The Archbishop of Canterbury’s office has withdrawn the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation given to Pakistani Muslim cleric Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi after earlier comments concerning Osama bin Laden came to light. Lambeth Palace confirmed the withdrawal on September 17, 2026, saying the award had been reconsidered in light of the previous comments.
Ashrafi had received the award at Lambeth Palace on September 11, 2026, for what the Archbishop’s office described as his longstanding support for religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly the Christian community. The controversy centres on remarks he made in 2007 during protests over Britain awarding Salman Rushdie a knighthood, when he spoke of giving Osama bin Laden the Islamic title “Saifullah,” meaning “Sword of God.” Ashrafi’s spokesperson has since argued that the remarks have been reported without their proper context.
Why was the Hubert Walter Award withdrawn?
The decision followed the resurfacing of Ashrafi’s 2007 comments. Lambeth Palace did not repeat the remarks in its withdrawal statement. Instead, it said that “previous comments” had come to light and that these had led it to reconsider the award. The Palace confirmed that Ashrafi had been contacted about the decision.
The timing became a significant part of the controversy. Ashrafi received the award on September 11, the 25th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. The ceremony was part of the 2026 Lambeth Awards, which recognised 27 people across five categories for contributions to the Church of England, the Anglican Communion and wider society.
The Hubert Walter Award was specifically intended to recognise reconciliation and cooperation between people of different faiths. Lambeth Palace said Ashrafi had been recognised for his longstanding support for religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly Christians, and said that work was valued by Christians in Pakistan, including members of its Anglican Church.
What did Tahir Ashrafi say about Osama bin Laden?
The remarks at the centre of the dispute date from 2007, when Ashrafi was associated with the Pakistan Ulema Council.
They came during controversy in Pakistan surrounding the British government’s decision to award Salman Rushdie a knighthood. Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses, had faced intense opposition from some Muslim leaders since the book’s publication.
According to reporting by PA cited by multiple outlets, Ashrafi responded by saying that bin Laden should receive the title Saifullah, translated as “Sword of God,” in response to Rushdie receiving the title “Sir.”
The remarks have subsequently been characterised in sharply different ways.
Critics have pointed to the language used about bin Laden and argued that it amounted to praise for the al-Qaeda leader. Ashrafi’s spokesperson, however, has said the comments were being presented without their proper context and that Ashrafi was using an example to express anger over the Rushdie knighthood rather than actually conferring an honour on bin Laden. The Independent reported that Ashrafi stressed the title was never formally bestowed.
That distinction is important when separating the documented statement from later interpretations of what Ashrafi intended by it.
Who is Tahir Ashrafi?
Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi is a Pakistani Muslim religious leader and chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, an organisation representing religious scholars.
Before the award was withdrawn, his work had been presented by Pakistani and international reports in the context of peacebuilding, religious dialogue, minority rights and opposition to sectarian violence. Pakistan’s state news agency reported that the Hubert Walter Award recognised his work on peace, religious harmony, minority rights and peaceful coexistence, as well as his stated opposition to extremism, terrorism and sectarian violence.
Ashrafi has also publicly spoken about minority rights in Pakistan. In statements following the award, he dedicated the recognition to people working for peace and interfaith harmony and said violence against Muslim or non-Muslim communities was unacceptable.
Those more recent activities formed the stated basis for the award. The controversy arose because of the earlier remarks that were subsequently brought to Lambeth Palace’s attention.
What was the Hubert Walter Award intended to recognise?
The Hubert Walter Award is one of the Lambeth Awards presented by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The award is named after Hubert Walter, who served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1193 until his death in 1205. The award category focuses specifically on reconciliation and interfaith cooperation.
The 2026 ceremony included recipients in five categories:
| Lambeth Award category | Area recognised |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Cross | Services to the Church of England |
| Cross of St Augustine | Services to the Anglican Communion |
| Hubert Walter Award | Reconciliation and interfaith cooperation |
| Langton Award | Community service |
| Lanfranc Award | Education and scholarship |
Ashrafi was one of the recipients of the Hubert Walter Award alongside other individuals recognised in the same category. The original award announcement described him as an ambassador for interfaith harmony in Pakistan.
Why the timing of the award drew particular attention
The award ceremony took place on September 11, 2026, exactly 25 years after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
That date gave the resurfaced 2007 remarks additional significance because bin Laden was the founder of al-Qaeda and was identified by the United States as responsible for the organisation behind the attacks. The juxtaposition of an interfaith award, the anniversary of September 11 and historical remarks about bin Laden prompted criticism after the comments became known.
The criticism also raised a separate question about the process used to assess award recipients: what historical statements or activities should be considered when an institution gives a public honour, and how should those records be weighed against later work?
Lambeth Palace’s withdrawal provides one answer in this particular case: the earlier comments were significant enough for the Archbishop’s office to reconsider and ultimately withdraw the honour.
What has Ashrafi said in response?
Ashrafi’s representatives have disputed the interpretation of the 2007 remarks.
According to reporting by RTÉ and The Independent, his spokesperson said the remarks were being presented without their proper context. The explanation given was that Ashrafi had been responding to the offence felt by many Muslims over Rushdie’s knighthood and was using bin Laden as a comparison rather than announcing a genuine award to him.
This explanation does not change the fact that the remarks were made, but it is relevant to understanding the disagreement over their meaning and intent.
Lambeth Palace did not publicly adjudicate that dispute in its September 17 statement. Its statement instead focused on the decision to withdraw the award and reaffirmed the broader principle of interfaith engagement.
What does the decision mean for interfaith dialogue?
The withdrawal illustrates a difficult tension in interfaith work: dialogue often involves engaging people with different beliefs and histories, but public institutions also have to decide which past statements are compatible with the honours they confer.
Lambeth Palace explicitly maintained that engaging across deeply held differences remains a principle of interfaith cooperation. At the same time, it concluded that Ashrafi’s previously made comments warranted withdrawing the particular award.
Those two positions are not necessarily contradictory. An institution can support dialogue with religious leaders while also deciding that a particular honour is inappropriate after reviewing a recipient’s public record.
The episode also demonstrates why the distinction between dialogue, endorsement and recognition matters. Speaking with someone does not necessarily constitute endorsement of every position they have held. An award, however, is a formal act of recognition, which can reasonably be scrutinised differently.
The unanswered question: how should public honours account for past remarks?
The immediate controversy has been resolved in one respect: Lambeth Palace has withdrawn Ashrafi’s Hubert Walter Award. The broader issue is more difficult.
Public institutions routinely assess people on the basis of their current work while also considering their historical record. The challenge becomes particularly pronounced when an individual’s more recent work on peace or interfaith cooperation exists alongside older statements that remain deeply controversial.
In this case, Lambeth Palace has acknowledged that the previous comments should have changed its assessment of the award. The episode therefore leaves a practical question for future honours: how thoroughly should institutions examine a recipient’s public record before presenting an award, and what standards should determine when historical remarks outweigh subsequent work?
For now, the documented position is clear. Ashrafi was honoured for his stated work promoting religious harmony and supporting minorities in Pakistan; his earlier comments about bin Laden later resurfaced; and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s office subsequently withdrew the award. The disagreement over how those 2007 remarks should be understood remains part of the story, but Lambeth Palace has made its decision.