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.
Three of Holy Patriarch’s bodyguards killed as suicide bomber attacks commemoration event for 1915 Assyrian genocide Robert Fisk @indyvoices The ghosts of massacres past haunt the Syrian war. First the Islamists […]
Interview Conducted by Rafaela von Bredow and Johann Grolle picture-alliance / AKG Oil painting from Hieronymus Bosch, ca. 1500. The fear of death is our constant companion. Psychologist Sheldon Solomon has researched how that anxiety affects our lives — and found that being reminded of death can bring out our worst. […]
THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA: A MASS GRAVE The struggle to identify drowned migrants By Stefania Summermatter JUN 20, 2016 – 11:00 A drawing of the October 3, 2013 tragedy by a Lampedusa school child. (AFP) Three years after the migrant boat tragedy in Lampedusa, in which 366 people drowned, relatives are […]
6 Jordanian troops killed, 14 injured in car bomb attack on Syria border By Mohammad Ghazal – Jun 21,2016 – JORDAN TIMES The terrorist attack Tuesday targeted a forward post dedicated to assisting Syrian refugees (File photo) AMMAN – Six Jordanian troops were killed and 14 others injured Tuesday when […]
By AFP – Jun 21,2016 – JORDAN TIMES HEBRON — Palestinians on Monday buried a young man said to be suffering from Down’s syndrome, who was fatally shot by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank. Arif Jaradat, 22, was wounded during confrontations with the Israeli armed forces on May […]
Jun 20,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – James J. Zogby We woke up last Sunday morning to news of the senseless slaughter of 49 innocent people at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Because many of the victims were gay, it appeared that that was a hate crime. It was not long before […]
Jun 19,2016 -JORDAN TIMES – Amer Al Sabaileh Every day, the new tactics of Daesh prove more efficient in achieving two major goals — conducting terrorist attacks and piling pressure on the security apparatuses of many countries. Since the declaration of “the caliphate”, security challenges around the world have taken on […]
Queen (of Jordan) urges world to listen to refugees ‘cast into unknown’ By JT – Jun 21,2016 – JORDAN TIMES AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Monday called on the global community to listen to refugees, on the occasion of World Refugee Day. “The global refugee crisis has […]
By Anna Bisaro, New Haven Register POSTED: 06/17/16 Defendant Ted Hakey Jr., accused of shooting into a mosque next door to his Meriden home, is seen for a court appearance in New Haven in January.John Woike — Hartford Courant via AP HARTFORD >> A man who fired rifle shots towards […]
June 8, 2016 (JTA) — Swiss Jews spoke out against a regulation that makes it illegal for schoolchildren to refuse to shake hands with their teachers because of religious reasons. A regional school board last month ruled that schools in Basel Country can fine parents up to $5,000 if their […]
Exclusive: In his 43-year career, Paul Stevenson has worked in the aftermath of the Bali bombings and the Boxing Day tsunami but says nothing he witnessed was as bad as the treatment of asylum seekers on Nauru and Manus by Ben Doherty and David Marr In my entire career of […]
Islamophobia watchdog says it cooperated with Labour MP on a report expected to conclude that violence against Muslims rose by 80% in 2015 Jo Cox was working with the watchdog Tell Mama. Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images Kevin Rawlinson Monday 20 June 201609.45 BST Jo Cox, the MP who was killed […]
Flare-up of Afghanistan-Pakistan border tensions signals a shift of dynamics in their historically thorny relationship. A woman coming from Afghanistan enters the information centre at the border post in Torkham, Pakistan [Reuters] by Helena Malikyar @HelenaMalikyar Helena Malikyar is an Afghan political analyst and historian. Julian Huxley once wrote that […]
The stories of the British aristocrats who converted to Islam. Lady Evelyn Cobbold converted to Islam In 1933, at the age of 65 [Archives] by Josef O’Shea London, UK – When Londoners elected Sadiq Khan as mayor of their city, it sparked fresh debate about the place of Islam and Muslims […]
In the run-up to the Chilcot report, Tony Blair still thinks Iraq would have been worse off without the invasion. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair [Reuters] by Rachel Shabi @rachshabi Rachel Shabi is a journalist and author of Not the Enemy: Israel’s Jews from Arab Lands. It is an […]
Israel deliberately denies Palestinians control over their water sources and sets the ground for water domination. Camilla Corradin Since Israel took over the West Bank in 1967, Israel has remained in near full control over Palestinian water resources in the West Bank [Ibrahim Khatib/Getty Images] Occupied West Bank – As […]
OPINION Catch up world, India has changed By Prateek Khare, swissnex India, Bengaluru JUN 15, 2016 – 11:01 Stereotypes of India as a backward country are still prevalent, according to Prateek Khare whose job involves promoting the country as a destination for Swiss start-ups. In this article he explains what […]
Jun 19,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – Amer Al Sabaileh Every day, the new tactics of Daesh prove more efficient in achieving two major goals — conducting terrorist attacks and piling pressure on the security apparatuses of many countries. Since the declaration of “the caliphate”, security challenges around the world have taken […]
A week after the worst mass shooting in modern US history investigators are still searching for clues Andrew Buncombe Orlando @AndrewBuncombe Plenty of people have an opinion as to what drove the gunman to act Omar Mateen never visited Hank’s, one of the oldest gay bars in central Florida. At least, […]
AP Does development aid help this child? Development aid isn’t as helpful as it is reputed to be. Benjamin Maack learned that lesson while researching where his help could be most helpful. Simply donating money isn’t enough. Every evening, when I leave work and head over to the train station, […]