Lambeth Palace Withdraws Award to Pakistani Cleric

Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally presented Pakistani cleric Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi with the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation at Lambeth Palace on September 11, the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Critics condemned the decision after reports resurfaced that Ashrafi and the Pakistan Ulema Council had praised Osama bin Laden in 2007 and awarded him the title “Saifullah,” or “Sword of Allah,” in response to Salman Rushdie’s knighthood. Terrorism survivors, politicians and Christian campaigners called the award a serious misjudgment and urged Mullally to apologize and meet victims. Lambeth Palace subsequently withdrew the award, while saying Ashrafi’s longstanding support for religious minorities, including Pakistan’s Christian community, had been valued by local Christians. The controversy has raised questions about the Church of England’s vetting of award recipients and the balance between recognizing interfaith work and addressing past extremist rhetoric.