Muhsin Hendricks

Muhsin Hendricks (7 June 1967 – 15 February 2025) was a South African imam, Islamic scholar and LGBTQ activist. He was involved in various LGBTQ Muslim advocacy groups and was an advocate for greater acceptance of LGBTQ people within Islam. He has been described as the world's first openly gay imam, having come out in 1996. Hendricks died from gunfire wounds in an attack in February 2025 in Bethelsdorp, South Africa. In an obituary, The Economist wrote that Hendricks "fought homophobia with the Koran", and that his ministry provided "meeting places, a mosque, constant reassurance and two human-rights foundations to defend Muslims torn between their faith and their sexuality".

Early and personal life Hendricks was born in Cape Town on June 7 1967 and brought up in a traditional Muslim home. His grandfather was an Islamic cleric. He also held a diploma in counselling and communications through the South African College of Applied Psychology. He stated that he used his studies to counsel the marginalised Muslim queer community. He stated that his "forefathers are a mixture of Indonesian and Indian background. They were brought to Cape Town as political prisoners and slaves by the Dutch colonialists".

He married a woman in 1991, and had children with her before they divorced in 1996: later that year he came out as gay. He subsequently lived in a barn for three months, fasting for around 80 days and meditating on his faith in the form of Salat al-Istikharah. He and his mother reconciled after she spent ten days living with Hendricks and his partner, and the two maintained a close relationship until her death. ) gay Muslims in coming to terms with their sexual orientation and how this may impact their religious faith. They were founded in response to LGBTQ Muslims who felt excluded from mainstream mosques during Friday prayers. From 1998 onwards, Hendricks provided prayers, counselling and Muslim same-sex marriage ceremonies.

His stated interpretation, in opposition to mainstream Islam, was that there is nothing in the Quran that condemns homosexuality. He interpreted the story of Sodom and Gomorrah as condemning rape, rather than homosexuality. The Muslim Judicial Council condemned Hendricks in 2007, later issuing a fatwa against gay people.

In 2011, he founded Masjidul Ghurbaah in South Africa, a mosque belonging to the Al-Ghurbaah Foundation. Of this endeavour, Hendricks said: "There is this love-hate relationship from the Muslim community. Sometimes they feel that I should be thrown from the highest mountain, and sometimes they appreciate that there is one imam who is willing to work with people who they are unwilling to work with". Al-Fitrah Foundation later founded the Masjid Ul-Umam.

Internet and film activism During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hendricks began posting TikToks with positive messages about love.

Death and responses Hendricks died after he was fatally shot in Bethelsdorp, Eastern Cape, on 15 February 2025, at the age of 57. , the police were still investigating a motive for the killing. South African president Cyril Ramaphosa paid his condolences to Hendricks' family and friends.

Initial reports claimed that he was murdered after reportedly officiating a lesbian wedding in Gqeberha. The Al-Ghurbaah Foundation, founded by Hendricks, disputed this and said that he had instead officiated the weddings of "two interfaith heterosexual couples" in Gqeberha. As of January 2026, no arrests had been made in his murder.

The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) criticised Hendricks's killing and called on authorities to investigate the death. and United Ulama Council of South Africa (UUCSA)