‘I am gay, the Imam has openly announced …’

Last update:February 17, 2025, 20:21 IST

The first gay Imam Muhasin Hendrix was shot dead in South Africa. The police is investigating the murder, while the human rights groups consider it to be a hatred crime.

Killing the first Imam in the world to call himself gay. (Image: AP)

Cape TownThe world’s first Imam, who described himself as gay, was shot dead in South Africa on Saturday. Local police said that human rights groups fear that this hatred may be a crime. Eastern Cape Provincial Police said in a statement that it is investigating the death of 58 -year -old Muhasin Hendrix in Bethalsdorp. Police said that the motive behind the murder is not clear. The police statement said that at around 10 am on Saturday morning, ‘Hendrix and a driver were sitting in a car in the Haley Place of Extension 24 of Bethalsdorp, when a cab stopped in front of them and stopped them from moving forward.’

The police have further said that ‘two unidentified suspected vehicles covered with faces and started firing several bullets on the car. After this, he ran away from the scene and the driver saw that Hendrix sitting behind the vehicle had been shot and killed. A video captured by the safety camera, which has allegedly shown the firing incident, shared widely on social media. CNN has not confirmed the video independently, and the police said they cannot confirm the video as the investigation is going on. Firing is common in South Africa, where the rate of murder is already the highest in the world- at the highest level of 20 years.

Fear of hatred crime
According to a statement by the Rights Group International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intex Association (ILGA World), Hendrix was the first Imam in the world in 1996 as ‘Gay’. Julia Ahrt, Executive Director of ILGA World, said in a statement that the ILGA World Family is deeply shocked by the news of the murder of Muhasin Hendrix. He appeals to the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation that we are afraid that it may be a hatred crime.

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Imam used to help gay Muslims
Hendrix founded the Al-Ghurbah Foundation in Cape Town, where he worked as an executive director. According to the website of Al-Ghurbah Foundation, this human rights organization ‘gay Muslims’ helps Islam to reconcile with their sexual interest and gender identity. The Muslim Judicial Council of South Africa clearly condemned this shocking murder in a statement on Sunday.