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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.