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Statement Condemning the Tragic Murder of Imam Muhsin Hendricks

It is with profound sorrow and outrage that we condemn the brutal murder of Imam Muhsin Hendricks, a courageous queer religious scholar and advocate for inclusivity and justice. In Bangladesh and elsewhere, religious zealots, Islamofascists, and Islamists are supporting the murder of Muhsin Hendricks and justifying the killing of queer Muslims. This heinous act is a grave injustice, an affront to the principles of Islam, and a stain upon humanity.

Islam is a religion of peace, love, mercy, and justice. It teaches us to stand by the oppressed and marginalized and to oppose oppression and injustice. The taking of an innocent life is one of the gravest sins in the sight of Allah. The Qur'an unequivocally states:

"Whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land—it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one—it is as if he had saved mankind entirely." (Qur'an 5:32)

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) also warned against such acts of violence, emphasizing the sanctity of life:

"The destruction of the entire world is lighter in the sight of Allah than the unjust killing of a believer." (Sunan an-Nasa’i 3987)

Imam Muhsin dedicated his life to fostering a more compassionate and inclusive understanding of Islam. His scholarship and advocacy sought to bridge divides, uplift marginalized voices, and remind us of the Qur'anic principle:

"There is no compulsion in religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong." (Qur'an 2:256)

To those who falsely claim to act in the name of Islam while committing acts of hatred and violence, we remind them that the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) never sanctioned murder, or harm against those with whom he disagreed. Regarding queer individuals, the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) protected a Mukhannath ( a queer and sexual minority group of early Islamic Arab) from a mob that sought to kill him/her/them. Our Nabi (SAW) exemplified patience, dialogue, and justice.

We call upon religious leaders, governments, & communities worldwide to unequivocally denounce such hate crimes and work towards a world where no person fears for their life due to their identity, beliefs, or advocacy for rights and justice. May those responsible for this crime be held accountable, and may Allah grant Imam Muhsin Hendricks eternal peace and elevate his rank among the righteous.

إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ

"Indeed, to Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return." (Qur'an 2:156)

We reaffirm our commitment to upholding the true spirit of Islam—one of mercy, justice, and love for all humanity.

#muhsin hendricks #lgbtqia #gay muslim #bangladesh #islam #queer muslim #no homophobia #no hate in my faith #allahlovesus #allahlovesequality

Police say motive for killing of Hendricks, who ran a mosque for LGBTQ+ Muslims near Cape Town, is unknown

Muhsin Hendricks, considered the world’s “first openly gay imam”, has been shot dead near the southern city of Gqeberha, South African police have said. The imam, who ran a mosque intended as a safe haven for gay and other marginalised Muslims, was in a car with another person on Saturday when a vehicle stopped in front of them and blocked their exit, police said. “Two unknown suspects with covered faces got out of the vehicle and started firing multiple shots at the vehicle,” the Eastern Cape force said in a statement.

#world news #south africa #lgbtq news #muhsin hendricks #hate crime #muslim

Police say motive for killing of Hendricks, who ran a mosque for LGBTQ+ Muslims near Cape Town, is unknown

#muhsin hendricks #religion #south africa #tw #death #homophobia #murder

Al-Fitrah Foundation

The Inner Circle (TIC) redirects here

Type : Non-Profit

Founder : Imam Muhsin Hendricks

Mission : To help LGBTQIA+ Muslims reconcile their faith with their sexual orientation or gender identity, to create a safe space for queer Muslims.

Services : Provides support to LGBTQI+ Muslims, their families and immigrants; trains young people in human rights activism and interfaith dialogue; teaches islam within a progressive lens; provides gender inclusive, lgbtq+ affirming prayer; shelters and aidshomeless LGBTQ+ individuals; etc.

Year of foundation : 1996

Office : Cape Town

Website : www.theinnercircle.org.za/, www.al-fitrahfoundation.org.za/, web.archive.org/web/20230000000000/

Al-fitrah Foundation (previously known as The Inner Circle (TIC) ) is the first queer Muslim advocacy org. in South Africa and in the African continent. The Inner Circle was started by World's First Openly Gay Imam Muhsin Hendricks. The org. is a member of Global Queer Muslim Network (GQMN) and successfully mentored emerging various LGBTQ+ Muslim advocacy groups (e.g. Maruf).

In 1998, the Inner Circle (TIC) changed it's name to Al-Fitrah Foundation. In 2004, the org. officially registered itself as non-profit organization. In 2006, it's legal registration was switched to the name The Inner Circle (TIC) and operated as TIC.

