Church condemns gay imam’s killing
THE apparent hate-motivated murder of Muslim cleric Muhsin Hendricks is a tragedy that underscores the dangers that the LGBTQ+ people face on a daily basis, Rev. Elder Cecilia Eggleston, the leader of Metropolitan Community Churches said.
Hendricks was gunned down in broad daylight on Saturday in the Eastern Cape.
He had been in Gqeberha to marry a lesbian couple in Bethelsdorp.
According to social media reports, the local community and priests had refused to marry the women so they had contacted Hendricks.
Hendricks became the world’s first openly gay imam when he came out in 1996.
He led a group of queer Muslims through the Al-Ghurbaah (the strangers) Foundation, based in a mosque in Wynberg.
The organisation supports the LGBTQI+ and has programmes that help Muslims with their sexuality and their faith.
Eggleston is the moderator of the MCC denomination, which was founded in 1968 specifically for LGBTQ+ Christians and which now has more than 100 churches around the world – including in South Africa.
“Imam Hendricks appears to have died in a targeted attack, likely related to his work in reconciling ministries for LGBTQ Muslims,” Eggleston said.
“As leader of a Christian denomination that shares the goal of bringing queer people into a relationship with God, I find this murder to be particularly upsetting. Moreover, it serves as a grim reminder that LGBT folk are in peril in much of the world simply for being themselves.”
Although the investigation of Hendricks’ murder is still underway, early indications suggest the crime was hate-motivated.
“I pray for a swift investigation and a just outcome in this matter, and call on religious and spiritual leaders of all faiths to condemn such acts,” Eggleston said. “Surely, our God is not pleased by violence and hatred, which run contrary to all faiths.”
Reverend Elder Nokuthula Dhladhla, a member of MCC’s Council of Elders who is based in South Africa said, “Imam Muhsin Hendricks was a champion for human rights, a beacon of love and justice, and a fearless voice for inclusion,” said Rev. Elder Nokuthula Dhladhla, a member of MCC’s Council of Elders who is based in South Africa.
“His murder is not just a loss to the interfaith community but a brutal attack on the values of compassion, dignity, and equality that he dedicated his life to upholding. We condemn this act of violence in the strongest terms and call on all people of faith and conscience to stand against the rising tide of hate and intolerance.”
SUNDAY TRIBUNE