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 Reuters – Mar 15,2016 – JORDAN TIMES OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israel has appropriated large tracts of land in the occupied West Bank near the Dead Sea and the Palestinian city of Jericho, Israeli Army Radio said on Tuesday. Israel’s Peace Now movement, which tracks and opposes Israeli settlement […]
Mar 15,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – Hasan Abu Nimah US President Barack Obama seems to be considering ideas that could facilitate a deal between the Palestinians and the Israelis, not while still in office, as time is running short for that, but for the benefit of his successors. “Middle East peace […]
By Anand Chandrasekhar with input from Surbhi Kaul, Verbier MAR 15, 2016 – 11:00 It is estimated that between 300,000 to 500,000 military and paramilitary soldiers are deployed in Kashmir, mainly along the border with Pakistan (Keystone) Lured by virgin snow, adventurous skiers are ignoring travel advisories to stay away […]
By Hana Namrouqa – Mar 13,2016 – JORDAN TIMES MCT illustration AMMAN — Jordan’s first experiment in artificial rainmaking is scheduled to take place during spring in the Jordan Valley over the catchment area of King Talal Dam, a government official said on Sunday. The first experiment will be […]
By AP – Mar 13,2016 – JORDAN TIMES Palestinian primary school teacher Hanan Al Hroub reacts after she won the second annual Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Sunday (AP photo) DUBAI — A Palestinian primary school teacher who grew up in a refugee camp won […]
By Mohammad Ghazal – Mar 14,2016 – JORDAN TIMES AMMAN — Muslims can and need to do more to empower the moderate and counter the narrative of terrorists and radical groups, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in an exclusive interview with The Jordan Times during her visit to […]
Five years ago, we were high on Arab revolutions, and journalists were growing used to ‘liberating’ Arab capitals Robert Fisk @indyvoices Sunday 13 March 2016 Just before I left Syria last month, a tall and eloquent Franco-Lebanese man walked up to me in a Damascus coffee shop and introduced himself […]
By Natasha Bertrand March 2, 2016 View gallery . (Thomson Reuters) A boy looks on while residents inspect a damaged building in the rebel held besieged city of Douma, a suburb of Damascus A cessation of hostilities agreement in Syria, brokered by the US and Russia, officially came into effect last Saturday.In an […]
At a Dunkirk refugee camp, Sarah Whitehead hears a story of five sons who lost their mother but who refused to give up until they found her again Beshwar and […]
Source: Arab News Dr. Laurence Brown, a medical doctor, describes the event that eventually led him to explore religion and become convinced about Islam, not by mere intelligence, but a […]
By Reuters – Mar 12,2016 – JORDAN TIMES A Palestinian protester takes position during confrontations with Israeli troops, near Israel’s Ofer Prison near the West Bank city of Ramallah, on Friday (Reuters photo) GAZA — A Palestinian boy and his sister were killed in Hamas-controlled Gaza on Saturday when […]
By AFP – Mar 12,2016 – JORDAN TIMES In this photo taken on Thursday, fighters fire weapons against the Daesh terror group in the Hawari area, south-west of the city of Benghazi, Libya (AP photo) WASHINGTON — In a rare public rebuke of two of Washington’s closest allies, […]
Mar 12,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – MUSA KEILANI A shimmering mirage was offered last week to the Syrian people by the United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura when he spoke about a federal structure for future Syria. He was keen to engage the Kurdish People’s Defence Units in the forthcoming Geneva negotiations. […]
Obama said he was disappointed by the “s**t show” left in Libya by David Cameron Andrew Buncombe New York @AndrewBuncombe Friday 11 March 2016 55 comments There is a clear pattern about the entire thing. Every couple of years, a British or US leader will visit the other’s country, or […]
Author Alicia Burrow, Section National, Publish Date Saturday, 12 March 2016, 5:53PM The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is raising money for the Blind Foundation in attempts to change negative perceptions from the public (Supplied). An Auckland Muslim community is stepping up its charity work in an effort to overcome negative public […]
Ten-year-old Mahdi reunites with his mother after his family believed he was dead for over a year. Photo: DPA. Published: 07 Mar 2016 16:13 GMT+01:00 A 10-year-old boy had an emotional reunion on Monday with his family, who thought he had drowned in their voyage from Turkey to Greece a […]
ABD AL-AZIZ BIN ABDALLAH Published — Friday 11 March 2016 Allah says: “Whatever of good befalls you, it is from Allah; and whatever of ill befalls you, it is from yourself.” (Qur’an, 4:79) This and other similar verses outline for us an attitude that we should adopt, and that will […]
BY JACK MOORE , DR. AMIR KAMEL ON 3/11/16 In a recent interview with The Atlantic ’s Jeffrey Goldberg, U.S. President Barack Obama acknowledged the failures in Libya and pinpointed […]
UMER ALI Full of contradictions The hanging of Mumtaz Qadri united all religio-political parties last week as together they protested against it. Blocking roads, closing down markets forcibly, thrashing journalists and attacking media houses for not covering their protests – all was done to send a message that come what […]
Analysis MARCH 6, 2016 Jamal Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Syria, passes through Damascus on July 17, 1917. Under Ottoman rule, Syria existed as a collection of culturally diverse provinces. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Analysis By Toba Hellerstein The quagmire that is contemporary Syria is as infinitely complex as it was […]