Posted by Amarachi on Mon 17th Feb, 2025 - tori.ng
The imam, who led a mosque serving as a safe space for LGBTQ and other marginalized Muslims, was in a car with another person when a vehicle blocked their exit in Gqeberha.
The world’s first openly gay imam, Muhsin Hendricks, has been shot dead in South Africa.
The imam, who led a mosque serving as a safe space for LGBTQ and other marginalized Muslims, was in a car with another person when a vehicle blocked their exit in Gqeberha.
“Two unknown suspects with covered faces got out of the vehicle and started firing multiple shots at the vehicle,” police stated. “Thereafter, they fled the scene, and the driver noticed that Hendricks, who was seated at the back of the vehicle, was shot and killed.”
Authorities have confirmed the authenticity of a video circulating on social media that appears to show the targeted killing in Bethelsdorp, near Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth.
“The motive for the murder is unknown and forms part of the ongoing investigation,” police said, urging anyone with information to come forward.
Hendricks, a prominent LGBTQ advocate, publicly came out as gay in 1996. He was the founder of the Al-Ghurbaah mosque in Wynberg, near his birthplace of Cape Town.