Police in South Africa are "hot on the heels" of the suspects behind the killing of Muhsin Hendricks, dubbed the world's first openly gay imam, Deputy Justice Minister Andries Nel has said. The 57-year-old was in a car when he was shot dead in broad daylight in the coastal city of Gqeberha on Saturday.

Muhsin Hendricks showed the world that "it's possible to be both queer and a devout Muslim," says his longtime friend and colleague.

Muhsin Hendricks was credited by some as being the world’s first openly gay imam and helped Muslims reconcile their faith with their sexual orientation.

A man hailed as the world’s first imam to say he was gay was shot dead in South Africa on Saturday, local police said, in what rights groups fear could be a hate crime.

A man regarded as the first openly gay Muslim imam has been fatally shot while sitting in a car in South Africa in what many are calling an assassination because of his teachings.