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.
By AFP – Oct 10,2016 – JORDAN TIMES Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during the opening ceremony of the 23rd World Energy Congress in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday (AFP photo) ISTANBUL — Russia and Turkey on Monday signed an agreement to […]
Reuters International OCT 11, 2016 – 13:16 Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan attend Democracy and Martyrs Rally, organized by him and supported by ruling AK Party (AKP), oppositions Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), to protest against last month’s failed military coup attempt, […]
Oct 10,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – MARK LEONARD People used to think that the most important decisions affecting Europe were made in Paris, Berlin or Brussels. But in recent months, as the European Union has confronted the refugee crisis, and the Syrian conflict that is fuelling it, Moscow and Ankara […]
The democratic Kurdish parties are dwarfed by this battle, which consumed the centre of Diyabarkir last winter and early spring, and then Cizre – and then Nusaybin Robert Fisk in Nusaybin @indyvoices The PKK enlists women and men as suicide bombers and rifle-carrying suicide guerrillas in its battle against the Turkish […]
Middle East & North Africa Air strike on funeral may galvanize anti-Saudi forces in Yemen 7:45pm BST – 01:32 Anti-Saudi forces in Yemen appear to be galvanizing after an apparent Saudi-led air strike on a funeral kills 140 Yemenis, while Reuters discovers that U.S. officials warned the Obama administration the […]
Special Report – In fight against Islamic State, Kurds expand their territory A member of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces gestures in Zumar, Iraq October 25, 2014. REUTERS/Ari Jalal/File Photo left right 1/12 By Isabel Coles and Stephen Kalin | ZUMAR, IRAQ From the terrace of the house Abu Suhail occupies, […]
Hundreds of houses are peppered with bullet holes in Diyarbakir, where the Kurdish PKK, or Workers’ Party, are fighting the Turkish government Robert Fisk in Diyarbakir @indyvoices All day and all night, the big white trucks roar along the muddy road inside the black, volcanic walls of Diyarbakir. They enter […]
Multiple Trajectories of Islam in Africa Islam had already spread into northern Africa by the mid-seventh century A.D., only a few decades after the Prophet Muhammad moved with his followers from Mecca to Medina on the neighboring Arabian Peninsula (622 A.D./1 A.H.). The Arab conquest of Spain and the push […]
SABRIA S. JAWHAR | Published — Monday 10 October 2016 Sabria S. Jawhar When western feminists and human rights activists attack Islam they often zero in on the most obvious target: The hijab. The hijab is also the object of derision among bigots who feel it’s their duty to attack […]
EYAD ABU SHAKRA | Published — Monday 10 October 2016 Although Syria’s tragedy is too painful to be associated with humor, the suffering that both Moscow and Washington are inflicting on the Syrian people reminds us of a kind of a ‘black comedy’ joke. It goes like this: A barber […]
SIRAJ WAHAB | Published — Monday 10 October 2016 Maria Dubovikova, president of the International Middle Eastern Studies Club A leading Russian political analyst specializing in Middle Eastern affairs has described the United Nations Security Council as a talk shop that has become a battleground where global powers indulge in […]
Aleppo’s fall would not be expected to end war in Syria By Reuters – Oct 09,2016 – JORDAN TIMES In this April 21, 2014, file photo, provided by the anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Centre, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian […]
Momani says no changes to sealed border policy By Khetam Malkawi – Oct 09,2016 – JORDAN TIMES Border Guards help Syrians cross the border into Jordan in this May 4 photo (Photo by Hassan Tamimi) AMMAN — Based on recent developments and upon further discussions with international agencies, […]
When a Syrian peasant woman approaches our table in a small Ottoman restaurant, the locals step forward to give her coins. It puts to shame the liars of the Brexit campaign and their hatred of the foreigners who supposedly threaten little England Robert Fisk Kilis @indyvoices 176 comments Syrian refugees […]
Flouting the rules? Photo: AFP, Richard Juilliard Geneva police to lift ban on bearded officers Published: 07 Oct 2016 10:12 GMT+02:00 Canton Geneva police intend to fall into line with the rest of the country and lift a centuries-old ban on officers sporting beards, in a move likely to please […]
By Hakim Almasmari and Angela Dewan, for CNN October 9, 2016 Tune into CNN International on Sunday at 4 p.m. CET for a full report on the Yemen war. Sanaa […]
Volcanic material from the eruption of Mount Barujari is seen from Bayan, Lombok Island, Indonesia. The volcano erupted without warning on Tuesday afternoon, delaying flights from airports on the islands of Lombok and Bali. Photo: AP This is the latest in reckless tourist behaviour which has caused several deathsw all […]
Queen Margrethe’s comment came in a wide-ranging interview with Der Spiegel. Photo: JAN WOITAS/Scanpix Published: 04 Oct 2016 00:57 GMT+02:00 With Denmark once again engaged in a national conversation about what makes one ‘Danish’, Queen Margrethe II told German newspaper Der Spiegel that she represents “all people who are citizens […]
Reuters International OCT 9, 2016 – Israeli police secure the area following a shooting incident in what an Israeli police spokesperson described as a terrorist attack, near police headquarters in Jerusalem October 9, 2016. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (reuters_tickers) JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A Palestinian assailant, firing from a car, shot and wounded […]
Oct 08,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – EDITORIAL The recent interception of Zaytouna-Oliva boat by Israeli naval units in international waters off the coast of Gaza is another demonstration of Israel’s blatant disregard for peaceful gestures from Palestinians and their supporters to end the decades-long suffering of the people under occupation […]