Archbishop of Canterbury Withdraws Interfaith Award From Muslim Cleric Over Osama Bin Laden Praise

The Archbishop of Canterbury has officially withdrawn an interfaith award given to a prominent Muslim cleric after it emerged he had previously praised Osama Bin Laden, according to reporting by BBC religion editor Aleem Maqbool.

Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi was originally presented with the award for reconciliation and interfaith cooperation by Dame Sarah Mullally. The ceremony took place last week, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, which claimed nearly 3,000 lives.

Following the presentation, Lambeth Palace faced significant public backlash after historical comments surfaced showing Ashrafi had praised Bin Laden—the architect of the 2001 attacks—describing him as someone who had fought for Islam against foreign military forces. In response to the growing controversy, Lambeth Palace issued a statement confirming the reversal: "Comments made by Imam Ashrafi have come to light that have led [us] to reconsider this award and we can now confirm that the award has been withdrawn."

When the award was initially presented, the Archbishop's office praised Ashrafi for his work as an ambassador of interfaith harmony in Pakistan and his purported commitment to promoting religious tolerance.

In an interview with the BBC, Ashrafi defended his historical remarks, asserting that they had been "totally taken out of context" and characterizing the subsequent backlash as "an unfair campaign" against him. He explained that his 2007 comments were made in response to what he described as hurt felt by many Muslims over the British knighthood awarded to author Sir Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses. Ashrafi reportedly stated in 2007 that he would give Bin Laden the title Saifullah, meaning "Sword of God," though he defended his comparative remarks despite the association with the deaths of thousands of people.

Criticism of the award selection extended beyond Ashrafi's statements regarding Bin Laden. In highlighting his qualifications for the honor, Lambeth Palace had previously pointed to Ashrafi's intervention in the 2012 case of Rimsha Masih, a young Christian girl in Pakistan who had been falsely accused of blasphemy.

However, human rights organizations and critics pointed out that Ashrafi has otherwise been a strong supporter of Pakistan's strict blasphemy laws. According to reporting referenced by the BBC, approximately 2,000 people have been prosecuted under these laws since the late 1980s. These prosecutions have disproportionately affected Pakistan's minority Christian and Ahmadi communities, as well as a large number of majority Sunni Muslims.

While Ashrafi has defended the legislation by claiming the laws actually save lives by preventing citizens from taking matters into their own hands, human rights monitors strongly disagree. Human Rights Watch stated last year that Pakistan's blasphemy laws perpetuate religious discrimination, noting they are frequently utilized to target the poor and marginalized communities in unlawful evictions and property disputes. The organization has urged the Pakistani government to enact urgent legal reforms to prevent the laws from being weaponized against vulnerable groups.