Archbishop withdraws award from Muslim cleric who praised Bin Laden
The Archbishop of Canterbury has rescinded an interfaith award given to Pakistani cleric Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi following backlash over his past praise for Osama Bin Laden. Ashrafi claims his 2007 comments were taken out of context, but the Church decided to withdraw the honor in light of the controversy.
Why it matters
The incident underscores the complexities of interfaith diplomacy and the reputational risks institutions face when vetting international figures for awards.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Aleem Maqbool Religion editor PA Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, left, is pictured accepting his award from Dame Sarah Mullally The Archbishop of Canterbury has withdrawn an award given to a Muslim cleric who praised Osama Bin Laden.
Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi received the award for reconciliation and interfaith cooperation from Dame Sarah Mullally last week, on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Lambeth Palace faced a backlash after it emerged Ashrafi praised Bin Laden - the architect of the 2001 attacks - as someone who had "been fighting for Islam against the Russians, Americans and British", in comments from 2007.
Ashrafi also reportedly said he would give Bin Laden the title Saifullah, which means "Sword of God". He told the BBC his remarks had been "totally taken out of context".
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