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 DEC 2, 2016 – The president of Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission, Alieu Momarr Mjiar, announces presidential election results in Banjul, Gambia, December 2, 2016. REUTERS/Thierry Gouegnon (reuters_tickers) By Chiekh Sadibou Mane and Thierry Gouegnon BANJUL (Reuters) – Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh, who once vowed to rule the tiny […]
Reuters International DEC 3, 2016 – A member of Iraqi security forces stands guard during an operation against Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, December 3, 2016. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani (reuters_tickers) By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) – No food or fuel has reached Mosul in nearly a week and the […]
By Rula Samain – Dec 01,2016 – JORDAN TIMES AMMAN — Peacemaking should be at the heart of the mindset working to counter the spread of violence in the Middle East and the world, participants said at a conference that concluded on Thursday. Unless peace becomes a mindset and […]
A WAITING GAME Afghan refugees find their feet in Bern By Gaby Ochsenbein DEC 2, 2016 – Maryam und Mahdi have German lessons twice a week with Fritz (swissinfo.ch) Applying for asylum in Switzerland is a long process. And those who come seeking refuge still have to get on […]
Dec 01,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – Christopher R. Hill One of the hallmarks of a presidential transition in the United States is a comprehensive policy review, aimed at determining which policies to retain and which to eliminate or change. As President-elect Donald Trump moves towards taking office, he seems eager to […]
By Rana Husseini – Dec 01,2016 – JORDAN TIMES AMMAN — The Iftaa Department on Thursday issued a fatwa prohibiting the murder of women in the name of family honour. “We received an inquiry from a citizen about Islam’s position regarding the murder of women in so-called honour crimes […]
Reuters International DEC 1, 2016 Thailand’s new King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun pays respect to a picture of Thailand’s late King Bhumibol Addlyadej and Queen Sirikit, as he accepts an invitation from parliament to succeed his father, at Bangkok’s Dusit Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, December 1, 2016. Thailand Royal Household Bureau/Handout […]
If the Aleppo room was still in Aleppo, and not a museum in Berlin, it might well have been destroyed, burned in the indulgence of fire which consumed much of the old city two years ago when even the great mosque and minaret of the Omayad crashed to the ground […]
WORLD : Dec 01, 2016 Reuters Thailand’s Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn must formally accept the invitation from parliament before he can be proclaimed king. (Reuters) Thailand’s Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn returned to Bangkok on Thursday, two days after parliament said it would invite him to become the country’s new king […]
“The issues noted in the resignation statement are shocking and the matter should be investigated by the party and appropriate action taken against those spreading false propaganda and hate against […]
Image copyrightM J RICHARDSON/GEOGRAPHImage captionCardiff’s Labour group majority has now fallen to just four Two Cardiff councillors have resigned from the authority’s ruling Labour group in the space of two days. Susan White has resigned from the council entirely, while Manzoor Ahmed has left the Labour group but will continue […]
November 30, 2016 | by Rabwah Times | Algerian Government has continued to crackdown on members of the minority Ahmadiyya sect of Islam. The Ahmadiyya Community which has less than 3,000 members in the country has expressed concern over the religiously motivated arrests. On Friday, November 25th Algerian security forces […]
Damascus says it will not allow Turkish interference By AFP – Nov 30,2016 – JORDAN TIMES A Syrian man cries near a dead body of a girl after warplanes reportedly belonging to the Assad regime forces carried out air strikes over residential areas at the Jub Al Quba neighbourhood […]
Tearing up the Iran nuclear deal would be ‘disastrous’ and ‘the height of folly’, John Brennan says Adam Withnall @adamwithnall 0:09 / 0:24 The director of the CIA has warned Donald Trump it would be “disastrous” to tear up the US’s nuclear deal with Iran, after the President-elect pledged to […]
EXPLAINER Swiss immigration quotas: where do we stand? By Marc-André Miserez POLITICS SOCIETY NOV 29, 2016 – Immigration quotas would put Switzerland at odds with EU free movement policy (Keystone) February 2017 is looming large as a deadline for Switzerland to implement immigration quotas approved by voters back in 2014. […]
By Marcela Aguila Rubín NOV 30, 2016 -www.swissinfo.ch Thousands of people march for justice in Guadalajara, Mexico, in September 2015. They are holding pictures of 43 missing students who were kidnapped by police a year earlier (Reuters) Secret mass graves in Mexico, daily bombings and a mounting death toll in […]
A petition demanding the replacement of the notes with a vegan alternative already has 5,000 signatures Ben Chapman Vegans and vegetarians have voiced outrage after revelations that the new £5 notes contain animal fat. The Bank of England confirmed via Twitter on Monday that the new plastic fivers are made with […]
Nov 29,2016 – JORDAN TIMES EDITORIAL The much-talked-about Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project has been on the national agenda for quite a while now; recently, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation announced that it shortlisted five consortia, out of 17 that had expressed interest in implementing the giant project, which […]
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionBurkas and niqab veils will be banned in certain public places if the law is passed Dutch MPs have backed a ban on the Islamic full veil in some public places such as schools and hospitals, and on public transport. The niqab face veil and the […]
Society November 28, 2016 Throughout the arid regions of Iran, mainly central parts of the country, agricultural and permanent settlements have been supported by the ancient qanat system of tapping alluvial aquifers at the heads of valleys and conducting the water along underground tunnels by gravity, often over many kilometers. […]