The Archbishop of Canterbury’s office has withdrawn an interfaith award presented to a Muslim cleric after past remarks surfaced in which he praised Osama bin Laden.
Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi accepted the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation at Lambeth Palace last Friday. The ceremony took place as the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks was being marked.
Lambeth Palace announced Thursday that it had reversed the decision after earlier comments by Ashrafi “came to light,” prompting a review of the award.
“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,” Lambeth Palace said in a statement.
Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally presented Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi with the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation at Lambeth Palace. The honor was later withdrawn. (Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty Images)
“However, 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to light that have led Lambeth Palace to reconsider this award and we can now confirm today that the award has been withdrawn,” the statement said. “We have contacted Imam Ashrafi to make him aware of this decision.”
Lambeth Palace said it would 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.”
The palace said Ashrafi had originally been selected for the award because of his “longstanding support for religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly the Christian community.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s office withdrew an interfaith award presented to Pakistani cleric Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi after scrutiny of his previous remarks. (Neil Turner / Lambeth Palace)
The BBC reported that Ashrafi said in 2007 that bin Laden, the architect of the 9/11 attacks, had “been fighting for Islam against the Russians, Americans and British.”
Ashrafi also told the BBC that he would bestow on bin Laden the title “Saifullah,” which means “Sword of God.”
Ashrafi maintained that his comments had been “totally taken out of context” and called the criticism an “unfair campaign.”
He said the remarks were made in 2007 in response to “the hurt felt by many Muslims” after the British government knighted Salman Rushdie, the author of “The Satanic Verses.”
Britain’s new Archbishop of Canterbury-designate, Sarah Mullally, speaks after her appointment was announced at Canterbury Cathedral in southeast England on Oct. 3, 2025. (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)
When the award was presented last week, the Archbishop’s office said Ashrafi was being recognized for “his outstanding work as an ambassador of interfaith harmony in Pakistan, known for his commitment to promoting religious tolerance.”
