The Inner Circle (TIC) was established by a concerned group Muslims in 1996 as an underground social and support group. It started out at the house of Imam Muhsin Hendricks in the form halqaat (study circles). These study circles have now been incorporated into the Internation Personal Empowerment Program and have proven to be very successful in helping Muslims who are queer to reconcile Islam with their sexuality. In 2004 TIC was officially registered as a Not for Profit Human Rights Organization.

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 Inner Circle works internationally and supports international affiliate organizations to do similar work, within an Islamic framework. The Inner Circle empowers and raises consciousness amongst Muslims and assists sexually diverse Muslims to reconcile Islam with their sexuality. TIC employs independent reasoning to create a paradigm shift in the Muslim community, locally, nationally and internationally.

The Inner Circle’s existence, work and intervention encourage dialogue and is a vehicle towards integrating Islamic Rights with Human Rights. This enables the organization to achieve its vision, which is to transform society into one that is inter-connected and inclusive of different faiths and beliefs, gender and sexual diversity.