Archbishop of Canterbury withdraws award to cleric over bin Laden praise
The Archbishop of Canterbury has withdrawn an interfaith award after a cleric's past praise of Osama bin Laden surfaced, sparking criticism and scrutiny.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has been forced to withdraw an interfaith award given to an Islamic cleric after it emerged that the cleric had previously praised Osama bin Laden. The cleric, Hafiz Ashrafi, had received the Reconciliation and Interfaith Award from the Archbishop during a ceremony that took place on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Within hours of the award becoming public, online scrutiny drew attention to remarks Ashrafi made in 2007, when he awarded the title of Salufa to Osama bin Laden. At the time, he criticised the British government's decision to honour Salman Rushdie with a knighthood, saying the award to bin Laden was a response to the hurt felt by Muslims over the Rushdie honour.
Lambeth Palace confirmed that the award had been withdrawn. A spokesman said that while engaging across deeply held differences remained a long-standing principle of interfaith dialogue, the cleric's previous comments had prompted a reconsideration. The spokesman for Ashrafi insisted that his position against terrorism and extremism was clear, and that the earlier bin Laden award was not an endorsement but a contextual statement about Muslim anger over the Rushdie honour.
The decision to grant the award was widely criticised, with commentators questioning the Archbishop's judgement and the vetting process. The episode has also fuelled broader criticism of the Church of England's leadership, with some calling for disestablishment and a reduced role for the Church in public life. The Archbishop's office has not commented further on the internal review that led to the withdrawal.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | GB News |
|---|---|
| Ashrafie's spokesman said the award was not an endorsement but was made in the context of Muslim hurt over Rushdie's honour. | |
| Hafiz Ashrafie awarded Osama bin Laden the title Salufa in 2007. | |
| Lambeth Palace withdrew the award after the comments came to light. | |
| The Archbishop of Canterbury gave the Reconciliation and Interfaith Award to Hafiz Ashrafi, who had previously praised Osama bin Laden, on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. | |
| The cleric denied accusations of extremism and anti-extremism positions. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This segment takes a strongly critical stance, questioning the Archbishop's judgment and using the incident to attack the Church of England's broader direction. It links the award to other grievances, such as slavery reparations and disestablishment, and frames the withdrawal as a late, forced correction.
- “Why, oh why, is the Archbishop of Canterbury giving an award to a man who praised Osama bin Laden just a few years after the Twin Towers? What kind of judgement is this?”
- “However, previous comments made by Mr Ashrafie have come to light and led Lambeth Palace to reconsider the award.”
- “He also clarified that the bin Laden award was not an endorsement of him, really, but was made in the context of explaining the hurt felt by Muslims over the region because of the honour given to Salman Rushdie.”
The focus is on the optics and the lack of due diligence, with the host mocking the Archbishop as the 'Archbishop of Woke.' The segment highlights the timing of the ceremony on 9/11 and the online backlash, while also drawing a parallel with a Labour MP's actions at a segregated event.
- “But the due diligence. The due diligence. I mean, it's absolutely shocking. Egg on the face of the Archbishop of Canterbury.”
- “I think that the Archbishop of Woke is completely gone 360, and they tend to do this on the issue of radicals in general.”
- “Just the optics of that image taken on the day of 9-11.”
Broadcast Timeline
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