Imam Muhsin Hendricks, the openly gay Islamic leader based in Cape Town, was assassinated on the 15th February 2025 by masked assailants in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), reportedly as he prepared to officiate at a gay wedding in an Islamic context. Details are still unclear, and no-one has at present or been identified or claimed responsibility.
Muhsin was a friend of the Cape Town Interfaith Initiative, and a brave and compassionate human being. He led the Al-Ghurbaah Foundation (denoting in Arabic the “strange or weird”), a shelter for LGBTQIA+ refugees from harsh orthodoxies.
While Muhsin’s murder is devastating, it is unsurprizing. This comes at a time when the worst of us is being emboldened by the new demagoguery, which does what it likes decisively and thinks itself righteous.
Mushin’s assassination raises difficult questions for Interfaith and its dialogue, around questions of inclusivity and the morality of so-called “outsiders” to faith orthodoxies.
His story is told in the 2022 documentary film, The Radical. As the subtitle suggests, he chose faith over fear:
Brother Muhsin, we salute your contribution to creating a more compassionate world.
May you rest in Peace. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.
