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.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Germany bemoans Swiss-transited asylum seekers AUG 17, 2016 – 21:43 Asylum seekers arriving in Switzerland from Italy (Keystone) German officials have complained that the border with Switzerland has more holes than a “Swiss cheese” as asylum seekers head north across the Alps, despite the best efforts of Swiss […]
Lone children seeking refuge in the UK – many of whom have never seen a table tennis match before – find a topspin welcome on the south coast Players at Brighton table tennis club. Photograph: Martin Godwin for the Guardian Kate Lyons Friday 26 August 2016 On the wall […]
Source: The Guardian Imam of Mariam mosque in Copenhagen says aim is to challenge patriarchal structures and inspire other women By Harriet Sherwood in Copenhagen t was Friday prayers with a […]
Suspension concerns single ban in southern town but is likely to set precedent for other places that prohibited full-body swimwear A Muslim woman on a beach in Marseille earlier this month. Photograph: Reuters Staff and agencies Friday 26 August 2016 France’s highest administrative court has suspended a ban on […]
Reuters International AUG 26, 2016 – www.swissinfo.ch Police remove the body of a suicide bomber from the scene of an attack in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia on July 5, 2016 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Maulana Surya/via REUTERS/File photo (reuters_tickers) By Randy Fabi and Kanupriya Kapoor SOLO, […]
In a military prison in Damascus, a 34-year old Muslim who wanted to be an Islamist fighter breaks down in tears as he tells us how he lied to his wife. Another man tells me his life is so framed by war that his biggest fear is peace Robert Fisk […]
Aug 25,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – RAMI G. KHOURI My affection and respect for my good friend and colleague from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with whom I discussed current events in the Middle East over a leisurely Lebanese lunch last week. We had very different analyses of how tensions […]
There is a lack of humanist studies in the universities of the Arab world, and an absence of the texts which flourished in the very golden age which Islamists so often proclaim Robert Fisk @indyvoices Thursday 14 July 2016 Two good friends were telling me at dinner a few nights […]
08/21/2016 Michael Rosenblum Founder of Current TV, Past President NY Times TV CARLO ALLEGRI / REUTERS Donald Trump is going to be elected president. The American people voted for him a long time ago. They voted for him when The History Channel went from showing documentaries about the Second World […]
August 23, 2016 India, Haridwar: Head of Dwarkashardapeeth Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati today said cow is the mother of not only Hindus but also of Muslims as its milk is as much beneficial for believers of one faith as for those of another. In a statement here, Swami Swaroopanand said […]
AUGUST 25, 2016 Author: Lea Speyer A Jordanian prince and a Jewish academic are calling on Jews and Muslims to unite in religious tolerance to stop the spread of ISIS-perpetrated hatred against Christians in the Middle East. In an op-ed in the UK’s Telegraph on Tuesday, Prince Hassan of Jordan, founder and president […]
AUG. 24, 2016 Israeli, Palestinian, and foreign activists march to protest the demolition of the Palestinian village of Susiya in July 2015. (AFP/Hazem Bader, File) By: Ramzy Baroud Ramzy Baroud is an internationally-syndicated columnist, author and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: […]
File photo: C Carlstead Geneva advises teachers on religion in school Published: 24 Aug 2016 12:03 GMT+02:00 As children start the new school year, the secular canton of Geneva has issued guidelines for teachers on how to deal with religious issues in the classroom. Italian ‘ignored’ by Swiss schools in […]
SHEIKH MOKHTAR | Published — Thursday 18 August 2016 This is the concluding part of article on Haj. AS you near the miqat, your heart will tremble and tremor. Is this really happening? Is my heart getting closer and closer to His House? Soon you will enter Allah’s haram. It […]
SHEIKH MUHAMMED SALIH AL-MUNAJJID | Published — Thursday 18 August 2016 PRAISE be to Allah Who has created time and has made some times better than others, some months and days and nights better than others, when rewards are multiplied many times, as a mercy toward His slaves. This encourages […]
ARAB NEWS |Published — Thursday 25 August 2016 Muslim hajj pilgrims perform noon prayers at the Namira mosque near Mount Arafat, in this October 14, 2013 file photo. (AFP) MAKKAH: The weather in Makkah during the Haj season is predicted to be hot during the day and mild at […]
Chinese Haji pedals his way to Makkah ARAB NEWS | Published — Thursday 25 August 2016 Mohammed Bama Chun … journey of faith MAKKAH: Riding his bike for 8,150km, crossing several countries, a Chinese Haji has reached Makkah. Mohammed Bama Chun from Xinjiang took four months to reach Makkah […]
Aug 24,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – MICHAEL JANSEN Last week China declared its intention to become directly involved militarily in the Syrian conflict by dispatching advisers to aid the Syrian army. Beijing dispatched Rear Admiral Guan Youfei, head of China’s office for international military cooperation, to Damascus where he met […]
Aug 24,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – DAOUD KUTTAB Colourful posters of smiling candidates are not new among election-related paraphernalia. But a certain orange-colour poster caught people’s attention because of the slogans it contained. One slogan read: “No to the exploitation of religion.” Another affirmed support “for a civilian state”. A […]
By AFP – Aug 23,2016 – JORDAN TIMES KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza — A team of foreign veterinarians began taking measures on Tuesday to evacuate the last surviving animals from a zoo in the Gaza Strip that has been dubbed “the world’s worst”. In front of each cage of the zoo […]