricks challenged traditional Islamic doctrine with unwavering courage, advocating that it is possible to be both Muslim and queer. After studying at the Islamic University of Karachi, he lived a conventional life where he went on to marry a woman and they had three children. But in 1996, after coming out as gay and his divorce, he was removed from his role as an imam. Undeterred, he took his fight public and founded The Inner Circle, an organisation dedicated to reconciling Islam with LGBTQ+ identities and offering refuge to those rejected by their families or religious institutions. In 2011, he established the Masjidul Ghurbaah mosque, a space explicitly inclusive of gender and sexual minorities. Just a year later, he made headlines around the world by officiating the Islamic wedding of two Muslim women, a historic moment that sparked both celebration and fierce backlash. Fellow Imam praises killers Shortly after Mr Hendricks' death, a prominent Cape Town imam and Islamic scholar, Sheikh Jameel Adams, began openly fuelling anti-LGBTQ+ hatred by praising the imam's killers and declaring that homosexuality should be punished by death. In a video circulating online, Mr Adams, who's an imam at Masjid-ut-Tawheed mosque, launches into a hate-filled rant, targeting Mr Hendricks and inciting violence against queer Muslims. His remarks have sparked outrage, with activists warning that such rhetoric is putting more lives at risk in an already hostile climate. 'To be clear, there can be no such thing in Islam as a gay imam,' Adams said. 'If he was gay, he's not an imam. Because to be an imam, he must be a person of Taqwa [a pious, and God-fearing]. 'He cannot be an imam because he cannot be followed. 'Lesson no. 1, when they say, 'Oh, this gay imam, they're trying to spread this poison. In Islam, there's no such thing. 'Being gay or a homosexual which he openly proclaimed is a major sin, the worst of sins, the most detestable sin, an abominable action, an evil, illicit deed, so evil, so vile, so disgusting' In the viral video, Adams also claims that Mr Hendricks' sexuality stripped him of any Islamic character, branding him sinful and saying he 'deserved what he got.' He then recites scripture in Arabic that calls for the execution of queer people. 'You men approach men with your desires instead of women, doing the actions of the people of Lot,' he said, citing religious texts. 'Execute the one doing and the one being done to. The ruling of the Sharia states that whoever you find doing the action of the people of Lot should be executed. Both the one doing it and the one it is done to.' Adams doesn't stop there. He warned that Mr Hendricks was 'an apostate' who should not be prayed over and or be buried with Muslims. Alongside the viral videos came reports of a 'hit list' allegedly being circulated within conservative Muslim circles in South Africa. The list is said to include the names of high-profile Muslims who spoke out against Mr Hendricks' murder. For safety reasons, queer activists have been urged to remain silent about it and keep their investigations discreet. South Africa, often regarded as a safe haven for queer Africans because of its progressive constitution, is becoming increasingly unsafe. Queer activist killed The murder of Mr Hendricks comes just a week after another queer activist was killed in what is believed to also have been a targeted assassination. Mabusi Ntuli was a lesbian business owner who was brutally gunned down by an unknown assailant on her birthday in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Earlier that day, Ms Mabusi had celebrated her birthday with friends. That evening, two young men wearing hats entered her small liquor shop to buy alcohol. They left without incident but minutes later, one returned carrying a backpack. He asked to buy another bottle. As Ms Mabusi turned her back to fetch it, he pulled out a gun and shot her multiple times. She collapsed to the floor, but the gunman continued firing until she was dead. Ms Mabusi's friends described her as fun, kind-hearted, and deeply loved in her community. Reports say she was shot 19 times. A friend who tried to intervene was shot in the hand and watched helplessly as she was killed. No arrests have been made, and authorities have not confirmed a motive. But Ms Mabusi's friends are convinced it was a targeted attack and fear, like so many similar cases, it will be ignored and forgotten. While South Africa is the only country in Africa to legalise same-sex marriage and provide constitutional protections for LGBTQ+ rights, these legal victories do not guarantee safety in everyday life. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in violence against queer individuals. Hate crimes are often not reported, and even when they are, obtaining justice is rare. The recent murders of Mr Hendricks and Ms Mabusi have heightened fears and raised concerns about a troubling trend of targeted assassinations of queer individuals, which receive minimal attention. Activists argue that these killings are not random. The victims are often prominent members of the community or activists who challenge conservative religious norms. Katlego, a South African LGBTQ+ Activist, told she believes these series of murders were a clear warning to the LGBTQ community, reminding us that not even progressive laws can keep us safe. 'The message is clear. We might have legal protection, but we can still be punished,' she said. South Africa's religious right and far-right groups are increasingly vocal, mirroring neighbouring rhetoric and fuelling public homophobia. Queer South Africans are also experiencing a rise in online threats and abuse as social media turns into a platform for hate. 'People think South Africa is safe for queer people just because of our progressive laws, but forget laws don't protect us from bullets and daggers,' Katlego added. 'So It's safe to say that South Africa's protections are just a signed piece of paper — because, in reality, we're being hounded and hunted down.'