Al-Fitrah/The Inner Circle created LGBTQ+ affirming and gender-inclusive spaces in South Africa and across the continent, providing a safe haven for women, queer muslims and persecuted LGBTI+ rights activists. The org. conducted annual international retreat for LGBTQI+ Muslims and facilitated same-sex and interfaith marriages.

History of Formation

In 1996, the group started out at the house of Imam Muhsin in the form halqaat/study circles. These study circles used to be on Thursday night. Then it established as an underground support group for homosexual Muslims and later expanded it's mission to include people of diverse gender and sexual identities.

In 1998, the org. was formally established and named the Al-Fitrah Foundation. It was affiliated with al-Fatiha Foundation and served as it's local chapter in South Africa since 1997 or 1998 (probably).

Works

Al-Fitrah Foundation/The Inner Circle conducts a number of programmes which fall into the categories of public education, capacity building, networking, tools for transformation, movement building, and the provision of psycho-social services. These include the Islam and Sexual Diversity, TIC Annual Retreat, Training of Trainers, Int. Conference for the Empowerment of Women, Psycho-spiritual Support Programme, etc. It also provided training in progressive, inclusive and critical interpretion of Islam, and fostering interfaith dialogues within various religious communities. Al-Fitrah Foundation/The Inner Circle worked with various global networks of human rights and international organizations such as ILGA, CALEM, Muslims for Progressive Values, Global Interfaith SOGIE Network (GIN), Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights (CSBR).

Masjid ul-Umam/al-Ghurbaah Masjid

Masjid ul-Umam (later known as al-Ghurbaah Masjid) is Africa's first LGBTQ+ affirming and gender-inclusive Mosque. Masjid ul-Umam's activities are linked with the Inner Circle/Al-Fitrah Foundation. It is located infront of the org's office.

In 2011, Imam Muhsin Hendricks established this mosque for all genders, sexualities, ethnicities, cultural and religious backgrounds. Initially, Muhsin secretly operates the masjid due widespread negative attitudes toward homosexuals and security concerns. In this mosque, women and queer individuals can led prayer (salah) and perform other services of the masjid.

Controversy

The Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) of South Africa openly condemned Imam Muhsin Hendricks's position on homosexuality and his sexuality. They also issued a fatwa against gay people, which Muhsin actively challenged. Many Islamic Radicalist and conservative Muslims threatened Muhsin Hendricks and his organization.

Evolution of The Inner Circle/Al-Fitrah Foundation

On 22 May 2017, the org. announced that it was reconstituting as a larger entity, due to organizational issues. Muhsin Hendricks wanted a new and larger entity that would also include the ongoing work of The Inner Circle/Al-fitrah. In September 2018, Muhsin launched the Al-Ghurbaah Foundation. [Some sources claims, al-Ghurbaah Foundation is completely a separate entity from Al-fitrah foundation/the inner circle]

#queer muslim org #queer muslim #gay muslim #queer africa #south africa #south african lgbt #muhsin hendricks #lgbtqi muslims

I made the mistake of going to the comment section of the late Imam Muhsin Hendrick's TikTok account to leave a word of condolence. I say mistake because I was disgusted to see so many comments from Muslims gloating and celebrating his murder.

Now I'm not Muslim myself and don't claim to be any kind of authority on the subject. All I know about Islam is what I have learned from my Libyan step-father and reading various resources online.

Having said that I was under the impression that the concept of أدب (adab) or etiquette exists in Islam that should prohibit such behaviour, even if you believe that the deceased person was sinful or even not a Muslim. Doing a quick search for relevant ahadith I came across two that jumped out at me:

لاَ تَسُبُّوا الأَمْوَاتَ فَتُؤْذُوا الأَحْيَاءَ

“Do not abuse the dead and thus hurt the living.” (Jami' at-Tirmidhi hadith number 1982)

and

اذْكُرُوا مَحَاسِنَ مَوْتَاكُمْ وَكُفُّوا عَنْ مَسَاوِيهِمْ

"Mention good things about your dead, and refrain from mentioning their evil." (Jami' at-Tirmidhi, hadith number 1019)

Again, I don't mean to be arrogant as to dictate someone else's religion to them and I am definitely no less of a sinner than anyone making those comments. I just found it as disappointing as it was predictable. I can't help imagining how the Imam's loved ones who have to log into his social media accounts over the next few days will feel seeing these comments.

Anyway, this probably isn't something I should be speaking on but luckily hardly anyone sees this blog so it's good for venting a little.

If anyone does read this, may God bless you and forgive me.

#muhsin hendricks #adab #Islam #unsolicited opinions #speaking ill of the dead #hadith #queer islam