Muhsin Hendricks, known as the world's first openly gay imam, was shot and killed in South Africa over the weekend, as authorities investigate whether the murder was a hate crime.

In a statement obtained by the BBC, police said that Hendricks was killed Saturday morning while traveling near the city of Gqeberha in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province. His car was reportedly ambushed.

"Two unknown suspects with covered faces got out of the vehicle and started firing multiple shots at the vehicle," authorities said.

Hendricks founded the Inner Circle, a safe haven for gay Muslims, shortly after coming out as an openly gay imam in 1996. He was previously married to a woman before divorcing her the same year that he came out.

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"The Inner Circle is the longest standing, largest and most influential human rights organization in the world that deals with Islam, gender and sexual diversity from an Islamic theological perspective," the organization's website reads. "The Inner Circle works internationally and supports international affiliate organizations to do similar work, within an Islamic framework."

In a statement, the Cape Town Ulama Board – an organization of Sunni leaders – condemned the murder but said its views do "not align with the views of the deceased."

"We maintain that Islamic teachings firmly condemn violence, murder or such actions that undermine the rule of law and destabilize society," the statement read. "Thus, the Cape Town Ulama Board urges our communities to allow the law to investigate the incident, and by following due process, we hope to maintain peace and order."

The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) said in a statement that they believe the killing "may be a hate crime."

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"He supported and mentored so many people in South Africa and around the world in their journey to reconcile with their faith, and his life has been a testament to the healing that solidarity across communities can bring in everyone’s lives," ILGA Executive Director Julia Ehrt said. "Our condolences go out to all who have been touched by his presence in all these years."

In 2022, Hendricks raised concerns about a fatwa condemning homosexuality issued by the Muslim Judicial Council. The ruling found that homosexuality is incompatible with Islam, and said that gay Muslims "have taken themselves out of the fold of Islam."

"While it did not come as a complete shock, it has left me sore considering that it was released when we just had Pride Month," Hendricks said at the time. "The phrase homosexual was only coined in the 18th century and the Qu’ran has been around way longer before that, so how can there be scriptures condemning same-sex relationships?"

Authorities are actively investigating the incident. No additional details are known at this time.

President Donald Trump spoke about his plans to end the Russo-Ukrainian War during a press gaggle on Sunday, stating that he believes the leaders of both countries "want to stop fighting."

Speaking on the tarmac at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, Trump said that he's currently in the process of "trying to get peace with Russia, Ukraine."

"And we're working very hard on it," he said. "It's a war that should have never started."

When asked if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to be involved in the conversations, Trump replied in the affirmative.

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR SAYS PUTIN, ZELENSKYY AGREE ‘ONLY PRESIDENT TRUMP COULD GET THEM TO THE TABLE’

"He will be involved, yes," Trump said. When asked by a reporter, Trump also said he would allow Europeans to purchase American-made weapons sold to Ukraine.

The Republican president went on say that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin, who began the war in February 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and escalated it in February 2022 by invading Ukraine, wants to bring the war to an end.

"I think he wants to stop fighting," Trump said. "They have a big, powerful machine, you understand that? And they defeated Hitler and they defeated Napoleon. You know, he's been fighting a long time…I think he would like to stop fighting."

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"Zelenskyy wants to end it, too."

Talks between the U.S. and Russia are expected to begin in Saudi Arabia this week, though it was previously reported that Ukraine was not expected to be directly involved. Trump's national security advisor Michael Waltz said on "Fox News Sunday" that negotiations will involve "key tenants," in order to guarantee a "permanent end to the war."

"The United States and Europe have supported [the Ukrainian] effort, but the United States unquestionably has borne the brunt of that support over the years, but now President Trump is clear it needs to come to an end," Waltz said Sunday. 

 Trump's comments came shortly after a "Meet the Press" interview with Zelenskyy aired on NBC, in which the Ukrainian leader discussed Putin and claimed that he "fears" Trump.

