The spirit of Ramadan
May 19, 2016 – JORDAN TIMES EDITORIAL Here we go again, stocking up early on meat, fruit and vegetables in preparation for the fasting month of Ramadan as if that […]
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.
Hardly a breath of wind: the silence that emphasises a city’s fate
The last rebels have su rrendered and now, at last, the full extent of martyrdom in Homs can be seen Robert Fisk @indyvoices Thursday 19 May 2016 Syria, 5 June 2014 Deep beneath the city of Homs, in the last days of the Syrian army’s siege, a desperate Islamist rebel wrote on the […]
The destruction of morality
The shame of Abu Ghraib prison is part of a long tradition that goes back to the Crusades Robert Fisk @indyvoices Thursday 19 May 2016 2 comments Iraq, 7 May 2004 […]
The Syrians had no chance…
Meeting an injured soldier in the Syrian army before a heavy night of shelling Robert Fisk @indyvoices Thursday 19 May 2016 Lebanon, 21 July 1989 Private Yahia Saloum of the Syrian army sat on the stairs of my apartment block, his head in his hands, a large bandage strapped to his […]
AfD Head Frauke Petry: ‘The Immigration of Muslims Will Change Our Culture’
Interview conducted by Susanne Beyer and Jan Fleischhauer Sven Doering / Agentur Focus / DER SPIEGEL Frauke Petry in conversation with SPIEGEL editors: “We believe that a healthy patriotism should be natural in Germany.” Frauke Petry, head of the populist Alternative for Germany, rejects the notion that her party […]
Wrong Majorities: What Extremist Success Means for Democracy
A Commentary by Dirk Kurbjuweit www.spiegel.de REUTERS Germany’s “Basic Law” serves as its constitution. Democracy reflects the will of the people. But what if the will of the people threatens democracy? With the right wing on the rise, there is only one appropriate approach. There’s more to a democracy […]
Stories of torture in Syria shock Swiss students
PRISONER TESTIMONIES Stories of torture in Syria shock Swiss students By Islah Bakhat, Bern MAY 18, 2016 – http://www.swissino.ch In Bern, some 170 pupils under the age of 20 came to hear the activists’ testimony. (swissinfo.ch) Two Syrian refugees have described to Swiss students the brutal torture they suffered while in […]
Mataf expansion speaks volumes about Kingdom’s efforts, say pilgrims
ARAB NEWS | Published — Wednesday 18 May 2016 GOOD WORK: Umrah pilgrims hailed the Saudi government for mataf expansion in Makkah. MAKKAH: Umrah pilgrims have hailed the mataf expansion in Makkah as “distinguished” and “amazing,” saying that the achievement speaks a lot about the attention the Saudi government […]
Muslim Kids Read Heartbreaking Letters From WWII To Show How History Is Repeating Itself
Seven decades ago, Japanese-American kids facing similar discrimination were forced from their homes and imprisoned. 05/17/2016 Christopher MathiasNational Reporter, The Huffington Post During World War II, a San Diego librarian named Clara Estelle Breed could often be found at the local railroad station, passing out stamped and self-addressed postcards to […]
Here’s what happens when a Muslim-Jewish couple walks down the street
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 […]
West Trying to Impose Its Own Brand of Democracy to Libya, Iraq: Pope Francis
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 […]
Prejudice against Muslims aids terrorist ‘who wish to kill us all’: Petraeus
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 […]
KSA: Iran blocking its own Haj pilgrims
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 Iraq War wasn’t as a one-off – it was just one more episode in a story that’s lasted 100 years
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 […]
Migrant crisis needs generosity, not fear — Angelina Jolie Pitt
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 […]
Bloodshed blurs Middle East borders set 100 years ago by UK-French pact
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 […]
Resentment over Sykes-Picot deal still drives Turkey foreign policy
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 […]
West’s double standard in defending Christians
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 […]
Refugee Wrangling: Merkel’s Deal with Turkey in Danger of Collapse
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 […]
Iran and Saudi Arabia: The art of Islamic tolerance
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 […]