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The Archbishop of Canterbury has retracted an award previously given to a Muslim cleric following controversy over his past praise of Osama Bin Laden. Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi had been honored last week by Dame Sarah Mullally for his efforts in reconciliation and interfaith cooperation, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
After it emerged that Ashrafi had made commendatory remarks about Bin Laden in 2007, describing him as someone who “had been fighting for Islam against the Russians, Americans and British,” Lambeth Palace faced significant criticism. Ashrafi also reportedly stated that he would bestow the title Saifullah—meaning “Sword of God”—on Bin Laden. He defended himself by telling the BBC that his statements were “totally taken out of context.”
In light of these revelations, Lambeth Palace announced that it has reconsidered the award and confirmed its withdrawal. At the original ceremony, the Archbishop’s office had praised Ashrafi for his “outstanding work as an ambassador of interfaith harmony in Pakistan” and his dedication to promoting religious tolerance. The award was presented by Dame Sarah during an event marking the anniversary of the attacks in which nearly 3,000 people lost their lives.
The backlash extends beyond Ashrafi’s comments about Bin Laden. Although Lambeth Palace highlighted his intervention in the 2012 case of Rimsha Masih, a young Christian girl falsely accused of blasphemy in Pakistan, Ashrafi has also been a supporter of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. These laws have been used to prosecute an estimated 2,000 people since the late 1980s, disproportionately affecting minority Christians, Ahmadis, and even some Sunni Muslims. Ashrafi has defended the laws by claiming they “save lives” by preventing vigilante justice. However, Human Rights Watch has criticized the laws as perpetuating religious discrimination and being exploited to target marginalized communities through unlawful evictions and land grabs. They have urged the Pakistani government to urgently reform these laws to stop such abuses
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