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.
REPORT Joelle Fiss September 2016 DOWNLOAD Download the full report Given the rise of media and information technology, the debate over anti-blasphemy laws has become one of international importance. Cutting across different regions and faiths, blasphemy laws have triggered instability, empowered extremists, and increased sectarian violence. With frequently vague wording, they […]
FUTURE DEVELOPMENT How the middle of nowhere could become a major trade corridor Lisa Kaestner and Wolfgang FenglerFriday, September 23, 2016 The middle of nowhere actually exists. If you look for the place that is furthest away from any ocean in the entire world, you will find yourself in in […]
Switzerland: still enjoying the view from the top. File photo: Robert Boesch Published: 28 Sep 2016 Switzerland has shrugged off economic challenges to retain its crown as the world’s most competitive country, topping the World Economic Forum’s annual competitiveness ranking for the eighth consecutive year. Zurich named ‘greenest’ city on […]
By REUTERSSEPT. 28, 2016, 6:57 A.M. E.D.T. DRESDEN, Germany — German police are stepping up protection of Muslim institutions in Dresden after two improvised bombs exploded in the eastern city on Monday evening, one at a mosque and one at an international conference center. No one was hurt by the […]
A new social media campaign is trying to fight discrimination against American Muslims. 09/27/2016 07:21 pm ET Ellen Wulfhorst NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – New York City kicked off a social media advertising campaign on Monday to combat negative perceptions of Muslims and counteract increasing instances of threats and […]
The revision comes after claims that schools are proselytizing for the faith. 09/27/2016 Antonia Blumberg Associate Religion Editor, The Huffington Post In a time of rising Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bias, the Tennessee State Board of Education is poised to approve new social studies standards for middle schoolers that would dramatically […]
By JT – Sep 27,2016 – JORDAN TIMES AMMAN — Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday called on Jordan to remove blasphemy charges from the Kingdom’s legislation in a statement condemning the murder of Jordanian writer Nahed Hattar. “Jordan’s new Cabinet should take immediate steps to introduce legislation to […]
JORDAN TIMES – RAMZY BAROUD Ban Ki-moon’s second term as secretary general of the United Nations is ending this December. He was an ideal man for the job as far as the United States and its allies are concerned. Of course, there will always be other Ban Ki-moons. In fact, […]
Sep 27,2016 -JORDAN TIMES – OSAMA AL SHARIF Sunday’s gunning down of Nahed Hattar, a controversial leftist political activist and journalist, in front of a courthouse in Amman has shocked Jordanians. It was the first assassination of someone on the basis of his political beliefs and daring opinions in the […]
‘We have to knock the hell out of Isis – and we have to do it fast,’ Trump told the world. Well, sure, but haven’t we all been knocking the hell out of Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, even Lebanon, and achieving the constant rebirth of ever more vicious warriors, of which […]
US Secretary of State defends diplomatic efforts as Aleppo burns under a ferocious Russian-backed attack by the Syrian regime Bethan McKernan Beirut The US has been boxed into a corner in the face of a huge Russian-backed military escalation in the Syrian civil war, several experts have said. US Secretary […]
SEPT. 26, 2016 GAZA (Ma’an) — Israeli forces have prevented a Palestinian woman from leaving the blockaded Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing for a medical exam at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Tel Aviv.According to statement from the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PHCR) released Monday, 52-year […]
SEPT. 27, 2016 BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities carried out a large number of demolitions in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank on Tuesday, destroying two family apartment buildings, a classroom, a restaurant, four water cisterns, and parts of a home in the latest instances of a policy which […]
By RAMZY MARDINISEPT. 27, 2016 Photo Peshmerga forces during an operation to liberate villages under the control of the Islamic State southeast of Mosul, Iraq, in August. CreditAndrea Dicenzo/European Pressphoto Agency ERBIL, Iraq — A military push to recapture Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, and the rest of Nineveh Province […]
By Raed Omari – Sep 26,2016 – JORDAN TIMES AMMAN — The government-owned National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) on Monday signed an agreement with Noble Energy under which the latter will provide 40 per cent of the Kingdom’s electricity-generating needs. In remarks to The Jordan Times on Monday, NEPCO […]
Sep 25,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – Amer Al Sabaileh A new phase in the Syrian crisis was triggered by the Turkish intervention in the north of the country. While there are many reasons for this Turkish move, it very quickly ended the dream of a Kurdish state, which has been floated recently. […]
Sep 26,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – JAMES J. ZOGBY Elliott Abrams, a former Reagan and Bush administration official and a former colleague on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), wrote the article “The United States bars Christian, not Muslim, refugees from Syria”, provocative, as its title suggests, but […]
By JT – Sep 26,2016 – JORDAN TIMES His Majesty King Abdullah speaks to Scott Pelley of CBS’ ’60 Minutes’ during a recent interview (Photo courtesy of Royal Court) AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah has said that “misunderstanding” of Islam and the region among Western allies and […]
All India | Sreenivasan Jain (with inputs from Sonal Matharu and Manas Singh) | Updated: September 25, 2016 by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Much is made of funds pouring in to promote Saudi-style Islam in India (known as Salafism or Wahhabism), and of its influence, but what is the ground […]
JINAN BASTAKI | Published — Friday 23 September 2016 GOING deeper into our spiritual state during prayers (salah) requires that we have a presence of heart and are mindful of the words being said during the prayers. Our prayer will feel shorter, yet when we look at how much time […]