Archbishop of Canterbury revokes award from Pakistani cleric who praised Osama bin Laden

The Archbishop of Canterbury withdrew on Thursday an award given to a Muslim cleric who praised Osama bin Laden in comments he made in 2007.

Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, a Muslim cleric from Pakistan, received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation at Lambeth Palace, the residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, last Friday.

Ashrafi serves as the chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, an Islamic umbrella group composed of Islamic scholars from a wide spectrum of Islamic traditions.

The Archbishop’s office said that Ashrafi was being honored for “his outstanding work as an ambassador of interfaith harmony in Pakistan, known for his commitment to promoting religious tolerance.”

The statement continued to praise Ashrafi’s role in supporting “religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly the Christian community.”

Bin Laden was 'fighting for Islam'

The ceremony coincided with the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City. Lambeth Palace announced the withdrawal of the award after Ashrafi's comments resurfaced.

Comments made by Ashrafi emerged from 2007, in which he praised bin Laden, the architect of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as someone who had “been fighting for Islam against the Russians, Americans, and British,” and in a different instance said he would give bin Laden the title “Saifullah,” meaning “sword of God.”

Lambeth Palace faced backlash over the resurfaced comments and announced it would withdraw the award.

“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,” Lambeth Palace announced.

“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to light that have led Lambeth Palace to reconsider this award, and we can now confirm today that the award has been withdrawn. We have contacted Imam Ashrafi to make him aware of this decision,” the statement continued.

'An unfair campaign' against him

In a statement to the BBC, Ashrafi told reporters that his comments from 2007  had been “totally taken out of context” and the subsequent outcry was “an unfair campaign” aimed at smearing him.

Ashrafi said he made the comments in response to “the hurt felt by many Muslims” after the British government’s decision to knight the “Satanic Verses” author Salman Rushdie.

Ashrafi has also been criticized since the award was first announced for his support of the Pakistani blasphemy laws, which have been criticized by human rights groups.

Ashrafi claimed the laws actually “save lives” by stopping people from taking matters of religious offenses into their own hands.

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.”

The group also called on Pakistan’s government to reform the laws to prevent them from “being weaponized” against any of Pakistan's minority communities.