Muhsin Hendricks, recognised as the first openly gay cleric in the world, was shot and killed on Saturday near Gqeberha in the southern part of South Africa, according to police reports.
The Imam was in a vehicle with another individual when another car halted in front of them, obstructing their path. A police spokeswoman confirmed the authenticity of a video circulating on social media that allegedly depicts a targeted assassination in Bethelsdorp, located near Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth.
“Two unknown suspects with covered faces got out of the vehicle and started firing multiple shots at the vehicle.
“Thereafter they fled the scene, and the driver noticed that Hendricks who was seated at the back of the vehicle was shot and killed.” the Eastern Cape force said in a statement.
Hendricks, who was active in several LGBTQ advocacy organisations, publicly came out as gay in 1996. He led the Al-Ghurbaah mosque in Wynberg, close to his birthplace in Cape Town. The mosque’s website indicates that it offers “a safe space for queer Muslims and marginalised women to practice Islam.”
Hendricks, who was featured in a 2022 documentary titled “The Radical,” had previously mentioned receiving threats against him. He expressed that “the necessity to be authentic” outweighed “the fear of dying.”
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates globally, with approximately 28,000 murders reported in the year leading up to February 2024, as per police statistics.
