Now, finally, the C of E award ceremony farce has made the headlines. The BBC, even:
The Archbishop of Canterbury has withdrawn an award given to a Muslim cleric who praised Osama Bin Laden.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.
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.
Ashrafi also reportedly said he would give Bin Laden the title Saifullah, which means “Sword of God”. He told the BBC his remarks had been “totally taken out of 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”.
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.
And lead article in the Times – where the comments are not kind. The Archbishop will be hard-pressed to live this one down.
Leave a Reply