The Archbishop of Canterbury's office has withdrawn an interfaith award given to a Muslim cleric after past comments praising Osama bin Laden surfaced. Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation at Lambeth Palace last Friday, during a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Lambeth Palace announced the reversal on Thursday, stating that previous comments made by Ashrafi had "come to light" and led them to reconsider the award. In a statement, Lambeth Palace said that while it is committed to engaging with others across deeply-held differences, Ashrafi's past comments had caused them to withdraw the award.
The award had been given to Ashrafi for his "longstanding support for religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly the Christian community." However, the BBC reported in 2007 that Ashrafi had praised bin Laden, saying he had been fighting for Islam against the Russians, Americans, and British. Ashrafi had also referred to bin Laden as "Saifullah," meaning "Sword of God."
Lambeth Palace has contacted Ashrafi to inform him of the decision to withdraw the award. The office continues to "pray for the Christian community in Pakistan, and for all those working for interfaith dialogue and harmony in Pakistan and around the world."
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