Police in South Africa “is hot on the heels of” suspected behind the murder of Muhsin Hendricks, called the first world open Gay Imam, said the Deputy Minister of Justice Andries Nel.
The 57-year-old was in a car when he was shot in daylight on Saturday in the coastal city of Gqeberh.
The CCTV Incident footage shows a hooded character that disappeared from a truck that blocked the Hendricks vehicle and then shot through the window.
The Imam was known for his work in creating a safe haven for gay and other marginalized Muslims, and his murder shocked the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.
The investigation is ongoing, but Nel told the Newzro Africa TV channel that it was too early to say if it was a hate crime.
Without giving further details, Nel said that police Minister Polly Boshielo told him that officials were looking for suspicious killers.
Paying honoring Hendrick, Nel said he was a “South African to which we can all be a proud, South African to whom we can all strive for.”
Hendrics work has challenged the traditional interpretation of Islam, which are opposed by same -sex relationships.
Although it is clear that this disagrees with Hendricks, the South African Muslim Judicial Council (MJC), one of the main religious bodies in the country, condemned the murder.
“As members of a democratic, pluralistic society, the MJC remains unwavering in dedicating to peaceful coexistence and mutual respect, even in the midst of different views,” it is said.
Another leading Muslim body – the United Underma Council of South Africa – united the “out -of -court murder” and invited people not to jump to conclusions about the motive.
The Constitution of South Africa, adopted after the end of the reign of the white minority in 1994, was the first in the world to protect people from discrimination because of their sexual orientation and in 2006, became the first country in Africa to legalize a same -sex marriage.
But despite the successful LGBTQ+ community, gay people continue to face discrimination and violence. The country also has one of the highest killings in the world.
Hendricks came out as a gay in 1996, which shocked the wider Muslim community in his hometown of Cape Town and elsewhere.
In the same year, he founded the inner circle, an organization that provides support and a safe space for Queer Muslims who want to reconcile their faith and sexuality before continuing to establish the inclusive mosque of the Masjidul Ghurbaah.
He was the subject of a documentary film 2022. Called Radical, in which he said about the threats he faced: “The need to be authentic was greater than fear to die.”
Hendricks often spoke about the importance of inter -a -effective dialogue and the need to solve the issues of mental health and trauma faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in religious communities.
Last year, he said to the international conference of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trance and intersex association in Cape Town: “It is important that we stop looking at religion as an enemy.”
Additional reporting Todah Opeyemi.
