Archbishop of Canterbury Strips Award From Muslim Cleric Over Post-9/11 Praise of OBL
“The Church of England is comprehensively compromised by woke brain rot and suicidal empathy, and everyone can see it.”
On the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks here in the United States, Muslim cleric Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi was awarded the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, in a ceremony at Lambeth Palace, which is located in London.
“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,'” the BBC reported, while adding:
In giving him his award for promoting interfaith harmony last week, Lambeth Palace had cited the fact that Ashrafi had intervened in the 2012 case of Rimsha Masih, a young Christian girl in Pakistan falsely accused of blasphemy.
But Ashrafi has otherwise been supportive of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws that have led to an estimated 2000 people being prosecuted since the late 1980s.
Ashrafi stood next to his unnamed wife, who was almost completely covered from head to toe, when he received the award.
As it turned out, though, Ashrafi had previously praised 9/11 architect Osama bin Laden just a few years after the attacks, something the palace found out after the award was presented to Ashrafi:
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”.
To add insult to injury this was done on 11 September. pic.twitter.com/k5gjQJbBdu
— Ms Purple (@MsPurpleX) September 16, 2026
How is this even real? pic.twitter.com/KXUmwwg6xF
— Free Alaskan (@FreeAlaskan) September 16, 2026
And that’s not all:
Muslim cleric given award by Archbishop called the butchers of October 7 'freedom fighters', said suicide attacks against Nato troops were 'lawful' – and that men could take four wives at once without permission https://t.co/lhgR1WHrX6
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) September 18, 2026
On Thursday, Lambeth Palace issued a statement noting they were withdrawing the award:
Last week the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation was presented to Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi in a ceremony at Lambeth Palace. The award was given for Imam Ashrafi’s longstanding support for religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly the Christian community – support that is valued by many Christians in Pakistan including its Anglican Church.
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. 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. We have contacted Imam Ashrafi to make him aware of this decision. We continue to pray for the Christian community in Pakistan, and for all those working for interfaith dialogue and harmony in Pakistan and around the world.
While it’s welcome news to know that the award was taken back, there is disgust over the fact they felt him worthy of it in the first place:
Not that long ago, when we saw imagery like this emerging from Afghanistan, it shocked Western audiences.
Now this is in the Church of England: https://t.co/2EeCMClScY pic.twitter.com/3pXrQ8hnip
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 17, 2026
The decline of Christianity, the West, and Women’s rights, in one picture
We live in dark times pic.twitter.com/DdL3fkaKNa
— Lisa (@Lisa9Sophia) September 18, 2026
Charlie Walsham, a pseudonymous Spectator writer who has been working at the BBC for a number of years, posted this blistering reaction:
If you want to produce one piece of photographic evidence that woke is very much alive and kicking in the UK, this picture of the Archbishop of Canterbury handing an award to a radical Muslim cleric, next to his entirely shrouded wife, is it.
We’ve moved far beyond satire in the UK when it comes to the progressive madness that has gripped our institutions; the Church of England is clearly no exception.
Interfaith dialogue is a laudable mission, but the purpose of such dialogue is to find common ground, not to appease those whose regressive views include praising terrorists responsible for mass murder.
If you want to produce one piece of photographic evidence that woke is very much alive and kicking in the UK, this picture of the Archbishop of Canterbury handing an award to a radical Muslim cleric, next to his entirely shrouded wife, is it.
We’ve moved far beyond satire in the… https://t.co/fadT6ci9Ta
— Charlie Walsham (@CharlieWalsham_) September 18, 2026
Substacker Tyler Cillian Black was even more blunt with his response:
All the things wrong with this:
1. Female Archbishop.
2. Giving an award to a Muslim.
3. A Muslim accompanied by a woman in a full burqa.
4. A Muslim who praised Osama bin Laden.
5. The withdrawal of the award wasn’t because a change of ideology, but because of the backlash, which means it’s disingenuous.The Church of England is comprehensively compromised by woke brain rot and suicidal empathy, and everyone can see it.
All the things wrong with this:
1. Female Archbishop.
2. Giving an award to a Muslim.
3. A Muslim accompanied by a woman in a full burqa.
4. A Muslim who praised Osama bin Laden.
5. The withdrawal of the award wasn’t because a change of ideology, but because of the backlash,… https://t.co/jaAcm3yQ0Z— Tyler (@cillianblack) September 18, 2026
I dunno if this is all part of Woke One or Woke Two. Either way, count me out.
– Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via X. –
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Comments
If one were to base one’s view of Christianity on the Church of England, it would be impossible not to believe that Christianity is the religion of idiots.
The first thing to remember is that the Church of England, like Islam, is a political entity before a religious one.
Say rather it’s a Woke church-state world view. There are elements within the CoE that are Evangelical i.e. not Woke, but they’re largely considered enemies whose existence must not be tolerated.
The CoE is standing dead. It needs to come down and be buried where ever that fat miscreant Henry VIII is buried and forgotten about.
It needs to be the other way around. We need a Henry IX to burn the church to the ground, like v8 did to the Catholic Church, and start again.
What can I say about the church of England?
There is no church in England. Duh!
After further review …
What a harpy!
A bigger mistake was elevating this woman to the office of Archbishop of Canterbury.
Either Dame Sarah is too stupid to check on someone receiving an award of such magnitude or her lefty head is so buried between her haunches that she cannot discern reality. Most likely both.
Award withdrawn?
As meaningless as a melted ice cube. Sarah Mullally is a leftist through and through, having disavowed basic Christian doctrine. Her groveling gesture of awarding any sort of honor to a representative of an intolerant, murderous political system (masquerading as a religion; with 1400 years of evidence) can’t be undone by a so-called withdrawal.
The Ecclesiastical Appeals Act of 1533, also called the Statute in Restraint of Appeals, broke the connection with Rome, and it’s been downhill ever since.
Islamphobia
[is-lah-muh-foh-bee-uh]
noun
A healthy survival instinct triggered by not wanting to be murdered by 7th-Century cosplayers [costume players] who hate dogs, gays, Jews, Christians, music, you and your entire civilization
Synonym: basic pattern recognition learned from 1400 years of observed behavior
The Church of England’s experiment with women’s ordination is a theological disaster that has fractured the church.
To halt its terminal decline, the Communion must institute an absolute, unalterable ban.The case for a definitive shutdown rests on three brutal truths:
Sacramental Nullity: A priest acts in persona Christi (in the person of Christ). Because Christ was male, a male priesthood is a metaphysical requirement. By ordaining women, the Church introduced “sacramental doubt”—rendering the validity of its own Holy Communion completely ambiguous.
Ecumenical Suicide: By surrendering to modern secular feminism, the Church unilaterally severed itself from 2,000 years of apostolic tradition. This reckless departure shattered any hope of reunification with the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, which hold the vast majority of global Christendom.
Institutional Schizophrenia: The current compromise of “two integrities”—which uses alternative “flying bishops” to shield traditionalists from female clergy—is a cowardly, dysfunctional mess. A house divided cannot stand.
The Church of England must stop apologizing for sacred tradition. It must enforce a single, immutable ban to restore scriptural authority, holy certainty, and structural unity.
Perhaps if the archbishop were to wear a garment over her head like the cleric’s wife maybe no one would notice her.
This reads like a Roman Catholic take on things. Paul is quite clear that women/wives are not to teach and thus pastoring is by and large a male only role. Women’s (Ministry) Pastor is obviously a point of debate.
The notion of apostolic tradition is likewise near exclusively a Roman Catholic concept. Non-Catholics have zero desire to ‘reunify’ with Marianism and worship of the ‘pantheon of Saints’. Yes Roman Catholicism may comprise the majority of ‘Christians’ but Evangelicals etc would argue this majority is apostate and/or heretical thus no unity is possible.
Yes we can agree about institutional schizophrenia. Either ordination of priestesses is Biblical or it is not. Trying to support both views is like trying to be half pregnant.
Sacred tradition is a Roman Catholic concept, not a Biblical one. I agree a return to scriptural authority (Sola Scriptura) is essential, but we’d like not agree on what that looks like. Structural unity is desirable, but it didn’t fully exist even in Paul’s day with certain heresies and heretics called out.
Apostate cosplay archbishop said what?
“The lady next to him is his wife.”
I don’t see anybody.
Ship these 7th century savages back their shithole of origin.
That will take maximum force for a long period of time.
It needs to be done.
We’re going to need a bigger woodchipper.
Insert Steve Urkel meme here:
“Did I do that?”
The photo with the “archbishop” and the fully sheathed Muzzie wife is the funniest thing I’ve seen in a while. The memes write themselves.