The Aporia · First female Archbishop of Canterbury revokes award she gave on 9/11 to Muslim cleric who praised bin Laden

First female Archbishop of Canterbury revokes award she gave on 9/11 to Muslim cleric who praised bin Laden

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Blair, A. (2026, September 21). First female Archbishop of Canterbury revokes award she gave on 9/11 to Muslim cleric who praised bin Laden. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/21/world-news/archbishop-of-canterbury-withdraws-award-she-gave-on-9-11-to-muslim-cleric-who-praised-bin-laden/

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Quick Summary

Archbishop Sarah Mullally revoked an award she gave to Pakistani cleric Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi after his past comments praising Osama bin Laden resurfaced. The event occurred on the 25th anniversary of September 11 during a ceremony at Lambeth Palace, where Ashrafi was honored for promoting religious tolerance. However, it emerged that Ashrafi had previously referred to bin Laden as deserving of the title "sword of God" and praised him for fighting against Russia, America, and Britain. In response, Lambeth Palace withdrew the award without issuing an apology but stated they would continue engaging in interfaith dialogue despite differences.

Written by AI on 2026-09-21, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The core issue highlighted across these articles is the Archbishop of Canterbury's decision to withdraw an award given to a prominent Muslim cleric from Pakistan named Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi. The reason for this withdrawal was that it came to light that Ashrafi had praised Osama bin Laden in the past, even giving him a title of honor.

Key points

The incident occurred on September 11, coinciding with the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Ashrafi received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation from Archbishop Sarah Mullally at Lambeth Palace.
In 2007, Ashrafi had stated that bin Laden was being given "the highest title for a Muslim warrior" by his group in protest of Salman Rushdie's knighthood.
The decision to withdraw the award came after criticism and backlash over this past comment from Ashrafi.

The main controversy stems from

The timing of the award ceremony on 9/11
The contradiction between promoting interfaith harmony while praising a figure responsible for large-scale attacks against Western nations
Questions about vetting procedures before presenting such prestigious awards

This incident highlights tensions and challenges in interfaith relations, especially regarding historical context and the potential consequences of past statements. It also raises questions about how religious leaders should balance respect for diverse views with addressing extreme or controversial positions within their faith communities.

Written for “Archbishop Withdraws Controversial Award” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 8 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

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Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

0 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

withheld

no quote in the article backed the model's score

Publisher signals

66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Politics

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Anthony Blair

90 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 90 articles by Anthony Blair →

Claims (15 extracted, 0 hedged)

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. asserted

he → force → 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. asserted

Mullally → hold → 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. asserted

Ashrafi → receive → 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. asserted

office → give → time

But following the ceremony, comments Ashrafi made in 2007 resurfaced, in which he praised bin Laden. asserted

he → follow → Laden

Ashrafi called the 9/11 architect someone who had “been fighting for Islam against the Russians, Americans, and British,” and described the infamous terrorist on another occasion as deserving of the title “Saifullah,” or “sword of God.” asserted

who → call → God

He has also faced criticism for his support of Pakistan’s medieval blasphemy laws, which were condemned by Human Rights Watch last year for “perpetuating religious discrimination, and … targeting the poor and minorities in unlawful evictions and land grabs.” asserted

which → face → evictions

But Ashrafi claimed the laws “save lives” by stopping people taking religious offenses into their own hands. asserted

laws → claim → hands

Lambeth Palace revoked Ashrafi’s honor on Thursday, issuing a statement but no apology. asserted

Palace → revoke → statement

“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,” the statement read. asserted

statement → engage → differences

“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. asserted

award → make → award

We have contacted Imam Ashrafi to make him aware of this decision,” the statement said. asserted

statement → contact → decision

Ashrafi said his comments had been “totally taken out of context,” claiming the outcry was “an unfair campaign” aimed at smearing him, in a statement to BBC News. asserted

outcry → say → News

He claimed he made the comments in response to “the hurt felt by many Muslims” after the British government issued a knighthood to Salman Rushdie, author of the “Satanic Verses.” asserted

government → claim → Verses

Neither Lambeth Palace nor Ashrafi responded immediately to requests for comment. asserted

Palace → respond → comment

First female Archbishop of Canterbury revokes award she gave on 9/11 to Muslim cleric who praised bin Laden

Quick Summary

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Claims (15 extracted, 0 hedged)