The Independent
18-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Openly gay Muslim imam killed in suspected hate crime
A prominent LGBTQ+ Muslim leader, Muhsin Hendricks, has been shot dead in South Africa. The killing has raised fears of a politically motivated assassination. Hendricks, widely regarded as the first openly gay Muslim imam, was ambushed on Saturday in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth). Security footage shows a masked assailant jumping from a pickup truck and firing multiple shots through the car window where Hendricks was sitting. A driver accompanying Hendricks survived the attack. While official motives are still under investigation, political parties and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups suspect Hendricks was targeted for his progressive religious views. He founded an inclusive mosque in Cape Town specifically welcoming LGBTQ+ Muslims, challenging traditional Islamic teachings on homosexuality. South Africa's Justice Ministry has confirmed it is investigating the possibility of an assassination. Hendricks was known internationally and spoke at the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association's (ILGA) conference in South Africa in 2024. 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 the association. 'He supported and mentored so many people in South Africa and around the world in their journey to reconcile with their faith.' The ILGA said Hendricks had spoken of how some people were calling for the closure of his mosque and had branded it the 'gay temple'. The Democratic Alliance, South Africa's second biggest political party, said 'the nature of the killing strongly suggests a professional hit'. Hendricks said in an interview with a South African newspaper in 2022 that he felt he was the target of a series of fatwas – rulings in Islamic law – issued by South Africa's Muslim Judicial Council that year. They reminded the country's Muslims that same-sex relationships were prohibited, although the council said gay Muslims who abstain from 'same-sex actions' should be welcomed at mosques. Hendricks was the subject of a documentary film released the same year 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 practise 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'. Hendricks grew up in a conservative Muslim family and married a woman. He ended the marriage and came out publicly as a gay imam in the mid-1990s and started a support network and later a mosque for gay Muslims. He advocated for their inclusion through his Al-Ghurbaah Foundation and referred to himself as 'the world's first openly queer imam'. 'When I was looking at the way queer Muslims were negotiating this dilemma between Islam and their sexual orientation and identity, I felt compelled to do something about it,' he said, explaining his beliefs. 'And I thought, for me to help would probably be for me to be authentic with myself and come out. I think it's possible to be queer and Muslim or queer and Christian.' In a message on its official Facebook page, the Al-Ghurbaah Foundation said Hendricks was 'a great father and a guardian of many. Continue resting with angels'.
