The ambush killing, in Gqeberha on Saturday, of the Grassy Park man described as the world’s first openly gay imam has made global headlines and sent shock waves through the LGBTQI+ community.

Two masked gunmen opened fire on a car Muhsin Hendricks, 57, was travelling in, say Gqeberha police.

According to police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg, two gunmen in a Toyota Hilux blocked Imam Hendricks and his driver in Haley Place, Extension 24 in Bethelsdorp, before firing several shots into the car and fleeing the scene.

CCTV footage of the incident has been widely spread on social media, but the perpetrators are still at large.

Captain Janse van Rensburg urged anyone with information about the crime to come forward.

Various organisations and activists have condemned the killing of the Islamic scholar, calling on law enforcement agencies to bring those responsible to justice.

In a statement the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development said: “The department acknowledges in memorial Muhsin Hendricks’s enduring activism through his work with interfaith communities around the world and his independent research on Islam and sexual diversity.”

It called for continued efforts to uphold constitutional values and work for a society free of unfair discrimination.

The founder of the Wynberg Open Mosque, Dr Taj Hargey, condemned what he called the “cowardly slaying of a kind soul”.

There was no justification for the “calculated assassination at the hand of misguided miscreants”, he said.

“Although the full details of this despicable murder are yet to emerge, it is apparent that this professional hit is the direct consequence of mindless theological fanaticism and relentless religious indoctrination that is contaminating the Muslim community.”

In a statement, the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) said the unlawful taking of a human life is a grave transgression and expressed its concern about the persistent high levels of crime in the country and called on SAPS to conduct a thorough investigation into the murder.

“While the MJC has consistently maintained that Muhsin’s position is incompatible with Islamic teachings, we unequivocally condemn his murder and any acts of violence targeting members of the LGBTQ community or any other community,” it said.

In an interview before his death, Imam Hendricks said he had felt compelled to “come out” when he saw the way queer Muslims were negotiating the dilemma between Islam and their sexual orientation and identity.

“For me to help meant for me to be authentic with myself and come out because I think it’s possible to be queer and Muslim or Christian.”

Dr Hargey said Imam Hendricks had paid the ultimate price for his personal beliefs and actions.

“While few people within the Muslim community, including myself, agreed with Imam Hendricks’s self-declared homosexuality and his promotion of same-sex relationships, no one has the right to extinguish his life or that of anyone else.”

A special tribute would be held for Imam Hendricks at a Ramadan iftar programme at the Wynberg Open Mosque on Saturday March 8, and everyone, regardless of background or belief, was welcome, said Dr Hargey.

#port-elizabeth

Gay imam’s killing met with worldwide shock