Muhsin Hendricks, a prominent figure known as the world’s first openly gay imam, has been shot dead in South Africa.
The 57-year-old cleric ran a mosque in Cape Town as a safe haven for gay and other marginalized Muslims. He was killed after his car was ambushed near the southern town of Gekeberha on Saturday morning.
“Two unidentified suspects, wearing masks, got out of the vehicle and began firing multiple shots into the vehicle,” police said in a statement.
News of Hendricks’ death has sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ+ community and beyond, prompting tributes from around the world.
Julia Ehrhardt, executive director of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), called on authorities to thoroughly investigate “what we fear may be a hate crime.”
"He supported and advised many people in South Africa and around the world on their journey to reconcile their faith, and his life is a testament to the healing that solidarity within communities can bring," he said.
Born free but killed by hate - The cost of being gay in South Africa
South African Crime Volunteers
It is reported that Hendrix was killed at a gay wedding, although this has not been officially confirmed.
Details of the attack have emerged from security footage shared on social media.
It shows a car stopping and blocking the vehicle Hendrix was travelling in as it pulled over to the curb. According to police, the imam was in the back seat.
The angle of the CCTV footage reveals what happened from one side of the road - an attacker jumping out of a car, running towards the ambushed vehicle and shooting repeatedly through the rear passenger window.
Hendricks’ Al-Ghurba Foundation, which runs the Masjidul Ghurba mosque in the Wynberg suburb of Cape Town, confirmed his death in a targeted attack on Saturday morning.
But the foundation’s board chairman, Abdulmugeeth Pietersen, appealed to its followers via a WhatsApp group for patience, stressing the importance of protecting Hendricks’ family.
Hendricks’ work has challenged traditional interpretations of Islam and advocated a compassionate, inclusive faith.
South Africa’s post-apartheid constitution made it the first country in the world to protect people from discrimination based on sexual orientation, and in 2006 it became the first country in Africa to legalize same-sex marriage.
But despite a thriving LGBT community, gay people still face discrimination and violence. The country also has one of the world’s highest murder rates.
Hendricks came out as gay in 1996, shocking the wider Muslim community in Cape Town and elsewhere.
That same year, he founded The Inner Circle, an organization that provides support and a safe space for gay Muslims who want to reconcile their faith and sexuality, and later founded the inclusive Masjidul Ghurba Mosque.
In 2022, he starred in a documentary called The Radical, in which he said of the threats he faced: "The need to be authentic was greater than the fear of death."
Hendrix often spoke about the importance of interfaith dialogue and the need to address the mental health issues and trauma faced by LGBTQ+ people within religious communities.
He told the ILGA World Conference in Cape Town last year: "It's important for us to stop seeing religion as the enemy."
The Reverend Gide McLean, an openly gay Anglican minister, described Hendrix's death as "truly heartbreaking."
The British-Nigerian LGBTQ rights activist runs House of Rainbow, an organisation that provides support for gay people in Nigeria, where same-sex relationships or public displays of affection are illegal, and paid tribute to Hendrix's bravery.
"Your leadership, courage and unwavering commitment to an inclusive religious community have left an indelible mark," he said.
Sadiq Lawal, a gay Muslim man living in Nigeria, told the BBC that Hendrix's "making the impossible possible" by saying "I am a gay imam" had such an impact that he is "a mentor to many gay Muslims in Africa, especially in Nigeria, because of religious extremism," he said.
"I am still shocked and devastated."