"I said that [Putin] is a liar," Zelenskyy said of a recent phone call to Trump. "And he said, 'I think my feeling is that he's ready for these negotiations.' And I said to him, 'No, he's a liar. He doesn't want any peace.'"

"But I think he's really a little bit scared about the President Trump," Zelenskyy added. "And I think the president has this chance, and he's strong. And I think that really, he can push Putin to peace negotiations. Yes, I think so. I think he can, but don't trust him. Don't trust Putin. Don't trust just words about ceasefire."

Fox News Digital's Emma Colton, Danielle Wallace and Brooke Curto contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump spoke about his plans to end the Russo-Ukrainian War during a press gaggle on Sunday, stating that he believes the leaders of both countries "want to stop fighting."

Speaking on the tarmac at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, Trump said that he's currently in the process of "trying to get peace with Russia, Ukraine."

"And we're working very hard on it," he said. "It's a war that should have never started."

When asked if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to be involved in the conversations, Trump replied in the affirmative.

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR SAYS PUTIN, ZELENSKYY AGREE ‘ONLY PRESIDENT TRUMP COULD GET THEM TO THE TABLE’

"He will be involved, yes," Trump said. When asked by a reporter, Trump also said he would allow Europeans to purchase American-made weapons sold to Ukraine.

The Republican president went on say that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin, who began the war in February 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and escalated it in February 2022 by invading Ukraine, wants to bring the war to an end.

"I think he wants to stop fighting," Trump said. "They have a big, powerful machine, you understand that? And they defeated Hitler and they defeated Napoleon. You know, he's been fighting a long time…I think he would like to stop fighting."

EMMANUEL MACRON CALLS 'EMERGENCY MEETING' FOR EUROPEAN LEADERS TO DISCUSS TRUMP: REPORT

"Zelenskyy wants to end it, too."

Talks between the U.S. and Russia are expected to begin in Saudi Arabia this week, though it was previously reported that Ukraine was not expected to be directly involved. Trump's national security advisor Michael Waltz said on "Fox News Sunday" that negotiations will involve "key tenants," in order to guarantee a "permanent end to the war."

"The United States and Europe have supported [the Ukrainian] effort, but the United States unquestionably has borne the brunt of that support over the years, but now President Trump is clear it needs to come to an end," Waltz said Sunday. 

 Trump's comments came shortly after a "Meet the Press" interview with Zelenskyy aired on NBC, in which the Ukrainian leader discussed Putin and claimed that he "fears" Trump.

"I said that [Putin] is a liar," Zelenskyy said of a recent phone call to Trump. "And he said, 'I think my feeling is that he's ready for these negotiations.' And I said to him, 'No, he's a liar. He doesn't want any peace.'"

"But I think he's really a little bit scared about the President Trump," Zelenskyy added. "And I think the president has this chance, and he's strong. And I think that really, he can push Putin to peace negotiations. Yes, I think so. I think he can, but don't trust him. Don't trust Putin. Don't trust just words about ceasefire."

Fox News Digital's Emma Colton, Danielle Wallace and Brooke Curto contributed to this report.

A heart-wrenching new film recounts the beheadings 10 years ago this week of 21 Coptic Christians at the hands of ISIS radicals.   

Yet the film, simply titled "The 21," also tells the poignant story of the martyrs' incredible faith, how they were diligent to the end — never once denying their Savior even unto death.

Producer Mandi Hart said, "I don't know that I'll ever get over imagining, in the course of 40-some-odd days of captivity, how many nanoseconds of opportunity they had to save their own lives. And to a man, all 21 of them were true to the end."

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Hart and the team at MORE Productions presented the 13-minute film at the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C., last week. It was a jolting reminder of how the events of Feb. 15, 2015, shocked the world — one, for the sheer horror of its staging, and two, because the Islamic radicals filmed the brutal slayings.

As a way to soften the horror and enhance the spirit of hope, "The 21" tells the story through animation — intercut with actual ISIS propaganda footage. 

