Tory Party leader Kemi Badenoch has strongly criticised the Archbishop of Canterbury over an interfaith award given to a Pakistani Muslim cleric who previously praised Osama bin Laden, stating that Christian "faith and traditions" should be conserved.
Lambeth Palace has now told Premier Christian News it is reviewing how the award was given, as well as its wider nomination and vetting processes, after withdrawing the honour.
In its latest statement, Lambeth Palace said: “We fully recognise the widespread concern caused by the inclusion of Imam Ashfrafi in last week’s Lambeth Awards ceremony. After his previous comments came to light we rescinded the award as quickly as possible.
"Lambeth Palace is reviewing how this particular award came to be given – and our wider nomination and vetting processes – to ensure that lessons are learned for the future.”
The statement comes as Badenoch described the decision to honour Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks as a “significant lapse”.
Writing on social media, the Conservative leader said: “Britain is a Christian country, yet this image is a sad reminder that if we do not conserve our own faith and traditions, nobody else will.”
She praised Conservative MPs Nick Timothy and Rebecca Smith for raising concerns about his previous comments and added:" Yes, the church might have been ignorant of some facts, but the presence of a woman with a full face veil, covered head to toe, in an outfit widely known as a visible symbol of female oppression should have given pause for thought."
She said her party’s Culture and Integration Commission had been established to address what she described as the “naive belief that all cultures are equal”.
Mr Ashrafi was presented with the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation by Archbishop Sarah Mullally at Lambeth Palace on 11 September.
The award recognised his work promoting interfaith harmony and supporting religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly the Christian community.
However, previous comments made by Mr Ashrafi came to light following the ceremony.
In 2007, he said he would give Osama bin Laden the title “Saifullah”, meaning “Sword of God”.Mr Ashrafi’s spokesperson has said his remarks are being reported “without their proper context”. The Pakistan Ulema Council, which Mr Ashrafi chairs, has also pointed to his record opposing terrorism and violent extremism.
Lambeth Palace had previously said the award recognised Mr Ashrafi’s “longstanding support for religious minorities in Pakistan”, particularly the Christian community, and stressed that engaging across “deeply-held differences” remained an important principle of interfaith dialogue.
