Lambeth Palace has withdrawn a high-profile honor from Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi, a cleric from Pakistan. the retraction occurred after it emerged that Ashrafi had lauded Osama bin Laden as the "Sword of God."
The Hubert Walter Award and the failure of due diligence
The Church of England recently bestowed the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Co-operation upon Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi during a ceremony at Lambeth Palace. According to the report, the award was intended to recognize contributions to promoting harmonious relationships between different religious groups. However, the honor was rescinded shortly after it was granted following significant political pressure and public outcry.
The controversy erupted when Tory MP Nick Timothy uncovered a history of provocative statements made by the 68-year-old cleric. As the report says, the award was unceremoniously withdrawn on Saturday evening after Lambeth Palace spent several hours "urgently reviewing" the matter. The timing of the event was particularly sensitive, as the ceremony took place on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The 2007 'Sword of God' title and the Salman Rushdie knighthood
The primary catalyst for the retraction was Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi's explicit praise for Osama bin Laden.. In 2007, Ashrafi responded to the British government's decision to knight author Salman Rushdie by awarding bin Laden the title of Saifullah, or "Sword of God." In interviews with AFP and Reuters, Ashrafi argued that if a "blasphemer" like Rushdie could be knighted by the West, then a mujahid fighting against the British, Americans, and Russians deserved the highest title for a Muslim warrior.
These statements stand in stark contrast to the criteria for the Hubert Walter Award. The fact that Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi had previously told the BBC that he had met bin Laden "many times" suggests a level of association that contradicts the spirit of interfaith reconciliation. The Church of England's failure to identify these public records before inviting Ashrafi to London points to a systemic lapse in the vetting process for the Lambeth Awards.
Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi's leadership of the Ulema Council
Beyond his comments on bin Laden, Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi has spent decades as the chair of Pakistan's all-male Ulema Council. This body of Muslim scholars is responsible for issuing pronouncements on whether government policies and social customs align with Islamic law.. The report notes that Ashrafi's history of intolerant remarks through this platform has often achieved the opposite of the interfaith harmony the Church of England sought to celebrate .
This incident echoes a broader tension within global religious diplomacy, where the desire for inclusive representation sometimes leads institutions to overlook extremist rhetoric.. By honoring the head of the Ulema Council, Lambeth Palace inadvertently signaled an endorsement of a figure whose public record is defined by provocation rather than the reconciliation the award represents.
The contradiction between Sarah Mullally's feminism and the Lambeth guest list
The ceremony was presided over by Archbishop Sarah Mullally, who opened the event with a speech focusing on injustice, poverty, and the "climate emergency." However, the imagery from the event created a jarring juxtaposition; the Archbishop,who describes herself as a "feminist" and has pledged to fight misogyny, was photographed alongside Ashrafi and a woman dressed in a niqab. This tableau sparked social media criticism regarding the alignment of the Archbishop's stated values with her choice of guests.
Several critical questions remain regarding the administration of the Lambeth Awards. Specifically, it is unclear what exact vetting protocols were followed—or ignored—before Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi was selected. Additionally, the Church of England failed to identify the other guests in the official photo captions, leaving the identities of those accompanying the cleric unknown. Finally, it remains unclear if the Archbishop's office was aware of the Ulema Council's specific pronouncements prior to the event.
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