But it's the imagery of the animation that gives it greater impact. The animation is in the style of Orthodox iconography — the paintings of the saints and of Jesus that adorn the iconostas, the screens in front of the altar, on the nave, the sanctuary and the dome of every Orthodox church in the world.  

Hart said, "We knew that we wanted a project that would reflect the cultural distinctiveness of the Coptic tradition, particularly its iconography."  

She called out its "function," as well as its architecture and community — and "the symbolism, colors, shapes and the way that iconography was actually all about creating an icon."

On a recent episode of "Lighthouse Faith" podcast, producer Mandi Hart spoke more about the making of "The 21" — and the transformative power of learning about what these men endured for their faith.

TRUMP FRIEND AND INFORMAL FAITH ADVISER: ‘GOD IS GIVING AMERICA ANOTHER CHANCE’ 

They were simple laborers from Egypt, working in Libya, when ISIS members kidnapped them and demanded they denounce their faith in Jesus Christ, the only condition to secure their freedom. 

The men refused. For a month and a half, the men were tortured and abused. Then they were put in orange jumpsuits and paraded to a sandy hill where masked, knife-wielding radicals lined them up and took their lives.

Hart said the most barbarous part of the story is actually not in the new film. 

"They were actually beheaded one by one," she said. "And ISIS did that, hoping that … being killed in that gruesome way would persuade at least one of the men to recant, to save themselves by denying Christ. And none of them did. And actually one of the men asked to be the last one."  

Hart added with emotion, "There are no words [about] the depth of [their] faith. And it's been extremely challenging and convicting personally, too. I can't imagine myself in that position — and the fact that all of them were true to the end is just remarkable."

Hart purposely did not view the ISIS footage of the beheadings. It was just too much to take. But director Tod Polson did.

FAITH IS IMPORTANT TO NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL COACH AND CATHOLIC CONVERT: ‘NOT SHY ABOUT IT’

He told Fox News, "The original video made by ISIS is surreal. I’ve only seen it once but …[it is] forever burned into my memory. It’s as heartbreaking as it is inspiring. Inspiring because the sacrifice of the martyrs is so total. It’s one thing to talk about their faithfulness. It’s another to see it demonstrated close up." 

Polson also said, "Many of the martyrs' families play the original ISIS video in their homes on a loop. One of the complaints they have is that ‘The 21’ isn’t violent enough. They want people outside their community to know what their men went through."

ISIS filmed their abomination for the purpose of propaganda and power, believing they would usher in a new caliphate for the glory of Islam.  

But transcripts from interviews of ISIS members conducted by authorities revealed that there were other supernatural powers also at work on that sandy hill. 

This is new information.

Said Hart, "In the interviews with the former ISIS members, one in particular talks about earthquakes. He talks about shadowy figures being seen and some of the figures bearing swords, others dressed in certain ways accompanying the martyrs, particularly when the martyrs were on the beach."

BIBLE-BELIEVING CHRISTIANS WERE KEY TO TRUMP'S VICTORY, SAYS AMERICAN FAITH LEADER

The film depicts those supernatural occurrences. 

The shadowy figures appear as angels of light, perhaps even Jesus Himself. 

On that sandy beach a decade ago, those men may have witnessed God’s holy army and the forces of Satan in their ancient battle. 

And at least one member of ISIS was shaken to the core.

Hart said one ISIS member was so terrified by what he saw that he fled. Reports are that he came to faith and was baptized. He remains in hiding, according to Hart.

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The larger story has been the display of the depths of faith of the entire Coptic community. "Coptic" means Egyptian. The Coptic are one of the original Christian Orthodox churches. 

For 2,000 years, they've been a persecuted church. 

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle

And some scholars, said Hart, think they've had millions of martyrs over the course of their history, past and present. 

The 21 martyrs asked that Jesus forgive their killers — just as Jesus said, while being crucified, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

At a time when it’s more acceptable to publicly profane the name of Jesus than to praise Him, the film shows the power of that name — and how the men relied on it for strength, for hope.

