Muhsin Hendricks, More Than the World’s First Gay Imam
He believed no compassionate God would deny queer existence. That belief may have cost him his life.
Growing up, Rahma* said she was taught to fear Allah. She left Islam for about eight years because she believed Islam was patriarchal. Then, she met Imam Muhsin Hendricks. “It started off with me just listening,” she said. His mosque in Cape Town, South Africa was known for its inclusivity. She saw women and men standing next to one another during prayers and women delivering sermons, and came to love the religion she had left. The world’s first openly gay imam had brought her back to her faith.
Rahma* eventually joined Hendricks’s Al-Ghurbaah Foundation as one of its board members, helping Muslims who feel marginalized because of their gender, sexuality, or religious belief. But on February 15, 2025, the safe havens Hendricks had created would change forever.
Hendricks had just officiated two interfaith weddings in Gqeberha — east of Cape Town and south of Durban — and was driving home. But he never made it. During his drive, two masked assailants blocked his path, got out of their car, approached his vehicle, and shot and killed him. Members of Cape Town’s queer community immediately knew it had been an “assassination.” Five months later, police have yet to make an arrest. His death has had a chilling effect, putting the very mosque and communities he championed at risk.