A petition calling for Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally’s resignation has received thousands of backers after the Anglican leader gave an award to a Muslim cleric who praised 9/11 terror mastermind Osama bin Laden on the anniversary of the world-changing event. A Change.org petition calling for the Church of England leader’s resignation gained traction over the weekend after petition creator Emma Ash provided an update Friday.
The petition was initially created eight months ago when Mullally became the first female leader of the Church of England. “Since this petition launched, a further incident has raised serious questions about [judgment], due diligence, accountability, and the place given to survivor voices at the highest level of the Church of England,” Ash wrote.
“On Friday 11th September 2026, the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Archbishop of Canterbury presented the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation to Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi.” As explained by Ash, “Ashrafi had previously attracted controversy for remarks concerning Osama bin Laden.
In 2007, he said that bin Laden ‘must be given the lofty title of Islam, Saifullah,’ meaning ‘Sword of God.’ His representatives dispute suggestions that the remarks amounted to an endorsement of bin Laden.” The Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in the United States. Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally presented the award to Ashrafi, a Muslim cleric, on Sept.
11 and touted for his support for religious minorities in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, especially the Asian country’s Christian population. While the Church of England withdrew the award nearly a week later, Ash insisted that the incident raises a "serious question": “What due diligence was undertaken before presenting such an honour, particularly on the 25th anniversary of 9/11?”