Rafiq A. Tschannen is a Swiss national. He converted to Islam and joined the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community at the age of 16 after reading the German translation of the Holy Qur'an. He worked in 15 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, first as Finance Director in the private industry and later as Chief Executive Officer of NGOs and International Governmental Organizations. He is now devoting his time to The Muslim Times as Editor for Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Palestine and Switzerland and as Associate Chief Editor.
Reuters International MAR 31, 2017 The locked door of a neighbourhood mosque is seen in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China, March 23, 2017. Many smaller neighbourhood mosques have been closed by the authorities in favour of larger more centralised places of worship, locals and an analyst said. REUTERS/Thomas Peter […]
Reuters International MAR 31, 2017 Afghans, whose asylum applications have been rejected, arrive from Germany in Kabul airport, Afghanistan March 28, 2017. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani(reuters_tickers) By Tommy Wilkes KABUL (Reuters) – […]
More can be done for residents of Mosul not to become victims of bombs targeting Isis – and more should be done to report with candour Patrick Cockburn Irbil, Iraq @indyworld Standing high […]
Endgames: inside Syria On the front line in the fight against Isis, Robert Fisk reports from a town that was, only hours earlier, a stronghold of the ‘Caliphate’ Robert Fisk Deir Hafer, northern Syria @indyvoices The Syrian soldiers in this dust-covered, rubbelised town don’t smile very much and their battle fatigue is obvious. […]
PAST EVENT BROOKINGS INSTITUTION LISTEN TO AUDIODownload the Audio Download the Transcript More Wednesday, Mar 22, 2017 Brookings Institution Saul/Zilkha Rooms 1775 Massachusetts Avenue N.W. Washington, DC 20036 […]
REPORT Religion, state, and the Jewish identity crisis in Israel Yedidia Stern March 2017 Download full report Editor’s Note:This three-part paper series is part of the Center for Middle East Policy’s ongoing research on “Imagining Israel’s Future,” which is designed to help Washington audiences engage with voices from today’s dynamic Israeli […]
A Chinese regulation would prohibit online insults based on religion. Some decry it as antithetical to Communist values. BY MA TIANJIE MARCH 31, 2017 Almost every Chinese person with even a middle school education must, at some point, run into the famous statement about religion by Karl Marx: “Religion is the […]
Kashif N Chaudhry, ContributorPhysician, Writer, Human Rights Activist 03/30/2017 During a forum in Washington D.C. yesterday, a Pakistani American journalist questioned Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Aizaz Chaudhry, on Pakistan’s state-sponsored persecution of Ahmadi Muslims. Mr. Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States. The diplomat, who […]
In April 1917, Woodrow Wilson cast off the political yoke of neutrality and took the United States into World War I. But this is no ordinary centenary: the realization of Wilson’s vision of a US-led international order is raising many of the same questions today that it raised then. […]
By Reuters – Mar 30,2017 – JORDAN TIMES United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres (right) talks with Syrian girls during a visit to the Zaatari refugee camp on Tuesday (AFP […]
Gathering was ‘the best since the start of Arab Spring’ By Mohammad Ghazal – Mar 30,2017 -JORDAN TIMES His Majesty King Abdullah presides over the 28th Arab League summit at the Dead Sea (Anadolu Agency photo) AMMAN — The clear and unified Arab message regarding the Mideast peace process, […]
Mar 30,2017 – JORDAN TIMES – Rami G. Khouri Few people in the Arab world or abroad will take seriously the regular Arab summit of heads of state in Jordan this week, which is a tragedy for all concerned. Pan-Arab action could have generated worldwide respect for the views and policies […]
The Syrian army’s local base in Aleppo is now a joint Syrian-Russian military headquarters, festooned with Syrian and Russian flags, its soldiery mixing together, Russian personnel sharing their own intelligence […]
Reuters International MAR 31, 2017 – FILE PHOTO – Newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley presents her credentials to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., January 27, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith/File Photo (reuters_tickers) By Michelle Nichols NEW YORK (Reuters) – The […]
Reuters International MAR 30, 2017 A general view of Bukit Jalil immigration detention center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 28, 2017. Picture taken March 28. REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin (reuters_tickers) By A. Ananthalakshmi KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – More than one hundred foreigners died in the past two years in Malaysia’s immigration […]
Reuters International MAR 31, 2017 – By Javid Hussain and Jibran Ahmad PARACHINAR, Pakistan (Reuters) – An explosion apparently targeting a mosque in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Parachinar, in a remote area bordering Afghanistan, killed at least 11 people and wounded dozens, officials said. There was no immediate claim of […]
Reuters International MAR 31, 2017 JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesian police on Friday arrested five people for suspected treason linked to planned demonstrations by hardline Muslim groups demanding the removal of Jakarta’s Christian governor, city police spokesman Argo Yuwono told broadcaster TV One. Hardline Muslim group leader Muhammad Al Khaththath was […]
Gehad Quisay Muslim prison chaplains: radicalisation threats or convenient scapegoats? Date of publication: 30 March, 2017 Blog: Reports that the Westminster attacker converted to Islam in prison reopens the question on radicalisation in British prisons. Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old Muslim convert originally named Adrian Russell, killed five people and injured 50 […]
The debate about sharia poses bigger questions about law and society by Rowan Williams / June 17, 2013 Published in July 2013 issue of Prospect Magazine Question to Archbishop Williams: Must we accommodate Islam or not, as Christians? Archbishop: Must we accommodate Islam or not as Christians? Must I love […]
Reuters International MAR 30, 2017 – FILE PHOTO: Free Syrian Army fighters gesture as Turkish military vehicles drive in the Syrian rebel-held town of al-Rai while heading towards the northern Syrian city of al-Bab, Syria January 9, 2017. To match Analysis MIDEAST-CRISIS/SYRIA-WAR REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo(reuters_tickers) By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) […]