Hart reflected on the greater good that came out of such evil. 

She said the Coptic archbishop of London, Archbishop Angaelos, told her to think about when that former ISIS member who became a believer dies. 

Those 21 Coptic men will welcome him into heaven as their brother — as only in Christ can natural-born enemies become one people.

Austrian authorities said Sunday that the suspect who they believe fatally stabbed a 14-year-old boy and wounded five others in the village of Villach is a Syrian refugee who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. 

At a press conference, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said the 23-year-old Syrian national was arrested seven minutes after Saturday's attack unfolded in the village of just about 60,000 people bordering Italy and Slovenia. 

"This is an Islamist attack with an IS connection by an attacker who radicalized himself within a very short time via the internet online," Karner told reporters, according to the Associated Press. 

Regarding mass migration and asylum-seekers, Karner, a conservative, said it will ultimately be necessary to "carry out a mass screening without cause because this assassin was not conspicuous." 

CAR DRIVER IN MUNICH PLOWS INTO CROWD 1 DAY BEFORE VANCE AND WORLD LEADERS GATHER FOR SECURITY CONFERENCE

"There's compassion, there's sadness, but in these moments there's also understandably often anger and rage," Karner added, according to Reuters. "Anger at an Islamist attacker who randomly stabbed innocent people here in this town."

The attack came a day after Vice President JD Vance rebuked European leaders at the Munich Security Conference over mass migration, as well as crackdowns on free speech. 

As authorities revealed the alleged "Islamic terror motive," Austria's far-right leader Herbert Kickl, whose party won a national election four months ago, called for "a rigorous crackdown on asylum" in the wake of the attack.

Kickl wrote on X Saturday that he is "appalled by the horrific act in Villach."

"At the same time, I am angry – angry at those politicians who have allowed stabbings, rapes, gang wars and other capital crimes to become the order of the day in Austria. This is a first-class failure of the system, for which a young man in Villach has now had to pay with his life," Kickl said.

"From Austria to the EU – the wrong rules are in force everywhere. Nobody is allowed to challenge them, everything is declared sacrosanct," he said, adding that his party had outlined what he viewed as necessary changes to immigration laws in its election platform.

The suspect is charged with murder and attempted murder. Austrian police said the suspect recorded himself pledging allegiance to IS, according to Reuters. 

State police director Michaela Kohlweiß said authorities searched the suspect’s apartment with sniffer dogs and found IS flags on the walls. 

No weapons or dangerous objects were found, she added, but police seized mobile telephones. Police were investigating whether the suspect had any accomplices.

"The current picture is that of a lone perpetrator," Kohlweiß said, according to the AP. 

Carinthia State Gov. Peter Kaiser thanked another Syrian national, a 42-year-old man working for a food delivery company, who drove toward the suspect and helped prevent the situation from getting worse. 

SUSPECT IN MUNICH CAR ATTACK HAD 'ISLAMIST MOTIVATION,' PROSECUTOR SAYS

"This shows how closely terrorist evil but also human good can be united in one and the same nationality," Kaiser said. 

The mayor of Villach, Guenther Albel, said the attack was a "stab in the heart of the city."

Austrian conservative party leader Christian Stocker said on X that the attacker "must be brought to justice and be punished with the full force of the law."

"We all want to live in a safe Austria, adding that this means political measures need to be taken to avoid such acts of horror in the future," he said.

The day before Vance visited the Munich Security Conference, an Afghan refugee on Thursday plowed a car into a crowd in the German city, injuring dozens of people, including a mother and her 2-year-old daughter, who later died. 

"The number of immigrants who entered the EU from non-EU countries doubled between 2021 and 2022 alone, and of course, it's gotten much higher since," Vance said Friday. "It's the result of a series of conscious decisions made by politicians all over the continent. Others across the world over the span of a decade. We saw the horrors wrought by these decisions yesterday in this very city. And of course, I can't bring it up again without thinking about the terrible victims who had a beautiful winter day in Munich ruined. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and will remain with them. But why did this happen in the first place?" 

