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 Mohammed Idrees Ahmad, THE INDEPENDENT An esteemed war journalist says he witnessed Syrian jihadis slaughter Christians. Evidence of a war crime—or a Brian Williams moment? Patrick Cockburn, the Irish foreign correspondent for The Independent, has an eclectic following. He is admired by Noam Chomsky and Rand Paul; and last […]
BY PAUL MCLEARY MAY 26, 2015 – 4:03 PM Shiite militias and Iraqi government forces have started to move into place around the Islamic State-held city of Ramadi in preparation for a highly-publicized but hastily-planned push to wrest the city from the fighters who chased the Iraqi army out earlier […]
THE SOUTH ASIA CHANNEL Enemy Number One For Minorities in Pakistan: Public Opinion In a hostile world, Pakistani minorities face many threats; each new atrocity brings with it reams of analysis and no shortage of finger pointing towards the perceived culprits. But general public opinion might be just as much […]
WAR & CONFLICT From Eritrean child soldier to Swedish parliamentarian Arhe Hamednaca is a member of Sweden’s parliament, but his commitment to social justice began as a child fighter. Fatma Naib | 27 May 2015 10:10 GMT | Arhe Hamednaca with a group of Palestinian youth in Tulkarm, the West Bank […]
BY JULIE MCCAFFREY This eccentric Indian ruler was the world’s richest man. 1937 Time magazine (Pic:Getty Images) This eccentric Indian ruler was the world’s richest man. He had 86 mistresses, 100 illegitimate sons and employed 38 staff to dust palace chandeliers. Yet the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Sir Osman Ali […]
480. Commandment – Speak to him a gentle speech that he might possibly heed or fear [20:44] “Go, both of you, to Pharaoh, for he has transgressed all bounds. [20:45] “But speak to him a gentle speech that he might possibly heed or fear.”
MAY 27, 2015 12:09 PM Think of the word ‘Maharaja’ and it will probably conjure up images of courtly grandeur, splendor and jewels surrounding a powerful turbaned ruler. Until 1947, Maharajas (meaning “great kings”) played a crucial role in the subcontinent’s history, culture and socio-economic landscape. According to Chicago […]
WAR & CONFLICT East Jerusalem: ‘The two-state solution is dead’ Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem are increasingly pessimistic on the possibility of an independent state. Creede Newton | 14 Apr 2015 12:03 GMT | Netanyahu announced the construction of 143 new homes in the Jewish settlement known to Israelis as […]
In graphics Europe’s boat people May 19th 2015, 12:11 BY DATA TEAM http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/tweet_button.b169aa788731255dd55f1bb243b660e1.en.html#_=1432716685773&count=horizontal&counturl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.economist.com%2Fblogs%2Fgraphicdetail%2F2015%2F05%2Fgraphics&dnt=false&id=twitter-widget-0&lang=en&original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.economist.com%2Fblogs%2Fgraphicdetail%2F2015%2F05%2Fgraphics&related=theeconomist&size=m&text=In%20graphics%3A%20Europe%27s%20boat%20people&url=http%3A%2F%2Fecon.st%2F1FdPM4B&via=TheEconomist THE SMUGGLING of people across the Mediterranean is not new; nor are the losses at sea that come with it. But the trade has vastly expanded over the past few years thanks to two developments. The civil […]
FAST-TRACK PROCESS Zurich set to host new federal asylum centre MAY 26, 2015 – 11:50 The Duttweiler Areal, as seen in 2013, site of the proposed new fast-track centre (Keystone) Zurich and the federal migration authorities have announced that the city is to host a new federal asylum centre, following […]
RSS FOLLOW EMAIL PRINT SHARE Rami G. Khouri| The Daily Star If I were Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi, I’d be slightly worried that I received a telephone call from U.S. Vice President Joe Bidenon Monday assuring continued American military support and coordination to combat ISIS. Last week, ISIS made […]
Reuters | May 26, 2015 | JORDAN TIMES Afghan labourer Said Ahmad, 26, pulls a cart as he collects metals and plastics to sell in Kabul on Sunday (AFP photo) LONDON — The world’s rich donor nations must increase their overseas aid budgets and reverse the trend of declining funding […]
479. Commandment – Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation [16:126] Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in a way that is best. Surely, thy Lord knows best who has strayed from His way; and He […]
VOICE America’s Virulent, Extremist Counterterrorism Ideology Forget the long war; we’re now in the thick of perpetual war. BY MICAH ZENKO MAY 21, 2015 Throughout the 13-plus years of the war on terrorism, one line of effort that everyone in Washington agrees on is the necessity to counter the ideology […]
By Eric Draitser Global Research, May 23, 2015 The Western media has been consumed in recent days with the news that Islamic State militants have captured the strategically critical city of Ramadi in Iraq. The narrative is one of incompetence on the part of Iraqi military forces who, the corporate media tells […]
478. Commandment – And relate to them the story of him to whom We gave Our Signs, but he stepped away from them; so Satan followed him up, and he became one of those who go astray [7:176] And relate to them the story of him to whom We gave Our Signs, but […]
SAFE HAVEN Switzerland good first refuge for asylum seekers MAY 17, 2015 – 12:24 The majority of asylum seekers allowed into Switzerland last year did not qualify for refugee status (Keystone) Proportionally Switzerland admits more asylum seekers into the country on a provisional basis than most other European nations. […]
Source: Arab News By HARUN YAHYA • Arrogant people are always “on tenterhooks” • Their behavior is never sincere and genuine. • They think they will never make a mistake. • They therefore live in a constant state of discomfort. — Arrogance leads people to sickness of mind and […]
ZERO TOLERANCE FOR TERROR: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman chairs the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jeddah. (SPA) ARAB NEWS Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, denounced Friday’s terrorist attack on a Qatif mosque and said it was aimed at undermining the Kingdom’s security and stability. […]
Reuters | May 25, 2015 | 23:41 Updated: May 25, 2015 | 23:41 CAIRO — Hundreds of Libyan tribal leaders met in Cairo on Monday with Egyptian authorities hoping to enlist their help in preventing Islamist violence from spilling over their shared border. Islamist militants have thrived in the chaos […]