A gay imam was killed in South Africa. His friends say his death “will not be futile”

His long-time friend and colleague said Muhsin Hendricks showed the world “it is possible that he is both queer and devout Muslim.”

Hendricks, a South African Imam, devoted his life to helping 2SLGBTQ+ Muslims reconcile their identities with faith – was shot dead in the city of Gqeberha on Saturday. He is 57 years old this year.

Pastor Jide Macaulay, the gay Anglican minister and longtime friend of Hendricks, said: “Muhsin put himself there. happen Guest host Helen Mann.

“This is a huge loss not only for the LGBT community, not only for the faith community, but also for the world we live in today.”

The motivation to kill the unknown

Hendricks is described as the world's first publicly gay imam, according to police.

Security video of the shooting showed one of them jumped out of the vehicle, ran to Hendricks' car, and shot the pistol several times through the side window.

Police have not determined the motive for the killing, but political parties and advocacy groups say they believe Hendrix, who has long been facing a death threat, may be targeted for his work.

“The nature of the killings strongly implies professionals,” said South Africa's second largest political party.

Julia Ehrt, executive director of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Bisexual Association, called on authorities to “completely investigate what we fear may be hate crimes.”

The South African Muslim Judiciary Commission said that although it has been saying that Hendrix’s position is incompatible with Islamic teachings: “We explicitly condemn his murders and any violence against members of the LGBTQ community or any other community.”

South Africa's Justice Ministry said it is investigating claims that he was the target of assassination.

Hendricks is a world-renowned imam and activist who believes there is no one in the Quran who prohibits same-sex relations.

He advocates joining through his Al-Ghurbaah Foundation and provides mosques specifically for 2SLGBTQ+ people in Cape Town.

In the 2022 documentary radicalHendricks talked about the risks of becoming a gay priest, but he said the need for his true self is greater than the fear of death.

Macaulay said he was too familiar with it.

“Our true self is likely to cause harm. Our true self has been criminalized. Our true self has been demonized,” said Macaulay, founder of House of Rainbow House of Rainbow, a faith-based 2SLGBTQ+ organization.

“In the same religion that condemned him, he even became a pastor. That's why it's so painful to see violence against him.”

“Gay priests meet gay imams”

He said when Macaulay first met Hendricks 16 years ago, they joked that the title was “Gay priests meet gay imams.”

“Even so, it's unheard of,” said McCauley. “We are obviously fellow travelers.”

He said the similarities between them were deep. Both grew up in Africa, Hendricks in South Africa and Macaulay in Nigeria. Both were married as young men and then became gay in their 20s. Both underwent a spiritual journey to reconcile the faith with their sexual orientation.

Both sides share a mission: to create safe spaces for other queer people of faith.

“I think we're both married before we came out because it's actually obvious to gay people because we're very focused on African traditions, you know, very normative, you know, patriarchal system,” Macaulay said.

“It takes a lot of courage to stand out from it, it takes a lot of ferocity. I think the unfortunate ending of his life is cruel. It takes something precious from our world.”

Macaulay said as a friend, Hendricks was “gentle”, “Jovial” and “romp”, but also worked hard and was deeply committed to his mission and faith.

“He likes dancing. He likes to have a lot of fun,” he said. “But at the same time, he is also very, very intellectual and very creative.”

Macaulay said Hendrix was also a loving and dedicated father to his three children.

“They took him away from his children. It's heartbreaking because at the same time, we have communities that look up to him as a father,” he said.

In a message on its official Facebook page, the Al-Ghurbaah Foundation calls Hendricks “a great father and guardian of many. Continue to rest with the angels.”

Macaulay said Hendrix's influence on others made him hope that his mission would continue even if his friend died.

“His legacy is so powerful that I'm praying and hoping it will continue,” he said. “We need to let the world know that his death will not be futile.”