By Mariam Jooma Carikci - Crescent International
While the motive behind the murder remains unknown, speculation suggests that his advocacy for Islamic marriage rites for gay couples may have played a role.
This incident has reignited debate about the intersection of LGBTQ rights, religious doctrine, and foreign influence in Africa.
Religious Law vs. Secular Protections
South African law and the Constitution recognize the rights of LGBTQ individuals within the framework of secular governance.
However, they do not extend to compelling religious institutions to alter doctrinal positions that do not recognize same-sex unions.
This distinction is at the heart of the tensions surrounding Hendricks' activism, as his efforts to introduce an "Islamic Nikah" for gay couples were seen by some as an attempt to reform a religious practice deeply rooted in traditional interpretations of Islam.
Social Engineering: Who Defines Africa’s Future?
While Hendricks had the legal right to live openly as a gay man under South African law, his push to reform Islam to accommodate same-sex marriages was met with fierce opposition.
This issue extends beyond individual activism and into the broader phenomenon of western-funded liberal influence in Africa.
Over the past two decades, an increasing number of European and North American organizations have funded initiatives aimed at reshaping religious and cultural norms in the Global South.
A prime example is the Al-Ghurbaa Foundation, the organization Hendricks led, which receives funding from western entities, including the German Foreign Office, the Heinrich Böll Stiftung, and the New Africa Fund.
While these institutions position themselves as supporters of progressive causes, their involvement in funding Islamic institutions raises critical questions.
Why would German government-linked entities invest in an "Islamic" foundation unless there was an underlying agenda?
More importantly, why do these same organizations provide unwavering support for Israel—a state accused of systematic human rights violations against Palestinians—while simultaneously funding LGBTQ advocacy within Muslim communities in Africa?
This contradiction exposes the selective nature of Western human rights advocacy, where LGBTQ rights are championed while Palestinian rights are disregarded.
German Hypocrisy
In recent years, German non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have played a significant role in promoting LGBTQ as a rights issue across Africa. While at face value this advocacy appears to be an extension of human rights promotion, a closer look reveals a more complex geopolitical agenda. LGBTQ rights often serve as a convenient cover for deeper political and economic intervention, enabling German NGOs to extend their influence in African nations under the guise of progressive activism.
This article examines the intersection of German NGO activity, LGBTQ movements in Africa, and the broader implications for sovereignty and foreign intervention.
The Role of German NGOs in African LGBTQ Movements
German NGOs such as the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation have been among the most active European organizations supporting LGBTQ rights in Africa.
These organizations, often linked to political parties in Germany, fund local LGBTQ rights groups, sponsor legal advocacy efforts, and provide platforms for African activists.
On the surface, such initiatives are positioned as efforts to combat discrimination and promote human rights. However, they often coincide with German geopolitical interests in African nations, raising questions about their true motives.
The influx of western funding and support for LGBTQ issue has introduced new dynamics to these movements. Local organizations that align with German NGOs gain access to substantial resources creating a dependency on external funding and a vulnerability to foreign agendas.
LGBTQ Rights as a Tool for Political Leverage
In many cases, LGBTQ rights are used as a strategic pressure point by western organizations, including German NGOs, to exert influence on African governments. Countries that resist western geopolitical and economic policies often find themselves targeted with accusations of human rights violations, particularly concerning LGBTQ issues.
This pattern is evident in countries like Uganda, Kenya, and Ghana, where LGBTQ-related controversies have coincided with broader political disputes with western powers.
For instance, when Uganda passed its controversial anti-LGBTQ law, western NGOs and governments, including Germany, responded with aid cuts and diplomatic pressure.
However, this selective outrage raises questions—why are similar violations of human rights in allied states ignored? The answer lies in the fact that LGBTQ rights serve as a convenient tool to discipline non-compliant African governments while maintaining a moral high ground.
Economic Interests and Cultural Imperialism
Beyond political leverage, the promotion of LGBTQ rights by German NGOs in Africa also intersects with economic interests. European countries, including Germany, are keen to secure African markets, raw materials, and strategic alliances.
When direct intervention is not feasible, the use of civil society movements—including LGBTQ advocacy—provides an alternative route to exert soft power.
Furthermore, this approach is tied to a broader cultural imperialism in which western values are imposed on African societies without consideration for local contexts.
