The Ghanaian Minaret

Cape Town: The United Ulama Council of South Africa (UUCSA) urged South Africans to act responsibly and refrain from spreading unverified information relating to the murder of Muhsin Hendricks, a self-acclaimed Imam who is gay.

The council said making wild assumptions about the homicide has the potential to heighten tension and put others at risk.

It has therefore urged members of the society to allow the relevant law enforcement agencies to investigate the incident, ensuring that justice is served based on evidence and due process, rather than on hearsay or rumours.

UUCSA also condemned all forms of extrajudicial killings, as they undermine the rule of law and contribute to societal instability.

“As the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear, we urge the public and the media to avoid any speculative statements about the motive of this murder.

“Islamic teachings and traditions unequivocally prohibit same-sex relationships, an aspect the deceased is known to have been advocating,” the Council said in a statement released by Yusuf Patel, Secretary General of UUCSA.

Hendricks, a prominent figure in the LGBTQ+ community, was fatally shot in South Africa, sparking outrage and fears of an assassination.

Widely considered the first openly gay Muslim imam, he was ambushed on Saturday while sitting in a car in Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth.

Security footage captured the moment a masked assailant leaped from a pickup truck, firing multiple shots through the car window at Hendricks.

A driver accompanying Hendricks survived the attack.

While police investigations are ongoing and a motive has yet to be officially established, political parties and LGBTQ+ organisations believe Hendricks was targeted for his progressive religious teachings.

He founded a mosque in Cape Town specifically welcoming LGBTQ+ Muslims and advocated for greater inclusion within Islam, despite homosexuality being traditionally forbidden in the religion.

South Africa’s Justice Ministry has confirmed it is investigating the possibility of an assassination.

Hendricks was known internationally and spoke at the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association’s (ILGA) conference in South Africa in 2024.

Hendricks grew up in a conservative Muslim family and married a woman. He ended the marriage and came out publicly as a gay imam in the mid-1990s and started a support network and later a mosque for gay Muslims.

He advocated for their inclusion through his Al-Ghurbaah Foundation and referred to himself as “the world’s first openly queer imam.”.

“When I was looking at the way queer Muslims were negotiating this dilemma between Islam and their sexual orientation and identity, I felt compelled to do something about it,” he said, explaining his beliefs.

“And I thought, for me to help would probably be for me to be authentic with myself and come out. I think it’s possible to be queer and Muslim or queer and Christian.”

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