The “First Out Gay Imam” Killed in South Africa

Muhsin Hendricks, who was shot on Saturday morning, 15 February, was a 57-year-old imam, LGBT activist, and Islamic scholar from South Africa.

He was considered the first openly homosexual Muslim imam, as he shocked the Muslim community in Cape Town and around the world by coming out as gay in 1996.

To assist imams around Africa in creating a more inclusive view of gender and sexuality in Islam, Hendricks also conducted workshops for them.

After coming out in 1996, he established “The Inner Circle” in South Africa, which was later named “Al-Fitrah Foundation,” a human rights organization located in the country’s capital.

He began offering prayers, counseling, and Muslim same-sex marriage ceremonies in 1998.

He also built and oversaw a mosque in Cape Town that provided refuge to marginalized Muslims, including members of the LGBTQ+ community.

He advocated for greater acceptance of LGBT individuals in Islam and was an active member of several LGBT Muslim advocacy groups.

He established the Al-Ghurbaah Foundation’s Masjidul Ghurbaah mosque in South Africa in 2011 and, in 2019, visited Kenya to promote LGBTQ rights.

Speaking at the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Association’s convention in South Africa last year, Hendricks was well known throughout the world.

In 2022, Hendricks appeared in a documentary called “The Radical,” where he discussed the dangers he faced, stating that “the need to be authentic was greater than the fear to die.”

Since South Africa is the only country in Africa that allows same-sex marriage, Hendricks’ work in Africa is deemed crucial.

The Death of Imam Muhsin Hendricks

Hendricks was shot and died on February 15, 2025, in Bethelsdorp, Eastern Cape, after allegedly officiating a lesbian wedding in Gqeberha.

He was shot dead after his car was ambushed in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape Province, the BBC said.

In a statement, the police said that “two unknown suspects with covered faces got out of the vehicle and started firing multiple shots at the vehicle.”

On the shooting’s surveillance footage, one of the killers could be seen approaching the car Hendricks was in and repeatedly shooting a pistol through a side window.

The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Association’s (ILGA) executive director, Julia Ehrt, encouraged the police to look into what could be a hate crime.

Although political parties and LGBTQ+ organizations claim Hendricks was targeted because he advocated for the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community into Islam since it is against Islamic religion, police have not provided a motive for the murder.