Beloved Imam Muhsin Hendricks ran a mosque intended as a safe haven for gay and other marginalised Muslims. He was sadly killed on 15 February 2025.
Join the Aashna Counselling & Psychotherapy community for our Aashna+ screening of The Radical, on Saturday 22 Mar 2025, 16:30 – 18:45 in commemoration of his life, work & legacy advocating the compassionate and inclusive heart of Islam.
The Radical introduces us to 54-year-old Muhsin Hendricks, a South African man believed to be the first openly gay imam. Hendricks leads a devoted group of queer muslims, having started an organisation to support the LGBTQI+ community and running a personal empowerment programme that helps muslims reconcile their sexuality with their faith.
The film provides first-person accounts of being and growing up queer as a South African Muslim in a society caught between the liberalism of its constitution and the conservativeness of its cultures and history. The film chronicles individual journeys to queer acceptance, as a diversity of muslim people negotiate these tensions. The film also provides an in-depth exploration of homosexuality in the context of Islamic theology and its texts, and challenges the orthodox interpretations.
Aashna will light a candle and hold space for commemoration and a brief discussion of The Radical following the screening.
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