Archbishop of Canterbury withdraws award from Muslim cleric after past Osama bin Laden praise surfaces

The Archbishop of Canterbury's office has withdrawn the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation, which was presented to Pakistani cleric Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi last week. The decision followed the emergence of past comments in which the cleric praised Osama bin Laden, the architect of the 9/11 attacks. Lambeth Palace stated that it reconsidered the award after these remarks came to light. The award had initially been granted in recognition of Ashrafi's reported support for religious minorities in Pakistan. According to the BBC, Ashrafi stated in 2007 that bin Laden had been fighting for Islam against Western powers and referred to him as 'Saifullah,' or 'Sword of God.' In response, Ashrafi claimed his remarks were taken out of context and described the backlash as an 'unfair campaign,' asserting that his comments were made in 2007 as a reaction to the British government's decision to knight Salman Rushdie.