The Archbishop of Canterbury has been forced to revoke an award she gave to a Muslim cleric after it emerged he had praised Osama bin Laden.
Sarah Mullally, 64, the first woman to ever hold the title of leader of the global Anglican church, had given the award to the controversial Pakistani cleric on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks .
Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, chairman of the Islamic umbrella group, the Pakistan Ulema Council, received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation during a ceremony at Lambeth Palace in south London, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s official residence.
Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally presents an interfaith award to Pakistani cleric Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, with his wife pictured center, on Sept. 11, 2026. Archbishop of Canterbury He was given the award for “his outstanding work as an ambassador of interfaith harmony in Pakistan, known for his commitment to promoting religious tolerance,” the Archbishop’s office said at the time.
But following the ceremony, comments Ashrafi made in 2007 resurfaced, in which he praised bin Laden.
Ashrafi called the 9/11 architect someone who h...