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 Bethan McKernan New Yorkers Are We Famous Yet made waves last month with a video in which they got two people to dress in traditional Jewish and Muslim clothing and walk down the street together. Now filmmaker Karim Metwaly and friends Al and Moe are back with the ‘Muslim/Jewish Marriage […]
Tuesday 17 May 2016 Alwaght- Pope Francis censured “cultural colonialism” of western powers, standing out against their efforts to export western brand of democracy to other countries. Criticizing Western’s ignorance about countrie’s culture in advancing its objectives, Pope Francis in an interview with Roman Catholic newspaper, La Croix said: “we […]
May 17, 2016 In an article in the Washington Post published on May 13 former U.S. military commander and CIA director David Petraeus has said that prejudice against Muslim will help terrorists “who wish to kill us all”. In his article headlined “Anti-Muslim bigotry aids Islamist terrorists”, Petraeus says those politicians who […]
ARAB NEWS | Published — Tuesday 17 May 2016 JEDDAH: The Council of Ministers said Iran is attempting to politicize the Haj by refusing to sign an agreement mandatory for all countries seeking to send pilgrims on the holy journey. The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy […]
The (British) Government hasn’t grasped the extent to which Western governments are discredited in the Middle East Mark Steel @mrmarksteel Thursday 26 November 2015 16 comments This looks simple enough then. We’ll bomb the same people as Putin is bombing, in the same places, co-ordinated with Putin. But […]
By AFP – May 16,2016 – JORDAN TIMES This file photo taken on March 16, shows UNHCR’s Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie Pitt greeting (centre) refugees and migrants during her […]
By Reuters – May 16,2016 – JORDAN TIMES OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — A century after Britain and France secretly mapped out a Middle East they would control upon defeating the Ottomans in World War I, its borders have been blurred by sectarian bloodshed — and some in the region see […]
By AFP – May 14,2016 – JORDAN TIMES ISTANBUL — Resentment over the Sykes-Picot Agreement between Britain and France that carved up the Middle East from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire remains, 100 years later, a major factor in Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s foreign policy. The May […]
May 16,2016 -JORDAN TIMES – James J. Zogby Christians in the Levant, especially those in Syria, Iraq and Palestine, are facing grave challenges that are either misunderstood or ignored in the West. In recent years, protecting them, or even acknowledging their existence, has only been a concern of policymakers or advocacy groups […]
REUTERS Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan The conflict between Europe and Ankara over visa freedoms for Turkish citizens is escalating and Chancellor Merkel’s refugee deal is in danger of collapse. Neither side is willing to back down. By SPIEGEL Staff On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was standing on […]
The escalating rivalries and animosities between Iran and Saudi Arabia have nothing to do with the Sunni-Shia divide. Visitors relax on the grounds of the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar [Getty] by Hamid Dabashi @HamidDabashi Hamid Dabashi is the Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature […]
Beyond the paradox of celebrating a bygone Islamic civilization at the height of Islamophobia in the United States. Scene from the manuscript of the poem, the Romance of Varqa and Gulshah, paintings by Khuwayyi. c 1250AD Konya, Turkey [Getty] by Hamid Dabashi @HamidDabashi Hamid Dabashi is the Hagop Kevorkian Professor […]
By AFP – May 15,2016 – An Israeli soldier asks a protester with a Palestinian flag to go further during confrontations following a rally to commemorate the ‘Nakbeh’ or ‘catastrophe’ in Arabic in reference to the creation of Israel in 1948 on Palestinian land on Sunday in the […]
After Badreddine’s killing, we may never know if the 2005 death of Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri marked the start of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to destroy Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian regime Robert Fisk @indyvoices For almost five years, UN investigators wanted to find Mustafa Badreddine. And now, at last, […]
BY DR. JUERGEN TODENHOEFER Dear friends, according to the US secret service, DIA, the Obama administration has known as early as August 2012 that Al Qaeda /AQI, IS, ISIS) and other extremists were heading the Syrian rebellion. As a result, the “possibility that a Salafist principality in Eastern Syria“ would […]
ASSOCIATED PRESS BERLIN AFP Photo During the height of the migrant crisis in Europe last fall, Lasse Landt came to a startling realization. Thousands of migrants were pouring into Germany every day, but the 36-year-old startup consultant from Berlin hadn’t met a single one of them. “It was all over […]
aga khan award for architecture announces 2016 shortlist (above) royal academy for nature conservation, um al-yanabea (architect: khammash architects) image © AKTC / cemal emden the 19 […]
May 15, 2016 TEHRAN — Three Iranian projects were shortlisted with 16 other works from around the world for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture worth $1 million. The projects are the Manouchehri House in the central Iranian city of Kashan, the Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge and the 40 Knots […]
Jamala, representing Ukraine with the song 1944, performs during the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 final in Stockholm. Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP Photo May 15, 2016 KIEV // “When strangers are coming, they come to your house, they kill you all and say, ‘we’re not guilty, not guilty’.” […]
Refugee Aeham Al Ahmad, also known as “the pianist of Yarmouk” performs during a rehearsal, prior to a concert at Berlin’s Heimathafen concert hall on May 12, 2016. John MacDougall/AFP Pianist of Yarmouk plays to Germans’ hearts May 15, 2016 Updated: May 15, 2016 06:23 PM Berlin // A year […]