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.
Feb 09,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – Hasan Abu Nimah Not many observers were surprised by the quick collapse of the Syria peace talks last week. It would have been a bigger surprise if the Geneva talks, organised by UN special representative Staffan de Mistura, had lasted any longer, let alone accomplished […]
Source: Review of Religions January 2009 By Fazal Ahmad – UK A lot of global political attention in recent years has been on China as it emerges as a heavyweight in the global economy. Mention is often made of its Muslim minorities in the West of China and their push […]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygamy#Polygamy_in_Chinese_culture Since the Han Dynasty, technically, Chinese men could have only one wife. However throughout the thousands of years of Chinese history, it was common for rich Chinese men to have a wife and various concubines. Polygyny is a by-product of the tradition of emphasis on procreation and the continuity […]
James Fenske 09 November 2013 Several theories link polygamy to poverty. Polygamy is concentrated in west Africa and has declined in recent decades. Geographic variation in women’s agricultural productivity does not predict differences in the prevalence of polygamy, but historical inequality and exposure to the slave trade do. Although […]
BBC Trending BBC TrendingWhat’s popular and why 30 January 2016 Image copyright@asmali77 / TwitterImage captionThe hoax spawned a host of jokes online A false rumour that men in Eritrea would be legally obliged to marry at least two women went viral this week. But it’s a hoax that has hit […]
PNN/ Gaza/ Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on Monday morning have opened fire towards farmers east of Al-Breij camp, central Gaza, and the fishermen off Al-Sudaniyya shores. Local sources said that troops in the Al-Madrasa military camp, situated on the buffer zone east of Al-Breij, have opened gunfire on a group of […]
Knesset suspends three Arab lawmakers PNN/ Jerusalem/ Reuters said that three Arab lawmakers were suspended on Monday from speaking in parliament as punishment for supporting families of Palestinian assailants killed by Israeli forces after “attacks.” The Knesset “Ethics Committee” ruled that Balad party members Hanin Zoabi and Basel Ghattas would be barred […]
TENSIONS WITH TURKEY FEB 8, 2016 – 19:46 The last major incident between Kurdish and Turkish groups took place in Bern last September (Keystone) Authorities in Zurich broke up an unauthorised demonstration by a group of Kurdish activists with tear gas and rubber bullets on Monday. The group was protesting […]
WAR CRIMES FEB 8, 2016 – 21:58 Del Ponte has formerly served on tribunals related to atrocities in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia (Keystone) Carla Del Ponte, the Swiss special prosecutor who serves on the UN commission of inquiry on Syria, has said that she generally considers Russian intervention in […]
ABDULRAHMAN AL-RASHED Published — Tuesday 9 February 2016 To try and sum up the causes of extremism in one word will ultimately lead to a vast generalization. But the main reason behind the cause of extremism is the educational curricula, because this lays the foundations that shape one’s thoughts. So […]
By Reuters – Feb 07,2016 – JORDAN TIMES DUBAI — Iraq is trying to persuade satellite firms to halt Internet services in areas under Daesh’s rule, seeking to deal a major blow to the group’s potent propaganda machine, which relies heavily on social media to inspire its followers. Social […]
By Reuters – Feb 08,2016 – JORDAN TIMES Palestinians wait to cross into Jerusalem next to Israel’s controversial separation barrier at an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, in this July 7, 2013 file photo (Reuters photo) OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israel plans to increase the […]
By Reuters – Feb 08,2016 – JORDAN TIMES MOSCOW — Ramzan Kadyrov, hardline leader of Russia’s Chechen region and close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said Chechen spies loyal to Moscow had infiltrated Daesh in Syria and were gathering intelligence for Russian air force bombing strikes. The assertion, by […]
Feb 08,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – JIM AL KHALILI Muslim governments know that economic growth, military power and national security benefit greatly from technological advances. Many of them have sharply increased funding for science and education in recent years. And yet, in the view of many — especially in the […]
Feb 08,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – James J. Zogby Israel does not accept criticism. In fact, whether from friend or foe, even mild criticism is viewed as an existential threat that prompts Israeli officials to unleash a torrent of abuse in an effort to silence and/or punish critics. And given the […]
Suherdjoko, thejakartapost.com, Semarang | Archipelago | Mon, February 08 2016, People celebrate Chinese New Year at Sam Poo Kong Temple in Semarang, Central Java, on Monday. Children waited excitedly to […]
BalazsPenz February 8, 2016 Slumping crude prices drain reserves, prompt devaluations President Aliyev faces worst unrest in a decade as prices jump For Azerbaijan, plunging foreign reserves and two currency devaluations last year provided a stern test for the energy-reliant nation. For its long-time leader, the economic and political challenges […]
BY Elffie Chew January 27, 2016 It took a Malaysian lender more than 10 years to complete its conversion to a fully-fledged Islamic bank, highlighting the challenge for countries such as Indonesia in their bid to become Shariah funding hubs. Agrobank, a state-owned lender set up in 1969 to provide […]
Image Credit: The next president will face complex, dangerous risks in Syria, Iran and other parts of the region By Kerry Boyd Anderson, Special to Gulf News Published: 16:51 February 8, 2016 The United States presidential elections have entered a new phase, as Republicans and Democrats begin choosing who […]
There are three brigades located in that base now and their number will eventually reach 4,500 soldiers Published: 19:11 February 8, 2016 AFP Kirkuk: The Iraqi army is deploying thousands of soldiers to a northern base in preparation for operations to retake Daesh’s hub of Mosul, officials said on Monday. […]