Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally is facing a rapidly growing revolt after presenting a prestigious Church of England award to a Muslim cleric who once described Osama bin Laden using an exalted Islamic title-and doing so on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Thousands have now backed a petition demanding her resignation, raising an explosive question: how did one of the world's most prominent Christian leaders approve an honor that critics say should never have passed basic scrutiny?
On September 11, Mullally presented the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation to Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi. The award recognized Ashrafi's reported support for religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly persecuted Christians, but attention quickly turned to controversial comments attributed to him in 2007.
Ashrafi reportedly said that bin Laden "must be given the lofty title of Islam, Saifullah," a term translated as "Sword of God." His representatives dispute the suggestion that those remarks amounted to an endorsement of the al-Qaeda leader. Nevertheless, the timing of the ceremony-exactly 25 years after the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people-triggered outrage and intensified questions about the Church's vetting process.
The Church of England withdrew the award nearly a week later, but the reversal did little to contain the backlash. Petition organizer Emma Ash asked what due diligence had been undertaken before such an honor was presented, particularly on one of the most painful dates in modern history.
More than 3,700 people had signed the petition by Monday afternoon, including approximately 3,000 who reportedly added their names after the latest controversy erupted. Although the campaign originally began when Mullally became the Church of England's first female leader, organizers now argue that the award scandal has exposed broader concerns about judgment, accountability and whether the voices of terrorism survivors are being taken seriously.
Yet the uproar extends beyond the award. The petition also raises unresolved safeguarding allegations connected to Mullally's previous tenure as Bishop of London. It cites whistleblower Michelle Burns, an unnamed abuse survivor and the death of the Rev. Alan Griffin, who died by suicide in 2020 following what supporters describe as a deeply damaging safeguarding process.
According to a separate petition, Griffin was named in an internal diocesan document even though there was allegedly no complainant, formal accusation or investigation against him. The Rev. Paul Williamson later cited Griffin's death when publicly objecting to Mullally's confirmation as archbishop, alleging that Griffin endured prolonged suffering because of false accusations of a sexual nature.
The petition's language is severe, declaring that survivors have spoken, whistleblowers have raised warnings and a priest has died. Its organizers contend that confidence in Mullally's moral leadership has been "irreparably damaged."
The Church has already withdrawn Ashrafi's award, but the decision has not settled the central controversy. Who approved the honor, what background checks were performed, and why was the ceremony allowed to proceed on the anniversary of 9/11? As demands for Mullally's resignation intensify, those questions may prove far harder to withdraw than the award itself.
