Lambeth Palace revokes award from Pakistani cleric over Bin Laden remarks

Lambeth Palace has withdrawn the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation from Pakistani cleric Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi. The award was presented by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, on September 11, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The decision follows public backlash after remarks made by Ashrafi in 2007 resurfaced. During his tenure as chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, Ashrafi had suggested conferring the title ‘Saifullah’ (meaning ‘Sword of God’) upon Osama bin Laden. He had stated the title would be for bin Laden ‘serving Muslims by waging jihad against infidels’ in response to the British government awarding a knighthood to author Salman Rushdie.

Ashrafi has defended his past comments, stating they were ‘totally taken out of context’ and were intended as an example to illustrate the level of offense felt by Muslims regarding the Rushdie honor. He maintained that the title was never actually bestowed.

While the award initially recognized Ashrafi’s work supporting religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly the Christian community, the Church of England stated that the emergence of these previous comments necessitated a reconsideration and subsequent revocation of the distinction.