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.
Umra pilgrims arrive in Madinah. (SPA) ARAB NEWS Published — Friday 22 May 2015 JEDDAH: The number of Haj pilgrims is expected to reach five million and Umrah pilgrims 30 million in the next five years, said Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar on Thursday. Speaking to businessmen in Madinah, he […]
Religion News Service | By Brian Pellot Posted: 05/19/2015 2:56 pm EDT Updated: 05/19/2015 2:59 pm EDT (RNS) Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims live in squalor in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State. That number has been falling fast as thousands flee by land and sea in search of better lives […]
AFP | May 21, 2015 | JORDAN TIMES Displaced Iraqis from Ramadi cross the Bzebiz Bridge fleeing fighting in Ramadi, 65 km west of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday (AP photo) BAGHDAD — They were always seen as the key to defeating the jihadists in their bastions but the fall of Ramadi […]
Reuters | May 22, 2015 | 00:18 GAZA — With jobs scarce and time on their hands, some tech-savvy Gazans have found a new way to make money — hacking Internet-based phone lines and routing international calls for a fee. Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) hacking has been a phenomenon […]
World’s largest hotel to be built in Mecca The biggest hotel in the world is being built in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, offering 10,000 rooms, helicopter pads and convenience for the […]
REUTERS Published — Thursday 21 May 2015 SIRTE, Libya: Standing guard at his frontline post, Libyan soldier Mohammed Abu Shager can see where Islamic State militants are holed up with their heavy weaponry less than a kilometer away. The militants have effectively taken over former dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s home […]
Emrah and his Brothers: Germany’s Struggle for the Soul of Returning Islamists By Özlem Gezer German Islamists are returning from war abroad, some reformed but others more dangerous than ever. Social workers, imams and extremists are fighting for their souls — and for Germany’s safety. Government officials have few answers […]
UNIVERSITAS 21 STUDY ‘Outward looking’ universities boost Swiss ranking By Isobel Leybold-Johnson swissinfo.ch MAY 21, 2015 – 01:00 Looking forwards: students in Switzerland get a good education (Keystone) Switzerland’s higher education system has been ranked 2nd in the Universitas 21 2015 global ratings. One aspect […]
Summary A court in Pakistan has jailed an Imam or prayer leader for five years for inciting hate against a rival sect, officials said Wednesday. Maulana Abubakar a prayer leader […]
Summary BY RAMI G. KHOURI, THE DAILY STAR, LEBANON The European Union’s desire to play a more active role in promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace, as its foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Monday as she set out on her first visit to the region, is one of the few areas […]
Petra | May 19, 2015 | Jordan Times CAIRO — Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani on Tuesday called for forming an Arab media coalition to fight terrorism. Chairing the Jordanian delegation to the meetings of the Council of Arab Information Ministers’ Executive Office at the […]
By Christoph Reuter SPIEGEL.DE EMIN OZMEN/ LEJOURNAL/ DER SPIEGEL Syrian dictator Bashar Assad is running out of soldiers and is forced to rely on mercenaries in his ongoing battle against rebels. Many of his foreign fighters come from Afghanistan — men like Murad, who is now being held […]
PRINT SEND THIS ARTICLE 1 COMMENTS As a political refugee in Switzerland, Hani Abbas chose exile to escape Syrian security forces. Many of his fellow cartoonists and journalists had been assassinated, imprisoned or tortured. Abbas was born in 1977 in Yarmouk, a large Palestinian refugee camp in the suburbs of the […]
by Jordan Times | May 18, 2015 | AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah has said that regional problems would not prevent Jordan from moving ahead with its development plans, adding that crises in the neighbourhood have always been a driver for progress as far as the Kingdom is concerned. […]
by Omar Obeidat and Dana Al Emam and Merza Noghai | May 18, 2015 | 23:53 AMMAN – Experts see hosting the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the eastern shores of the Dead Sea in the coming few days as an opportunity to send a message to global politicians, investors […]
472. Commandment – Convey the message of Peace and Love to the kings and the head of the states and ask them to Behave not proudly towards me, but come to me in submission [27:29] ‘Go thou, with this letter of mine, and lay it before them; then withdraw from them […]
469. Commandment – And on us lies only the plain delivery of the Message [15:95] So declare openly that with which thou art commanded and turn aside from those who ascribe partners to God. [36:18] ‘And on us lies only the plain delivery of the Message.’ [29:19] ‘And if you reject, then generations before […]
471. Commandment – Convey the message of Peace and Love (ISLAM) to the nearest kinsmen [26:215] And warn thy nearest kinsmen, [46:18] But the one who says to his parents, ‘Fie on you both! do you threaten me that I shall be brought forth again, when generations have already passed away before me?’ […]
470. Commandment – And thus have We made you an exalted nation, that you may be guardians over men, and the Messenger of God may be a guardian over you [2:144] And thus have We made you an exalted nation, that you may be guardians over men, and the Messenger of God may be a […]
Source: Middle East Monitor The European Union has threatened to impose economic and diplomatic sanctions against Israel if it does not resume peace talks with the Palestinians. According to Yedioth […]