"It's a terrible story, but it's one we've heard way too many times in Europe, and unfortunately too many times in the United States as well," Vance said. "An asylum seeker, often a young man in his mid-20s, already known to police, rams a car into a crowd and shatters a community. How many times must we suffer these appalling setbacks before we change course and take our shared civilization in a new direction?" 

The stabbing in Villach on Saturday marked what is believed to be the second deadly Islamic terror attack in Austria in recent years. In November 2020, a man who had previously attempted to join the Islamic State carried out a rampage in Vienna, armed with an automatic rifle and a fake explosive vest, killing four people before being fatally shot by police. Last August, Austrian authorities said they thwarted a planned attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna by a teenager who had also allegedly pledged allegiance to IS.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Iran is reported to have launched a new crackdown against Iranian Christians this month following the re-arrest of two men.

According to a Feb. 10 report on the website of the U.K.-based NGO Article18, which seeks to protect religious freedom in Iran, "Two Christians in their 60s who were released after a combined six years in prison on charges related to their leadership of house-churches have been re-arrested."

Iranian regime intelligence agents re-arrested the two Christians, Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh and Joseph Shahbazian, and incarcerated both men in Tehran’s brutal Evin Prison. Gol-Tapeh is reportedly on a hunger strike over "unlawful re-arrest," noted Article 18, which advocates on behalf of persecuted Iranian Christians.

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Article18 said a "number of other Tehran Christians were also arrested at the same time and remain in custody."

Iranian-Americans and Iranian dissidents are urging the Trump administration to shine a spotlight on the ubiquitous Iranian regime human rights violations while imposing punitive measures on the clerical state in Tehran.

Alireza Nader, an Iran expert, told Fox News Digital, "Christians in Iran are relentlessly persecuted by the Islamist regime. The Trump administration should highlight their plight publicly while putting maximum economic and diplomatic pressure on the regime."

Wahied Wahdat-Hagh, a German-Iranian political scientist, who is a leading expert on religious minorities in Iran, told Fox News Digital, according to the Christian advocacy organization OpenDoors 2025 annual report, "Christian discrimination in Iran remains extremely severe, scoring 86 out of 100 points and ranking 9th among the worst countries for Christian persecution."

He added, "The government views Christian converts as a threat to national security, believing they are influenced by Western nations to undermine Islam and the regime. As a result, Christian converts face severe religious freedom violations, including arrests [and] long prison sentences."

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Wahdat-Hagh continued, "Those who leave Islam to follow Christianity are the most vulnerable. They are denied legal recognition and are frequently targeted by security forces."

One Iranian Christian who fled Iran to Germany to practice her faith free from persecution is Sheina Vojoudi.

She told Fox News Digital, "As the belief in Islam keeps going down in Iran, the important growth of Christianity has deeply alarmed the Islamic Republic, a theocratic dictatorship. Iran has seen an outstanding rise in the number of Christian converts, despite the decidedly oppressive environment. International human rights groups often consider Christian converts to be political prisoners of conscience, meaning that even after arrest and release, they remain in constant danger of re-arrest and severe punishment."

The dire situation of Iranian Christians prompted the U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Mai Sato, to sound the alarm bells in a video presentation organized by Article 18. "The situation of Christians in the Islamic Republic of Iran is a matter of serious concern that demands our continued attention," she said.

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The most recent U.S. State Department report on religious freedom in Iran (2023) states, "The government continued to regulate Christian religious practices. Christian worship in Farsi was forbidden and official reports and state-run media continued to characterize private Christian churches in homes as ‘illegal networks’ and ‘Zionist propaganda institutions."’

The number of Christians in Iran is difficult to pinpoint because of the widespread repression of the faith. According to the State Department report, the Iranian regime’s Statistical Center claims there are 117,700 Christians of recognized denominations as of the 2016 census.

