Celebrated as a Peacemaker — Then His Past Came Back

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s office has withdrawn an award given to Pakistani cleric Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi after past comments about Osama bin Laden came to light.

Ashrafi had received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation, with Lambeth Palace praising his work as an ambassador of interfaith harmony. The award was presented on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

The controversy erupted after reports highlighted remarks from 2007 in which Ashrafi said he would give bin Laden the title “Saifullah” (“Sword of God”) during a dispute over the British knighthood awarded to writer Salman Rushdie.

Lambeth Palace said the award was revoked after “previous comments” by Ashrafi came to light. Ashrafi’s representatives argued that his words had been taken out of context and pointed to his later statements against terrorism and violent extremism.

How thoroughly should religious and public institutions vet figures before honoring them?

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