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”.
“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,” they wrote.
“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. » | Charles Hymas Home Affairs Editor. Tony Diver Political Editor | Saturday, September 19, 2026
The Roman Catholic Church refuses to ordain women; the Anglican Church makes a woman the Archbishop of Canterbury! One of these Churches has got it wrong. Which one? No prizes for guessing! 😊 — © Mark Alexander
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