The Church of England has rescinded an interfaith award given to a Muslim cleric after comments he made praising Osama bin Laden recently resurfaced.
Lambeth Palace, the official residence for the Archbishop of Canterbury, issued a statement on Thursday announcing that it is rescinding the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation given to Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Sept. 11.
On the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in the United States, Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally presented the award to Ashrafi, a Muslim cleric, touted for his support for religious minorities in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, especially the Asian country’s Christian population.
“It is a longstanding principle of interfaith dialogue and co-operation that we must engage with one another across deeply-held differences, and that remains the case,” stated the residence.
“However, previous comments made by Imam Ashrafi have come to light that have led Lambeth Palace to reconsider this award and we can now confirm today that the award has been withdrawn.”
Church rescinds award to Muslim cleric over bin Laden praise | World
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