First openly gay Imam shot dead in South Africa

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00:00His killing has sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ community and beyond.

00:05Mohsin Hendrix, who was hailed as the world's first openly gay imam, was shot dead over

00:10the weekend in what rights groups fear may be a hate crime.

00:14Hendrix's mosque in Cape Town was viewed as a safe haven for LGBTQ and other marginalised

00:19Muslims and championing an inclusive faith, he had garnered international recognition.

00:25Those close to him are devastated.

00:28I've never met an openly gay imam like Imam Mohsin in my life, before I met him when I

00:34came here in South Africa.

00:36And another thing, the way he teaches Islam, the way he teaches religion, is different,

00:45you know.

00:46He's not this kind of person who makes you hate religion.

00:49Imam was not teaching people to become gay, was not teaching people to be homosexual,

00:54but he was teaching people, his teachings about faith, spiritual development of a human

00:59being, understanding your faith.

01:03Muslim groups have condemned the killing.

01:05Police insist they are looking into the incident, adding that the two suspects fled the scene.

01:11Activists are calling for a thorough investigation and for those responsible to be brought to

01:15justice.

01:17It sends a message, it's just a message of hate speech, a message of human rights violation,

01:26a message of living in unsafe communities, and which calls for action.

01:34South Africa's constitution was the first in the world to bar discrimination on the

01:38grounds of sexual orientation, and in 2006, the country became the first on the continent

01:44to legalise same-sex marriage.

01:46But despite this, LGBTQ people in the country still grapple with high rates of discrimination

01:51and violence.

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