Iraq crisis: How Saudi Arabia helped ISIS take over the north of the country
World View: A speech by an ex-MI6 boss hints at a plan going back over a decade. In some areas, being Shia is akin to being a Jew in Nazi […]
Author Archives
Rafiq A. Tschannen
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.
Switzerland's Muslim football heroes
World Bulletin / News Desk Despite crashing out of the World Cup on Tuesday, Switzerland’s national football team is currently ranked sixth in the world. Players such as Xherdan Shaqiri […]
Palestinian businessman sponsors mosque construction in Sofia
SEVDA DUKKANCI – KUZEY NEWS AGENCY A Palestinian businessman has generously provided financial support to build a mosque in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia where thousands of Muslim asylum seekers […]
Bethlehem Christians fast with Muslims in Ramadan
World Bulletin / News Desk Christians in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem have been observing Ramadan fasting in solidarity with their fellow Muslims during the holy month of […]
How our region is preparing for suicide
Summary It was obvious several years ago, when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was Iran’s president and the Islamic Republic was expanding its power in Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian areas and Yemen, that this endeavor would provoke a backlash from the Sunni Arab states. And it was just as clear that this backlash, […]
Quba — the first mosque in the history of Islam
MADINAH: YUSUF MOHAMMAD ARABNEWS Published — Sunday 13 July 2014 Quba Mosque to the south of Madinah is the second largest and prestigious mosque in the city after the Prophet’s […]
Go for Ramadan Umrah once ‘to make it easy for others’
A high-ranking official at the Haj Ministry has advised Saudis and expats to perform Umrah only once during Ramadan to give others a chance to do it with ease. Civil Defense has sent text messages to Saudis and expats urging them not to perform Umrah more than once. Hussein Al-Sharif, […]
World’s deafening silence over Gaza – URI AVNERY
Bombs are raining on Gaza and rockets on Southern Israel, people are dying and homes are being destroyed. Again. Again without any purpose. Again with the certainty that after it’s all over, everything will essentially be the same as it was before. But I can hardly hear the sirens, which […]
Jordan 'cool to Syria rebel training plan' US sources say kingdom reluctant to host expanded programme proposed by President Obama for fear of violent retaliation.
Jordan, where the US Central Intelligence Agency has been covertly training Syrian rebels for more than a year, is reluctant to host an expanded rebel instruction programme, US officials say. Jordan’s reticence, confirmed by four US officials, is a potentially serious setback for President Barack Obama’s proposed $500m initiative, announced […]
Ghana World Cup fans in Brazil draw scepticism after asylum request 'Black Stars' supporters' asylum bids receive mixed reactions online.
Two hundred Ghanaian World Cup fans in Brazil are asking for asylum, a move that has drawn scepticism and ridicule. The asylum-seekers argue they are fleeing from “violent conflicts between different Muslim groups” in Ghana. These fans entered Brazil on tourist visas and their requests are being prepared by the […]
Colonialism never ended in Palestine
Summary Without the explanatory lens of colonial behavior, I can think of only two ways to understand how Israel can repeat every few years what it is doing now in Gaza, unleashing the power of its advanced military machines against an essentially helpless civilian population that has neither a means […]
Sistani: Fighters must respect all people's rights
Reuters DAILY STAR LEBANON BAGHDAD: Iraq’s top Shiite religious authority Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani urged fighters Friday to respect the rights of all Iraqis, regardless of sect or politics, after […]
Kurds seize Iraq northern oil fields, ministers pull out of government
Reuters BAGHDAD/KIRKUK, Iraq: Kurdish forces seized two oil fields in northern Iraq and took over operations from a state-run oil firm Friday, while Kurdish politicians suspended their participation in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government. The moves escalated a feud between the Shiite-led central government and the autonomous Kurdish region against […]
War in South Sudan: The World's Youngest State Faces Failure
By Bartholomäus Grill in Juba, South Sudan SPIEGEL.DE The lucky ones manage to make it to the quarantine ward. Lying on cots under a tarp with vomit-buckets at their sides, […]
Retaliation for Spying: Germany Asks CIA Official to Leave Country
In what amounts to a diplomatic earthquake, Berlin has asked the country’s top CIA official to leave Germany. The measures comes in response to the second allegation in a week […]
The myth of the caliphate and the Islamic State
by Afzal Ashraf ALJAZEERA Afzal Ashraf is a Consultant fellow at Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies (RUSI) and served in the UK Armed Forces. He was […]
China Xinjiang: Muslim students 'made to eat' at Ramadan
By Martin Patience BBC News, Beijing Several university students from China’s western region of Xinjiang have told the BBC that they are being banned from fasting during the month of […]
Complete shock, surprise and disappointment ?
Source: CNN (CNN) — Complete shock, surprise and disappointment — that was my reaction to revelations from documents released by Edward Snowden that the National Security Agency monitored my e-mails from 2006 to 2008 after I left the Bush White House. I am one of five professionals featured in an […]
"The best leaders do nothing"- Confucius. 10 Leadership Tips From The Greatest Philosophers.
Source: TOI Leadership isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Here are some essential tips for a good leader from 10 of the greatest philosophers: 1) “The best leaders do nothing”- Confucius. […]
Religion is lived by love and enthusiasm in heart
BY HARUN YAHYA Published — Friday 11 July 2014 in Arab News In the holy month of Ramadan, the blessings and the spirit of love of Islam is being felt […]