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.

Refreshingly fair

Apr 09,2016 -JORDAN TIMES – EDITORIAL Of all US presidential candidates, be they Democrat or Republican, ironically, the Jewish senator from Vermont seems to have the most balanced position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Bernie Sanders has made no secret of his belief that Israelis and Palestinians can and should coexist […]

Let it be wheat

A neighbour asked Mulla Nasrudin to stand by him in a case of disputed possession of some grain. ‘Did you see the transaction?’ the judge asked Nasrudin. ‘Yes, I distinctly saw the sacks of barley change hands.’ ‘But this case is concerned with sacks of WHEAT, not barley!’ That is […]

The value of a desire

Nasruddin had a buffalo whose horns were very wide apart. He had often thought that if he could mount between them, it would be just like sitting on a throne. One day the animal sat down near him and he simply had to sit between the horns. He could not […]

Palestine in the headline

Apr 07,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – George S. Hishmeh There is no doubt that the eight-column headline in the sports page of The Washington Post last Sunday was remarkable and unprecedented: “Palestine Marathon sparks a growing push for movement over politics.” Never before have the American media, certainly not the country’s […]

The BDS debate goes mainstream

Apr 07,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – RAMI G. KHOURI The New York Times is not only considered the leading newspaper in the United States, it is also something of a bellwether of intellectual and political trends in the country. So it was noteworthy that the newspaper’s Monday opinion page feature […]

Cause and effect

One evening Mulla Nasruddin quarrelled with his wife and shouted at her so fiercely that she fled for refuge to a neighbouring house, where he followed her. As it happened a wedding feast was in progress, and the hosts and guests did all they could to calm him down, and […]