CBC
18-02-2025
- CBC
A gay imam was killed in South Africa. His friend says his death 'will not be in vain'
Muhsin Hendricks showed the world that 'it's possible to be both queer and a devout Muslim,' his longtime friend and colleague, Rev. Jide Macaulay, told As It Happens guest host Helen Mann. Muhsin Hendricks showed the world that "it's possible to be both queer and a devout Muslim," says his longtime friend and colleague. Hendricks — a South African imam who dedicated his life to helping 2SLGBTQ+ Muslims reconcile their identities with their faith — was shot and killed on Saturday in the city of Gqeberha. He was 57 years old. "Muhsin put himself out there. He made himself visible," Rev. Jide Macaulay, a gay Anglican minister and Hendricks's longtime friend, told As It Happens guest host Helen Mann. "It's a great loss not just to the LGBT community and not just to the faith community, but indeed to the world we live in today." Motive for killing not known Hendricks, who described himself as the world's first openly gay imam, was shot after being ambushed by two men in a pickup truck whose faces were covered, according to police. 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 have not established a motive for the killing, but political parties and advocacy organizations say they believe Hendricks, who had long faced death threats, may have been targeted because of his work. The Democratic Alliance, South Africa's second-largest political party, said that "the nature of the killing strongly suggests a professional hit." Julia Ehrt, executive director of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, called on authorities to "thoroughly investigate what we fear may be a hate crime." The Muslim Judicial Council of South Africa said that while it had consistently stated that Hendricks's 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." South Africa's Justice Department said it was investigating claims that he was the target of an assassination. Hendricks was a world-renowned imam and activist who argued there was nothing in the Qur'an that forbade same-sex relations. He advocated for inclusion through his Al-Ghurbaah Foundation and ran a mosque in Cape Town specifically for 2SLGBTQ+ people. In the 2022 documentary The Radical, Hendricks spoke about the risks of being a gay cleric but said that his need to be his authentic self was greater than his fear of dying. It's a feeling Macaulay said he's all too familiar with. "Our authentic self is likely to put us in harm's way. Our authentic self has been criminalized. Our authentic self has been demonized," said Macaulay, founder of the faith-based 2SLGBTQ+ organization House of Rainbow. "He went as far as to become a cleric, you know, in the very same religion that condemns him, that demonizes him. And that is why it is very painful to see the violence against him." 'Gay Pastor Meets Gay Imam' When Macaulay first met Hendricks 16 years ago, he said, they cracked jokes that the headline would be "Gay Pastor Meets Gay Imam." "As radical as it is, then it was unheard of," Macaulay said. "We were clearly, you know, counterparts." The parallels between them, he said, ran deep. Both grew up in Africa, Hendricks in South Africa and Macaulay in Nigeria. Both married women when they were young men, then came out as gay in their late 20s. Both went on spiritual journeys to reconcile faith with their sexual orientations. And both shared a mission: to create safe spaces for other queer people of faith. "I think the fact that we were both previously married before we came out as gay men is actually evident in the fact that we were quite focused on the African tradition of, you know, very normative, you know, patriarchal system," Macaulay said. "Breaking out of that takes a lot of guts and it takes a lot of fierceness. And I think that the unfortunate ending of his life is brutal. It takes away something precious from our world." Macaulay said that as a friend, Hendricks was "gentle," "jovial" and "playful," but also hard-working and deeply dedicated to his mission and his faith. "He loved to dance. He loved to have lots of fun," he said. "But at the same time, he's also very, very intellectual, very creative." Macaulay said that Hendricks was also a loving and dedicated father to his three children. "They have taken him away from his children. And that is heartbreaking because, at the same time, we do have communities that look up to him as a father figure as well," he said. In a message on its official Facebook page, the Al-Ghurbaah Foundation called Hendricks "a great father and a guardian of many. Continue resting with angels." Macaulay said Hendricks's impact on others gives him hope that even though his friend is dead, his mission will continue. "His legacy is so strong that I'm praying and hoping that it will continue," he said. "We need to let the world know that, you know, his death will not be in vain."
