Archbishop of Canterbury withdraws award from Muslim cleric after past Osama bin Laden praise surfaces
The Archbishop of Canterbury's office has withdrawn an interfaith award given to a Muslim cleric after past comments surfaced in which he praised Osama bin Laden . Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi received the Hubert Walter Awar
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Moderate editorial slant. The Archbishop of Canterbury's office has withdrawn an interfaith award given to a Muslim cleric after past comments surfaced in which he praised Osama bin Laden . Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi received th.
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The Archbishop of Canterbury's office has withdrawn an interfaith award given to a Muslim cleric after past comments surfaced in which he praised Osama bin Laden . Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation at Lambeth Palace last Friday, during a ceremony that coincided with the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks . Lambeth Palace announced the reversal Thursday after previous comments by Ashrafi had "come to light," causing it to reconsider the award. "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," Lambeth Palace said in a statement. KAI detected multiple evidence cues and attribution in this report. Source: Fox News (United States, right). Trust score: 58/100.
The Archbishop of Canterbury's office has withdrawn an interfaith award given to a Muslim cleric after past comments surfaced in which he praised Osama bin Laden . Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation at Lambeth Palace last Friday, during a ceremony that coincided with the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks . Lambeth Palace announced the reversal Thursday after previous comments by Ashrafi had "come to light," causing it to reconsider the award. "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," Lambeth Palace said in a statement. BUSH REVIVES ‘ISLAM IS PEACE’ MESSAGE WITH FRESH FOCUS ON POST-9/11 MOSQUE VISIT "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," the statement continued. "We have contacted Imam Ashrafi to make him aware of this decision." Lambeth Palace added that it continues "to pray for the Christian community in Pakistan, and for all those working for interfaith dialogue and harmony in Pakistan and around the world." According to Lambeth Palace, the award was given to Ashrafi because of his "longstanding support for religious minorities in Pakistan , particularly the Christian community." SEAL WHO KILLED BIN LADEN RECALLS 9/11 MOMENT THAT CHANGED HIS LIFE: ‘WELCOME TO MY WORLD’ According to the BBC , Ashrafi said in 2007 that bin Laden — the architect of the 9/11 attacks — had "been fighting for Islam against the Russians, Americans and British." The BBC also reported that Ashrafi said he would give bin Laden the title "Saifullah," meaning "Sword of God." Ashrafi told the BBC that his remarks had been "totally taken out of context" and described the backlash against him as an "unfair campaign." He said he made the remarks about bin Laden in 2007 in response to "the hurt felt by many Muslims" over the British government's decision to knight "The Satanic Verses" author Salman Rushdie . During the award presentation last week, the Archbishop's office said Ashrafi was being honored for "his outstanding work as an ambassador of interfaith harmony in Pakistan, known for his commitment to promoting religious tolerance."
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Facts are presented. Conclusions are yours.
Bias Breakdown
Disinformation Risk
Low risk- Multiple evidence cues detected in the text
- Reporting tone is relatively neutral with attribution
Misinformation Detector
The Archbishop of Canterbury's office has withdrawn an interfaith award given to a Muslim cleric after past comments surfaced in which he praised Osama bin Laden .
Partially VerifiedEvidence: Core assertion is plausible but attribution or primary evidence is limited.
Counter-evidence: Readers should compare this framing with wire-service and primary-source reporting.
Confidence 65%
Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation at Lambeth Palace last Friday, during a ceremony that…
Partially VerifiedEvidence: Core assertion is plausible but attribution or primary evidence is limited.
Counter-evidence: Readers should compare this framing with wire-service and primary-source reporting.
Confidence 65%
Lambeth Palace announced the reversal Thursday after previous comments by Ashrafi had "come to light," causing it to reconsider the award.
Partially VerifiedEvidence: Core assertion is plausible but attribution or primary evidence is limited.
Counter-evidence: Readers should compare this framing with wire-service and primary-source reporting.
Confidence 65%
What this article didn't mention
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- +Perspectives from those directly affected on the ground
- +Counter-evidence that complicates the headline
Viewpoint Comparison
Progressive framing lens
Progressive outlets may foreground social impact, institutional accountability, and affected communities.
Wire / centrist framing lens
Wire and centrist outlets typically prioritise verifiable facts, official statements, and balanced attribution.
Fox News: Archbishop of Canterbury withdraws award from Muslim cleric after past Osama bin Laden praise surfaces
The piece leans on attributed facts and evidence cues. Expect emphasis on security, economic cost, and institutional stability.
International perspective
Outlets outside the originating country often foreground geopolitical and cross-border implications absent from domestic coverage.
Independent / investigative angle
Investigative and independent outlets may probe funding sources, conflicts of interest, and context omitted from mainstream summaries.
News Timeline
Earlier related coverage may predate this timestamp
development · Sep 17, 2026, 11:59 PM
Story indexed by KaiNews
development · Sep 18, 2026, 3:59 AM
Published by Fox News
origin · Sep 18, 2026, 3:59 AM
KAI analyzed (2h ago)
statement · Sep 18, 2026, 3:59 AM
Source Transparency
- Publisher
- Fox News
- Journalist
- Fox News
- Country
- United States
- Ownership
- Fox Corporation
- Published
- Sep 18, 2026, 3:59 AM
- Reputation
- 70/100
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