by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
LONDON/ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) – The Archbishop of Canterbury has withdrawn an interfaith award from a prominent Pakistani Muslim cleric who praised Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Dame Sarah Mullally, senior bishop of the Church of England and a leader of the 85-million-strong worldwide Anglican Communion in 165 countries, revoked the honor shortly after Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi received it at Lambeth Palace, the archbishop’s official residence in London.
Ashrafi, chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, was presented with the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation on September 11, the 25th anniversary of the attacks in the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people.
In a statement seen by Worthy News, Lambeth Palace initially said the award had been given for Ashrafi’s “longstanding support for religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly the Christian community,” adding that his work was valued by many Pakistani Christians, including the country’s Anglican Church.
However, the archbishop’s office faced a backlash after comments Ashrafi made in 2007 resurfaced, in which he spoke favorably of bin Laden, who was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan in 2011.
AWARD WITHDRAWN
Ashrafi reportedly said he would give bin Laden the title “Saifullah,” meaning “Sword of God,” for what he described as his service to Muslims through fighting their perceived enemies.
The remarks prompted Lambeth Palace to reconsider the honor. “Previous comments made by Imam Ashrafi have come to light that have led Lambeth Palace to reconsider this award and we can now confirm today that the award has been withdrawn,” it said in remarks obtained by Worthy News.
“We have contacted Imam Ashrafi to make him aware of this decision,” Lambeth Palace added.
Lambeth Palace stressed that engaging across profound disagreements remained central to interfaith relations. “It is a longstanding principle of interfaith dialogue and co-operation that we must engage with one another across deeply-held differences, and that remains the case.”
Ashrafi rejected the criticism, saying his remarks had been “totally taken out of context” and describing the backlash as an “unfair campaign” against him.
CLERIC DEFENDS REMARKS
He said the comments were made during protests in Pakistan in 2007 over Britain’s decision to grant a knighthood to Salman Rushdie, whose novel “The Satanic Verses” had angered many Muslims worldwide.
Ashrafi said he had been responding to “the hurt felt by many Muslims” over the honor and maintained that the proposed title for bin Laden was never actually bestowed.
The controversy has also renewed scrutiny of Ashrafi’s support for Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which rights groups say have frequently been misused against Christians and other religious minorities.
Lambeth Palace had specifically cited Ashrafi’s intervention in the 2012 case of Rimsha Masih, a young Christian girl who was falsely accused of blasphemy.
Ashrafi publicly condemned the case against Masih and supported action against a Muslim cleric accused of planting evidence against her.
BLASPHEMY LAW CONCERNS
Yet Ashrafi has defended Pakistan’s blasphemy laws more broadly, arguing that they can “save lives” by preventing people from taking matters into their own hands.
Advocacy group Human Rights Watch has reached a sharply different conclusion, saying the laws perpetuate religious discrimination and have been used to target poor people and religious minorities, including in unlawful evictions and land grabs.
An estimated 2,000 people have faced prosecution under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws since the late 1980s, with Christians and members of the Ahmadi religious minority disproportionately represented among those accused, although Muslims have also faced prosecution.
Lambeth Palace stressed it would continue its support for Christians and those seeking better relations between religious communities in the predominantly Muslim nation.
“We continue to pray for the Christian community in Pakistan, and for all those working for interfaith dialogue and harmony in Pakistan and around the world.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