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Yahoo
World's first openly gay Muslim imam Muhsin Hendricks shot dead in South Africa
Feb. 17 (UPI) -- The world's first openly gay imam in the Muslim faith was shot and killed in what local authorities say may be a hate crime. Police are "hot on the heels" of the alleged suspects and an investigation is underway behind the shooting death of Muhsin Hendricks in Bethelsdorp, South African Deputy Justice Minister Andries Nel told Newzroom Afrika TV. Hendricks, 57, and an unidentified driver were seen on Saturday inside a gold-colored Volkswagon TRoc on Haley Place near Extension 24 at around 10 a.m. local time. A silver-colored Hilux double cab truck stopped in front of the vehicle and "blocked them from driving off," the Eastern Cape provincial police wrote in a statement. The South African Department of Justice stated it was "saddened" and pledged to "track and monitor that justice is dispensed" if his murder is ultimately confirmed to be a hate crime. "Two unknown suspects with covered faces got out of the vehicle and started firing multiple shots at the vehicle," officials added. "Thereafter they fled the scene, and the driver noticed that Hendricks who was seated at the back of the vehicle was shot and killed." However, a motive is unclear. The South African constitution was adopted in 1994 after the end of Apartheid's white-minority rule. It became the first nation on Earth to protect citizens from discrimination because of sexual orientation despite ongoing bigotry and a high murder rate. The cleric in 1996 became the "first imam in the world to come out as gay," the advocacy group International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association said on Saturday. Meanwhile, South Africa in 2006 became the first country in Africa to legalize same-sex marriage. "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," Julia Ehrt, the ILGA World's executive director, wrote in the statement. Hendricks was founder and executive director of the Al-Ghurbaah Foundation in Cape Town, a human rights organization which provides support to "Queer Muslims helping them to reconcile Islam with their Sexual orientation and Gender Identity," according to its website. On Sunday, the Muslim Judicial Council of South Africa (MJC) said in a statement it "unequivocally" condemned the "shocking killing" despite his sexuality. "It has been alleged that the killing may have been motivated by hatred towards Muhsin Hendricks due to his views on same-sex relationships," the MJC says. "While the MJC has consistently maintained that Muhsin's position is incompatible with Islamic teachings, we unequivocally condemn his murder and any acts of violence targeting members of the LGBTQ community or any other community." Amid death threats, Hendricks was the subject of a 2022 documentary called The Radical which followed his journey to establishing an LGBTQ+ mosque. "The need to be authentic was greater than the fear to die," he said in the film. This followed the murder of Imam Hassan Shariff in January 2024 outside a Newark mosque in New Jersey. Hendricks, however, was outspoken on interfaith dialogue, mental health and trauma faced by persecuted individuals within religious communities. "It is important that we stop to look at religion as the enemy," Hendricks said in Cape Town last year at the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association World Conference. Hendricks was "a South African that we can all be proud of, a South African that we can all aspire to be," Nel, the deputy justice minister, said of the religious leader.
New York Times
17-02-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
South African Imam and Gay Rights Advocate Is Shot Dead
A South African imam who devoted his life to promoting gay rights and tolerance for L.G.B.T.Q. Muslims was shot and killed in the coastal city of Gqeberha on Saturday, the police said. Muhsin Hendricks was credited by some as being the world's first openly gay imam. In 2018, he founded the Al-Ghurbaah Foundation, a nonprofit that provided support services for Muslims discriminated against for their sexual orientation. The organization worked to help Muslims around the world reconcile their faith with their sexual orientation and gender identity. A statement from the South Africa Human Rights Commission condemned the killing. It cited footage circulated on social media in which a hooded man emerged from a pickup truck and fired shots through the windows of a car in a residential area before speeding away. The video has not been verified by The New York Times. South Africa's deputy justice minister, Andries Nel, said it was too early to say whether the shooting was a hate crime, but he said that the police were 'hot on the heels of the suspects.' Mr. Hendricks faced fierce criticism in the country, not least on social media. In an interview on Monday with Newzroom Afrika, a South African digital channel, Mr. Nel said that, though there are debates among Muslims in South Africa about gay rights, those debates acknowledge the primacy of the country's constitutional protections. 'They have been unambiguous in reaffirming the values of our Constitution, the values of tolerance of plurality and of human respect,' he said. Mr. Hendricks was a prominent supporter of gay people in South Africa, which in 1998 became the first country in Africa to decriminalize homosexuality, when the Johannesburg High Court ruled that existing sodomy laws violated the post-apartheid Constitution. Aside from its constitutional provisions, a survey in 2021 by the research network Afrobarometer rated South Africa as the second-most tolerant country on the continent when it came to same-sex relationships, after the island nation of Cabo Verde. The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association said that it was 'deeply shocked' by the killing. Mr. Hendricks had mentored people in South Africa and around the world as they attempted to reconcile their faith and lives and was a 'testament to the healing that solidarity across communities can bring,' Julia Ehrt, the group's executive director, said in a statement. South Africa is seen as an outlier on the continent for its approach to gay rights. More than 30 of Africa's 54 countries criminalize same-sex couples, and in recent years at least six countries, including Ghana and Uganda, have taken steps toward harsher anti-gay laws.
