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.
Arab News | Published — Tuesday 3 May 2016 RIYADH: Saudi Binladin Group has lost billions since the government refused to grant it additional contracts after last year’s crane crash in Makkah that killed 107 people, for which the firm was found partially responsible, according to a local media report […]
May 02,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – James J. Zogby Earlier this month, “The Atlantic” magazine featured a cover story, “The Obama Doctrine”, written by Jeffery Goldberg. Based on the author’s many hours of interviews with President Barack Obama, the story represents an attempt to find a coherent framework with which […]
May 02,2016 – JORDAN TIMES EDITORIAL Following his Friday briefing to the UN Security Council, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura called on the US and Russian leaders to help salvage the “barely alive” ceasefire in Syria “from a total collapse”. Since the cessation of hostilities is “hanging […]
Australian model Mecca Laalaa in a tight-fitting Islamic swimsuit, or burqini. File photo: AFP Anger as Basel pool bans ‘maxi burqinis’ Published: 29 Apr 2016 12:23 GMT+02:00 Updated: 29 Apr 2016 14:00 GMT+02:00 A swimming pool in Basel which is popular with Muslims has banned certain types of burqinis as […]
By Matin Moslem May 2, 2016 TEHRAN- In spite of being sinful, President Nixon was on the belief that “a good politician is the one who listen more than talk, do not take action hastily and learn lesson from the past!” However, the 37th U.S. president had not observed this […]
Deana Nassar | Published — Friday 1 April 2016 Islam with its universal concept of brotherhood rejects all artificial and man-made marks of distinction. When listening to the radio, reading newspapers, surfing the Net or watching television, we are confronted daily with the same sad news: Violence, crime, wars […]
Fact Tank – Our Lives in Numbers April 27, 2016 By Angelina E. Theodorou and Jacob Poushter1 comment The idea that an independent Palestinian state can peacefully coexist with Israel has been the cornerstone of many Arab-Israeli peace initiatives in recent years. But while significant shares of Israeli Arabs and […]
Apr 30,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – MUSA KEILANI The Israeli government committed last week one more strategic mistake that will, in the long run, have a serious impact both on Israelis and on Palestinians. Nearly three decades ago, military occupation authorities in the West Bank and Gaza deported 415 Palestinian […]
Intelligence report May 2, 2016 – 16:02 Markus Seiler, head of the Federal Intelligence Service, presented his department’s latest report on Monday. (Keystone) In its latest report, the Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) has said it is monitoring the social media activity of about 400 potential jihadis. However, no individuals have […]
Helping hands (and feet) When humanitarian assistance turns hi-tech By Isobel Leybold-Johnson May 2, 2016 – 14:45 In 2014, the ICRC helped 300,000 people via its physical rehabilitation services and prostheses (cicr) An affordable prosthetic foot for war amputees is the Lausanne-based Humanitarian Tech Hub’s first project. The research and […]
For years, oil analysts have suggested that Saudi reserves are nothing like the kingdom claims them to be Robert Fisk @indyvoices Thursday 28 April 2016 Just like his adventure in Yemen, Saudi Arabia’s young Deputy Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman got it all wrong this week. It’s not Saudi Arabia […]
By Isobel Leybold-Johnson APR 29, 2016 – 22:49 Technicians working in the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) tunnel of the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN, as seen earlier in the year (Keystone) The Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator at Cern, just outside Geneva, has been immobilised temporarily after a short […]
You’re just trying to summon up the moral wherewithal to die with dignity. By My Catbird Seat – May 23, 2015 “Israeli troops go on a rampage in the West Bank, kill Palestinians, demolish Palestinian homes” Posted May 20, 2014 Transcript Part 1 PAUL JAY, SENIOR EDITOR, TRNN: Welcome back […]
April 30, 2016 TEHRAN – Ali Akbar Velayati, head of the Expediency Council Center for Strategic Research, said on Thursday that Tehran won’t allow the U.S. to rob $2 billion of Iranian funds. “The Islamic Republic has shown it will never waive its rights… and the Iranian people won’t allow […]
Reuters | Published — Saturday 30 April 2016 An Islamic State fighter is seen carrying a rocket-propelled grenade launcher in Iraq, in this still image taken from an amateur video supplied by Kurdish Peshmerga and received by Reuters on Friday. (Reuters) BAGHDAD: Daesh may exult in online portrayals of radicals […]
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid | Published — Friday 29 April 2016 The entire universe, in the way it is created and the way it is controlled, bears witness to the oneness of Allah: “Surely, His is the creation and commandment. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of the Aalameen (mankind, jinn […]
Mariam Anwer | Published — Friday 29 April 2016 We seldom think about the purpose of our life. Yet, it is extremely critical for us to know about this as it is having a purpose in life that pushes us to use our intellect and abilities in the right direction […]
ARAB NEWS | Published — Saturday 30 April 2016 TABUK: A secondary school in the Al-Ula governorate recently organized a party during its open day to celebrate the marriage of a 17-year-old student, triggering concern among some marriage officials. According to local media, the student of King Abdulaziz secondary school […]
Apr 28,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – JONATHAN POWER A woman for the next secretary general of the United Nations? Well, it is a lot more complicated than that. There are other criteria in play; there is an unwritten rule that the regions of the world should take turns to occupy the […]
Apr 28,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – RAMI G. KHOURI During a very fast, one-day, visit to Washington, DC on Monday, I participated in a day of lectures and panel discussions organised by a private company on some of the world’s most challenging political and economic issues, including the “Arab youth” […]