The Archbishop of Canterbury has been forced to revoke an award she gave to a Muslim cleric after it emerged he had praised Osama bin Laden.

Sarah Mullally, 64, the first woman to ever hold the title of leader of the global Anglican church, had given the award to the controversial Pakistani cleric on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, chairman of the Islamic umbrella group, the Pakistan Ulema Council, received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation during a ceremony at Lambeth Palace in south London, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s official residence.

He was given the award for “his outstanding work as an ambassador of interfaith harmony in Pakistan, known for his commitment to promoting religious tolerance,” the Archbishop’s office said at the time.

But following the ceremony, comments Ashrafi made in 2007 resurfaced, in which he praised bin Laden.

Ashrafi called the 9/11 architect someone who had “been fighting for Islam against the Russians, Americans, and British,” and described the infamous terrorist on another occasion as deserving of the title “Saifullah,” or “sword of God.”

He has also faced criticism for his support of Pakistan’s medieval blasphemy laws, which were condemned by Human Rights Watch last year for “perpetuating religious discrimination, and … targeting the poor and minorities in unlawful evictions and land grabs.”

But Ashrafi claimed the laws “save lives” by stopping people taking religious offenses into their own hands.

Lambeth Palace revoked Ashrafi’s honor on Thursday, issuing a statement but no apology.

“It is a longstanding principle of interfaith dialogue and co-operation that we must engage with one another across deeply held differences, and that remains the case,” the statement read.

“However, previous comments made by Imam Ashrafi have come to light that have led Lambeth Palace to reconsider this award, and we can now confirm today that the award has been withdrawn. We have contacted Imam Ashrafi to make him aware of this decision,” the statement said.

Ashrafi said his comments had been “totally taken out of context,” claiming the outcry was “an unfair campaign” aimed at smearing him, in a statement to BBC News.

He claimed he made the comments in response to “the hurt felt by many Muslims” after the British government issued a knighthood to Salman Rushdie, author of the “Satanic Verses.”

Neither Lambeth Palace nor Ashrafi responded immediately to requests for comment.