The Church of England has withdrawn an interfaith award from a Pakistani Muslim cleric after past comments praising Osama bin Laden resurfaced.
Lambeth Palace announced Thursday that it had rescinded the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation presented to Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Sept. 11.
Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally had presented the honor to Ashrafi on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The cleric had been recognized for his support for religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly Christians.
“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,” stated the residence.
“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to light that have led Lambeth Palace to reconsider this award and we can now confirm today that the award has been withdrawn.”
Ashrafi was among 27 recipients of this year’s Lambeth Awards, which recognize contributions to the Church of England, the wider Anglican Communion or society. He received the honor during a ceremony in the Great Hall at Lambeth Palace last Friday.
Reports later highlighted remarks Ashrafi made in 2007 in which he described Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as someone who had “been fighting for Islam against the Russians, Americans and British” and said he would have given him the title of “Sword of God.”
The comments reportedly came amid controversy over Queen Elizabeth II’s decision to knight British author Salman Rushdie.
Ashrafi told the BBC that his remarks about bin Laden were “totally taken out of context” and part of “an unfair campaign” against him.
He has also faced criticism for supporting Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which have been used against Christians and members of other religious minorities.
