Pakistani Islamic cleric, chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council since 1990, preacher at a large mosque in Lahore, and the government’s adviser on religious harmony (under two prime ministers).
A mixed record. He defended Rimsha Masih, a Christian girl falsely accused of blasphemy (2012), backed building a Hindu temple in Islamabad and condemns sectarian violence. He also supports Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, and in 2007, protesting Salman Rushdie’s knighthood, he offered Osama bin Laden the title of Saifullah, “Sword of God”. He says those words were taken out of context.
In September 2026 the Archbishop of Canterbury gave him an interfaith award, and took it back six days later: Receives prize about tolerance, respect and peace through his wife in niqab.