Memorial Lecture in Honour of the Late Imam Muhsin Hendricks

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A memorial lecture in honour of the late Imam Muhsin Hendricks, who was slain for officiating a same-sex marriage, was held at the UKZN Ujamaa Centre. 

UKZN invited leaders from various religions, including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and African Traditional Religions (ATR), to attend to help raise awareness and challenge the negative influence of religion. 

Plans have been put together to continue the legacy of Hendricks including launching collaborative religious projects that firmly promote inclusion and diversity within places of worship and public spaces. 

Dr Cherry Muslim of the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics (SRPC) at UKZN said Hendricks had been the world’s first openly gay Imam. In her address, Cherry said Hendricks had dedicated his entire life to promoting gender and sexual diversity within Islam and other religions. 

“Imam Hendricks was vocal about how religion can perpetuate homophobia, contributing to hate crimes and ‘corrective rape’ in many communities in South Africa. His murder reflects the intolerance towards sexual diversity fostered by a homophobic religious extremists,” she said. 

Muslim said Hendricks’s need to be authentic outweighed the fear of death, adding that he had been a true activist who spoke truth to power, regardless of threats against his life. 

During her presentation, Dr Zama Dlamini spoke passionately about the troubling influence of religion in causing violence against the queer community. Her insights sparked thought-provoking discussions on how society could challenge such age-old narratives and work towards more inclusivity. 

A programme co-ordinator at Body Theology at UKZN Ms Noluthando Gasa described the gathering as an “informative space” that provided much-needed insight into how religion negatively influences gender and sexuality. 

She was encouraged by different religious denominations getting together to discuss pressing issues in the country, highlighting the valuable insight gained from the sharing that took place during the lecture. 

She said the event was part of the Eudy Simelane project, and further memorial lectures and engagements were planned for the second half of the year, including screenings of the lecture and discussions in different parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. 

Muslim encouraged all affected parties to challenge the dominant narrative of heteronormativity that some religious groups perpetuate during public discourse. 

Words: Sinoyolo Mahlasela

Photograph: Supplied