Archbishop accused of sending ‘deeply troubling message’ after presenting award to Islamic scholar
Dame Sarah Mullally with Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi, who praised Osama bin Laden
By Charles Hymas and Tony Diver
20 Sep 2026
THE Archbishop of Canterbury has been accused of condoning the repression of Muslim women after she gave an award to an Islamic cleric who honoured Osama bin Laden.
Dame Sarah Mullally was pictured with Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi, an Islamic scholar, and his wife, who was wearing a niqab so that only her eyes were visible, when he received his award on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that Bin Laden orchestrated.
In a letter to the Archbishop, Rebecca Paul, the shadow culture secretary, and Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, asked her to explain how Lambeth Palace decided to go ahead with such a controversial award, which caused “serious reputational damage” to the Church of England.
They also asked what changes were going to be put in place to prevent a repeat and whether she recognised the “deeply troubling message the ceremony and photograph conveyed about the dignity and freedom of women”.
They wrote: “The Church of England teaches the equal dignity and worth of men and women. Yet you presented the award alongside Mr Ashrafi’s wife, whose face was concealed by a niqab so that only her eyes were visible and Lambeth Palace subsequently published that image.
“This could appear to condone one of the most repressive manifestations of Islam, one that denies women basic freedoms over how they dress, whether they may show their faces and how they interact with others.
“At this very moment, women in Afghanistan face violence for refusing to cover, while women in Iran have been imprisoned and brutally attacked for resisting compulsory veiling. Nor is coercion confined to other countries: many women and girls in Britain also face coercion and cultural pressure to veil themselves too. It is important for you to reflect on what message this conveys to women fighting for the freedoms that we take for granted.”
By Charles Hymas and Tony Diver
20 Sep 2026
THE Archbishop of Canterbury has been accused of condoning the repression of Muslim women after she gave an award to an Islamic cleric who honoured Osama bin Laden.
Dame Sarah Mullally was pictured with Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi, an Islamic scholar, and his wife, who was wearing a niqab so that only her eyes were visible, when he received his award on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that Bin Laden orchestrated.
In a letter to the Archbishop, Rebecca Paul, the shadow culture secretary, and Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, asked her to explain how Lambeth Palace decided to go ahead with such a controversial award, which caused “serious reputational damage” to the Church of England.
They also asked what changes were going to be put in place to prevent a repeat and whether she recognised the “deeply troubling message the ceremony and photograph conveyed about the dignity and freedom of women”.
They wrote: “The Church of England teaches the equal dignity and worth of men and women. Yet you presented the award alongside Mr Ashrafi’s wife, whose face was concealed by a niqab so that only her eyes were visible and Lambeth Palace subsequently published that image.
“This could appear to condone one of the most repressive manifestations of Islam, one that denies women basic freedoms over how they dress, whether they may show their faces and how they interact with others.
“At this very moment, women in Afghanistan face violence for refusing to cover, while women in Iran have been imprisoned and brutally attacked for resisting compulsory veiling. Nor is coercion confined to other countries: many women and girls in Britain also face coercion and cultural pressure to veil themselves too. It is important for you to reflect on what message this conveys to women fighting for the freedoms that we take for granted.”