Boston University’s 2020 World Religion Database notes there are roughly 579,000 Christians in Iran, while Article 18 estimates there are 500,000 to 800,000. Open Doors reports the number at 1.24 million.

The Trump administration re-imposed, in early February, its maximum economic pressure campaign on Iran’s regime to reverse Tehran’s drive to build a nuclear weapon and stop its spread of Islamist terrorism.

Vojoudi, an associate fellow at the U.S.-based Gold Institute for International Strategy, told Fox News Digital, "Now is the time for European nations and the United States to take meaningful action, not only by holding the Islamic Republic accountable for its support of terrorism and extremist groups, but also by prosecuting it on the international stage for violating one of the most fundamental human rights: the freedom of religion.

"This is critical not only for the safety of Christian converts but also to reaffirm the values of freedom and human dignity that these nations claim to uphold." 

Multiple Fox News Digital press queries to Iran’s foreign ministry and its U.N. mission in New York were not returned. Fox News Digital asked if the government would release Iranians imprisoned for merely practicing their Christian faith.

As President Donald Trump's administration works toward a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine, the leaders of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) are warning that Vladimir Putin's Russia believes it's actually fighting a "holy war" against the West.

A delegation from the OCU was in the United States recently for the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C. The group was led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphany, leader of Kyiv and all of Ukraine.

His translator spoke to Fox News about the spiritual war raging between Russia and Ukraine, which has played a big role in why the battle began and continues to escalate.

HEAD OF EASTERN ORTHODOXY CONDEMNS PUTIN, RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

His eminence Metropolitan Yevstratiy, the deputy head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine's external church relations, says of Russia, "From the point of religious view, this is a liberation of Ukrainians from [the] Godless West, from the evil. And Russia brings to Ukraine the light and truth."

Yevstratiy, and other church watchers like Catholic intellectual George Weigel, have accused the Russian Orthodox Church of being nothing more than an arm of the Kremlin, dressed in religious vestments but doing Putin's bidding.

Writing in the magazine First Things, Weigel noted "… Ukraine mounted and sustained a fierce resistance that denied Russia the quick victory Putin anticipated in February 2022, Russian justifications for the war began to take on a new coloration: The war was now a crusade in defense of Christian civilization."

On Lighthouse Faith podcast, Yevstratiy recalled how at the start of the war, Moscow's Patriarch Kirill sermonized to Russian soldiers fighting against Ukraine that if they die in battle they would immediately go to paradise… all sins forgiven. Even to an outsider looking at the complexity of Orthodox Christianity, that sounds more like 'Political Jihad' than the Gospel.

In 2019, Ukraine's Orthodox Church was granted independence from the Russian Orthodox Church by the ecumenical patriarch in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). It caused an uproar in Moscow. Kirill and Putin refused to recognize the authority of Patriarch Bartholomew.

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Yevstratiy also revealed a scarier version of the war in Ukraine. He says Putin's ultimate goal is more than the reunification of the Soviet Union, or the defense of Christian civilization. It's actually more apocalyptic. He's focused on ushering in the third and final Rome.... in Moscow, which means, labeling the rest of Christianity, Catholics and Protestants alike... as heretics and pagans.

Describing the inner workings of the Orthodox churches may seem a little like 'inside baseball'.  But these are the oldest churches of Christianity. They emerged from the five ancient churches led by the apostles who knew Jesus personally.

The apostle Andrew went to the east in Constantinople; Mark to Alexandria (Egypt); Peter to Antioch (Rome); James to Jerusalem, and Barnabas to Cyprus.  From these men, along with the itinerant Apostle Paul, Christianity spread throughout the globe. So, this conflict between Russia and Ukraine has deep spiritual roots. And Putin knows it.

Yestratiy and Epiphany were present at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. and heard President Trump declare his desire to be a peacemaker.

Vestratiy said, "We pray and we ask God Almighty to bless this very good and Christian desire."

Adding, "May God bless Ukraine. May God bless America."

The full interview is on Lauren Green's Lighthouse Faith podcast, available on Apple, Spotify and here.