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The Archbishop of Canterbury withdrew an award given last week to Muslim cleric Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi after it was revealed that Ashrafi had praised Osama bin Laden in 2007. The controversy arose when it came to light that Ashrafi referred to Bin Laden as someone who "had been fighting for Islam against the Russians, Americans and British," despite his office's claim that he was honored for promoting interfaith harmony and religious tolerance. Critics also pointed out that Ashrafi supports Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which Human Rights Watch says are used to discriminate against minorities and target marginalized communities.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The articles you've shared highlight a significant controversy involving the Archbishop of Canterbury's office and a Muslim cleric named Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi. Here are key points to summarize:
- Context: The incident occurred during the 25th anniversary ceremony of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.
- Initial Award: On this date, the Archbishop's office bestowed upon Ashrafi an award called the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation at Lambeth Palace.
- Past Controversial Statements:
- In June 2007, Ashrafi praised Osama Bin Laden, calling him a "Muslim warrior" who was fighting against the Russians, Americans, and British.
- He stated they were awarding Bin Laden their highest title for a Muslim warrior as a reaction to Salman Rushdie being knighted by Britain.
- Withdrawal of Award: The Archbishop's office withdrew this award after these statements came to light.
- Public Reaction: This decision sparked significant backlash and criticism, especially due to the timing (9/11 anniversary).
- Official Statement: Lambeth Palace acknowledged that they were reconsidering the award following the revelation of Ashrafi's past comments. They stated it is crucial for interfaith dialogue but must be done while respecting deeply-held differences.
- Other Concerns: Some articles mention other controversial statements made by Ashrafi, such as supporting Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and referring to those killed in NATO operations as "freedom fighters."
- International Response: This incident received coverage from major news outlets around the world, reflecting its significance beyond just religious circles.
In essence, this controversy highlights challenges in interfaith dialogue when past statements or actions of a religious leader come into conflict with widely accepted norms and values regarding terrorism and human rights.
Written for “Archbishop Withdraws Controversial Award” on 2026-09-18,
grounded in this article and the 7 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but none of the 2 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 17016: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-18
- Published
The Archbishop of Canterbury has withdrawn an award given to a Muslim cleric who praised Osama Bin Laden.
asserted
who → publish → Laden
Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi received the award for reconciliation and interfaith cooperation from Dame Sarah Mullally last week, on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
asserted
Ashrafi → receive → attacks
Lambeth Palace faced a backlash after it emerged Ashrafi praised Bin Laden - the architect of the 2001 attacks - as someone who had "been fighting for Islam against the Russians, Americans and British", in comments from 2007.
asserted
who → face → 2007
Ashrafi also reportedly said he would give Bin Laden the title Saifullah, which means "Sword of God".
uncertain
which → say → God
He told the BBC his remarks had been "totally taken out of context".
asserted
remarks → tell → context
In presenting the award last week, the Archbishop's office said Ashrafi was being honoured for "his outstanding work as an ambassador of interfaith harmony in Pakistan, known for his commitment to promoting religious tolerance".
asserted
Ashrafi → present → tolerance
His award was presented by Dame Sarah in a ceremony that coincided with the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the US in which nearly 3,000 people were killed.
asserted
people → present → which
Ashrafi told the BBC that his remarks had been "totally taken out of context" and the backlash had been "an unfair campaign" against him.
asserted
backlash → tell → him
He said that he was only speaking about Bin Laden in 2007 in response to "the hurt felt by many Muslims" over a knighthood being awarded to the Satanic Verses author Sir Salman Rushdie.
asserted
knighthood → say → author
But he defended the comparison he made between an author and a man who was behind the deaths of thousands of people.
asserted
who → defend → people
Criticism of Ashrafi has gone beyond his comments about Bin Laden.
asserted
Criticism → go → Laden
In giving him his award for promoting interfaith harmony last week, Lambeth Palace had cited the fact that Ashrafi had intervened in the 2012 case of Rimsha Masih, a young Christian girl in Pakistan falsely accused of blasphemy.
But Ashrafi has otherwise been supportive of Pakistan's blasphemy laws that have led to an estimated 2000 people being prosecuted since the late 1980s.
asserted
people → give → 1980s
They include a disproportionately high number of Pakistan's minority Christians and Ahmadis in particular, but many majority Sunni Muslims too.
asserted
They → include → Christians
Ashrafi claimed the blasphemy laws actually "save lives", stopping people taking matters into their own hands.
asserted
people → claim → hands
But Human Rights Watch said last year that "the laws perpetuate religious discrimination and are used to target the poor and minorities in unlawful evictions and land grabs".
asserted
laws → say → evictions
The organisation has called on the Pakistani government to urgently reform the laws to prevent them "being weaponised to [...] attack marginalised communities".
asserted
them → call → communities
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