Muhsin Hendricks

Muhsin Hendricks

Biography

Muhsin Hendricks grew up in Cape Town in a deeply religious family. In their orthodox Muslim community, his grandfather was an imam, his father a spiritual healer, and his mother a teacher of Islam. Between 1990 and 1994, Hendricks studied Arabic, Islamic law, and Islamic theology at the University of Karachi (Jamia Dirasat Al-Islamia) in Pakistan. After graduating, he returned and became an imam in a mosque in Cape Town as well as an esteemed Arabic teacher. At the age of 23, he agreed to enter into an arranged marriage, because it was expected of an imam. Shortly before the marriage ceremony, he told his bride-to-be of his homosexuality. One month after they separated, he came out as gay. Today, he leads the Cape Town non-profit organisation “The Inner Circle”, which helps homosexual Muslims to come out. With his “Ask the Imam” service, he also offers spiritual guidance over the phone.
He receives invitations from the world over to speak about homosexuality and Islam, and is presenting the film FITRAH in Cologne, which he made on this subject. He was also involved in the internationally successful documentary film A JIHAD FOR LOVE, which FilmInitiativ presented in 2013 at its Sommerblut Festival.

Filmography

LOCKED IN (A TRANSGENDER STORY) (2017): Producer

Queer Africa II : Guest

Two Men and a wedding (2012): Guest

Queer Africa III : Guest

Fitrah (2013): Direction, Guest

LA NUIT DE BADR (2012): Guest