Thousands back petition urging Archbishop of Canterbury to resign over 9/11 outrage

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, withdrew the award she gave to a Muslim cleric who praised Osama bin Laden on the anniversary of 9/11. But that wasn’t enough. The truth is that the revocation of Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi’s award did nothing to change the core beliefs of Lambeth Place, which had stated: “The Archbishop’s office said that Ashrafi was being honored for ‘his outstanding work as an ambassador of interfaith harmony in Pakistan, known for his commitment to promoting religious tolerance.'” The Archbishop of Canterbury only revoked the award for a specific and familiar reason: pressure due to a backlash. The fact that Mullally issued the award in the first place signifies the truth about her leadership as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Backlash works, and it is generally the only way to get leftist authorities to budge, since they have little to no respect for Western free societies, including their own. As a matter of course, in their arrogance, they continuously perpetuate the lie that “colonialism” is responsible for the ills of Africa and the Middle East, when Islam predates colonialism. Islam itself remains a colonizing religion to this day, with black slavery included in Mauritania, Sudan, Algeria, Libya, and the kafala system in most Middle Eastern and Gulf countries. Leftists are also blind to the treatment of women and of gays in these countries, let alone among al-Qaeda operatives.

Leftists are inclined to gullibility, and thus Islamic supremacists (a.k.a. stealth jihadists) exploit them with ease. Champions of DEI operate on the premise of leftist ignorance, assuming, at least publicly, that anyone who joins them in any endeavor in the name of DEI has good intentions; they ignore history and the facts about Islamic expansionism, which include the reality of taqiyya and the notorious statement from Muhammad that “war is deceit” (Riyad as-Salihin 1352).

It’s now time to challenge Mullally’s leadership; this will set an overdue precedent in the face of a scandal that threatens the credibility of her office. Many other leftist leaders in the Church also need to be challenged in their roles, as they are no more than blind guides. Their ideologies are not only a danger to their Churches, but also to their respective countries.

“Thousands back petition urging Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally to resign amid 9/11 firestorm,” by Ryan Foley, Christian Post, September 21, 2026:

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.”…