Many African nations view the aggressive promotion of LGBTQ rights as a form of neocolonialism, where foreign entities dictate social norms and policies in exchange for financial support.
This dynamic not only fuels resentment but also strengthens conservative forces that argue that LGBTQ activism is a foreign agenda meant to undermine traditional African values.
The hypocrisy of selective Human Rights Advocacy
The Al Ghurbaa Foundation, received funding from the Heinrich Boll Stiftung , an organisation that also unequivocally supports Israel.
This dual approach makes a mockery of Palestinian lives, as the same organization that funds human rights efforts in Africa actively backs a state accused of systemic human rights violations against Palestinians.
This contradiction exposes the double standards in western human rights advocacy, where certain causes are prioritized based on political expediency rather than universal moral principles.
By funding LGBTQ rights activism while simultaneously supporting a state that engages in the dispossession and oppression of Palestinians, these German NGOs reveal their deeper interests. Their involvement in Africa, therefore, must be viewed with skepticism, as it suggests that their primary goal is not human rights but strategic influence.
German Government-Funded Arts Programs and Political Censorship
The German government's selective approach to human rights extends beyond Africa into its own domestic cultural scene.
While German government-funded arts programs actively promote LGBTQ themes, they simultaneously deny platforms to human rights activists advocating for Palestinian rights. Numerous cultural and academic figures have faced censorship or exclusion for expressing solidarity with Palestinians.
For example, Palestinian-German academic and human rights activist Nirit Sommerfeld has been disinvited from events due to her pro-Palestinian stance.
Similarly, prominent journalist and author Stefan Brinkmann faced severe backlash after critiquing Germany’s unconditional support for Israel.
Meanwhile, LGBTQ-centered projects receive state sponsorship without controversy, reinforcing the narrative that certain rights are privileged over others based on political considerations.
Institutions such as the Goethe-Institut and the Berliner Festspiele have been accused of barring Palestinian voices while simultaneously funding LGBTQ-themed exhibitions and initiatives.
This double standard highlights the German government’s manipulation of human rights discourse to serve its foreign policy interests, using LGBTQ advocacy as an acceptable, apolitical cause while suppressing discussions about Palestinian oppression.
Restricting Islamic NGOs in Germany while Liberalizing Islam Abroad
While German NGOs aggressively promote LGBTQ rights and liberal values in Muslim-majority countries, they simultaneously restrict the activities of Islamic NGOs within Germany. Organizations that promote traditional Islamic teachings or advocate for Muslim rights often find themselves under scrutiny, accused of extremism or fundamentalism.
German authorities have shut down or heavily monitored several Islamic NGOs, citing security concerns, even when no evidence of illegal activity exists.
At the same time, these same German NGOs invest heavily in "reforming" Islam abroad. In countries like Tunisia, Morocco, and Indonesia, German-funded programs promote a more liberal and secular version of Islam, often at odds with local religious and cultural norms.
This includes funding initiatives that reinterpret Islamic teachings to align with western liberal values, particularly on issues such as gender and LGBTQ rights.
For example, the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation has sponsored programs in North Africa aimed at "modernizing" religious education, while the Heinrich Böll Foundation has funded projects that encourage feminist reinterpretations of Islamic texts.
These efforts, while framed as promoting progress, are viewed by many as attempts to reshape Islam to fit western ideological frameworks, undermining traditional religious institutions.
African Responses and the Struggle for Sovereignty
African leaders and intellectuals have increasingly pushed back against the instrumentalization of LGBTQ rights by western entities.
Countries like Tanzania and Ethiopia have taken firm stances against what they perceive as western ideological imposition, asserting their sovereignty in setting social policies that align with their cultural and religious norms.
Conclusion
The involvement of German NGOs in Africa is not purely altruistic. The selective focus on LGBTQ issues—often ignoring broader structural inequalities—suggests that these organizations use human rights advocacy as a strategic tool for political and economic intervention.
The sooner Africans become aware of this pseudo humanitarian colonial enterprise the better for the continent.
Mariam Jooma Çarıkçı is a researcher with the Media Review Network and the author of ‘Kurdistan: Achievable reality or political mirage?’ (2013).
AfricaGermanyIslamophobiaLGBTQSouth AfricaMuhsin HendricksGerman NGOscultural imperialism
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