In South Africa, Muhsin Hendricks, a pioneering figure in Islam, was shot dead Saturday. He was considered the world’s first openly gay imam. Hendricks was in a car with another person when a vehicle stopped in front of them, blocking their path. Two unknown assailants then got out of the vehicle and fired multiple shots, killing Hendricks. After coming out as gay in 1996, Hendricks hosted meetings at his home for other LGBTQ+ Muslims, later running his own mosque. This is Muhsin Hendricks in his own words, speaking to the Openly channel on TikTok.

Muhsin Hendricks: “I think it’s possible to be queer and Muslim or queer and Christian. The representation of faith or of religion that was passed down to us, it’s one that doesn’t include us. And if you really study the religion — and I’m specifically talking about Islam — you will find that — how patriarchy has actually influenced the interpretation of Scripture. And so, it is an important process for queer Muslims who want to remain faithful to their traditions to reengage with those interpretations and to sort of queering the interpretation. Nobody has a monopoly over faith.”