<p>The world's 'first openly gay Imam' Muhsin Hendricks was shot dead near Gqeberha on February 15, as per the South African police. </p><p>“Two unknown suspects with covered faces got out of the vehicle and started firing multiple shots at the vehicle,” <em>The Guardian</em> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/16/muhsin-hendricks-worlds-first-openly-gay-imam-shot-dead-in-south-africa" rel="nofollow">reported </a>quoting the Eastern Cape force, adding that by the time the driver of the car noticed that Hendricks, who was sitting at the back had been killed, the suspects fled the the scene. </p>.Gay couple sentenced to 100 years in prison for raping adopted sons.<p><strong>While the motive behind the murder is still unknown, here is all you need to know about Muhsin Hendricks:</strong></p><p>- Hendriks reportedly ran a mosque with the ideology of creating a safe haven for gay and other marginalised Muslims. </p><p>- He came out as gay in 1996 and had been a part of many LGBTQ+ advocacy groups. He even hosted meetings for LGBTQ+ Muslims where they started treating him as their community Imam.</p><p>- He was 29 years old when he revealed his sexuality to his mother. He had been married to a woman and had children before he divorced his wife and came out to his family. </p><p>- With the intention of being able to pray without facing any judgement, Hendriks set up a mosque space in 2011. </p><p>- The former Arabic language teacher and fashion designer, who was also the subject of <em>The Radical,</em> a 2022 documentary, had been advised to hire bodyguards. However, he believed that being authentic was more important than the fear of death. </p><p>The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association issued a statement denouncing the killing of Hendriks as they said: “The ILGA World family is in deep shock at the news of the murder of Muhsin Hendricks, and calls on authorities to thoroughly investigate what we fear may be a hate crime."</p>
<p>The world's 'first openly gay Imam' Muhsin Hendricks was shot dead near Gqeberha on February 15, as per the South African police. </p><p>“Two unknown suspects with covered faces got out of the vehicle and started firing multiple shots at the vehicle,” <em>The Guardian</em> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/16/muhsin-hendricks-worlds-first-openly-gay-imam-shot-dead-in-south-africa" rel="nofollow">reported </a>quoting the Eastern Cape force, adding that by the time the driver of the car noticed that Hendricks, who was sitting at the back had been killed, the suspects fled the the scene. </p>.Gay couple sentenced to 100 years in prison for raping adopted sons.<p><strong>While the motive behind the murder is still unknown, here is all you need to know about Muhsin Hendricks:</strong></p><p>- Hendriks reportedly ran a mosque with the ideology of creating a safe haven for gay and other marginalised Muslims. </p><p>- He came out as gay in 1996 and had been a part of many LGBTQ+ advocacy groups. He even hosted meetings for LGBTQ+ Muslims where they started treating him as their community Imam.</p><p>- He was 29 years old when he revealed his sexuality to his mother. He had been married to a woman and had children before he divorced his wife and came out to his family. </p><p>- With the intention of being able to pray without facing any judgement, Hendriks set up a mosque space in 2011. </p><p>- The former Arabic language teacher and fashion designer, who was also the subject of <em>The Radical,</em> a 2022 documentary, had been advised to hire bodyguards. However, he believed that being authentic was more important than the fear of death. </p><p>The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association issued a statement denouncing the killing of Hendriks as they said: “The ILGA World family is in deep shock at the news of the murder of Muhsin Hendricks, and calls on authorities to thoroughly investigate what we fear may be a hate crime."</p>
