Ashrafi was presented with the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation by Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally at a ceremony at Lambeth Palace in London last week. The ceremony was held on September 11, marking the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
According to Lambeth Palace, the award recognised Ashrafi’s longstanding work in promoting interfaith harmony and supporting religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly the Christian community. He was among 27 people who received Lambeth Awards this year.
However, the decision came under criticism after attention was drawn to comments Ashrafi made in 2007 concerning Osama bin Laden.
At the time, Ashrafi said he would give bin Laden the Islamic title Saifullah, meaning Sword of God, describing him as a mujahid who was fighting for Islam against Russia, the United States and Britain. The remarks were made in the context of protests in Pakistan following the British government’s decision to grant author Salman Rushdie a knighthood.
Ashrafi later told the BBC that his remarks had been taken out of context and that the criticism against him was part of an unfair campaign. His spokesperson said the comments were not an endorsement of bin Laden and should be understood in the context of the anger among many Muslims over Rushdie’s knighthood.
Lambeth Palace subsequently announced that the award had been withdrawn.
In a statement, the Palace said previous comments made by Ashrafi had come to light and led it to reconsider the award. It confirmed that Ashrafi had been contacted and informed about the decision. The Palace also maintained that interfaith dialogue requires engagement across deeply held differences.
The controversy has also revived scrutiny of Ashrafi’s position on Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. Human Rights Watch has criticised the laws, saying they have been used against religious minorities and vulnerable communities and have, in some cases, been exploited for blackmail, forced evictions and land grabs.
Ashrafi has defended Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, arguing that they protect lives by discouraging people from taking the law into their own hands. At the same time, Lambeth Palace highlighted his past involvement in supporting religious minorities, including his role in the 2012 case of Rimsha Masih, a young Christian girl who was accused of blasphemy.
The award withdrawal has prompted further criticism from British journalists, campaigners and other commentators, particularly because the honour was presented on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed.
The National Secular Society welcomed the withdrawal but questioned why the award had been given in the first place. Its chief executive Stephen Evans said the timing of the award on the anniversary of 9/11 raised serious questions about the decision-making process.
Other critics also questioned the decision to recognise Ashrafi as an ambassador of interfaith harmony despite his controversial past statements and positions. Some social media users and journalists criticised both the original award and the decision to present it on September 11.
Ashrafi, meanwhile, has maintained that his 2007 comments about bin Laden were made to illustrate the anger felt by many Muslims over Rushdie receiving a British knighthood. His spokesperson has also said that Ashrafi’s broader record against terrorism and violent extremism should be considered when assessing the remarks.
The 9/11 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people, while Osama bin Laden was identified by the United States as the principal architect of the attacks. He was killed by US forces in Pakistan in 2011.
Lambeth Palace has now formally withdrawn the Hubert Walter Award from Ashrafi following its review of his previous comments.
