GQEBERHA, South Africa: Police confirmed on Saturday that Mohsen Hendrix, who is thought to be the world’s first open ordinary gay imam, was shot dead near the South African city of Gobbra.
Authorities have not yet set the purpose of the murder, but LGBTQ+ rights groups have called for a potential hate crime investigation.
Police said Mohsin Hendrix was traveling in a car with another man when a vehicle stopped its route in Bethlehem Dorp, known as Port Elizabeth, known as Port Elizabeth. It was
Eastern Cape police said in a statement, “Two unidentified suspects came out of the car with covered faces and put several bullets on the vehicle.” “After that, they fled the scene, and the driver saw that the handicares, who were sitting on the back, were shot dead.”
A police spokesman has confirmed the authenticity of a video circulating on social media, which seems to show the target attack. Authorities have urged the witnesses to come forward.
International homosexuals, gay, Abelingi, Trans and Interests Association (ILGA) condemned the murder and demanded a thorough investigation to see if it was a hate crime.
Executive Director Julia Ehrt said in a statement, “The news of the murder of the Alga World Family Mohsen Hendrix is in deep shock and demands the authorities that what we are afraid of can be a hate crime.”
Born in a Muslim family in Cape Town, Hendrix married a woman and her baby was born in 1996 before she came out as gay. He later divorced and dedicated his life to the advocacy of the LGBTQ+ in Islam.
In 1998, he began hosting informal gatherings for LGBT Q+ Muslims in his hometown, and turned his garage into a place where he could meet without fear of decision.
After a friend shared the experience of listening to gay sermons in a local mosque, Hendrix decided to establish a dedicated place of worship. In 2011, he founded the Al -Ghabhah Mosque in Cape Town, which, according to his website, “provides a safe place in which Quir Muslims and backward women can practice Islam.”
Hendrix, which was also the subject of the 2022 documentary The Radical, had previously talked about receiving threats because of his work.
According to police data, South Africa has the highest killing rate in the world, with 28,000 recorded casualties a year, which is up to February 2024.
Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the murder of the Hendrics was related to their activity, but investigations are underway.
