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.
US secretary of state, John Kerry, suggests that protecting the beseiged Syrian town of Kobani is not a primary objective of US-coalition forces. ‘As horrific as it is to watch in real time what’s happening in Kobani … you have to step back and understand the strategic objective,’ he says […]
BEIRUT: A Kurdish woman fighter is leading the battle against Islamic State militants in the Syrian battleground town of Kobani, a monitoring group and activists said Sunday. “Mayssa Abdo, known […]
Ever since the Pentagon started talking about Isis as apocalyptic, I’ve suspected that websites and blogs and YouTube are taking over from reality. I’m even wondering whether “Isis” – or […]
Tariq Ramadan: ‘ISIL’s acts are un-Islamic’ The prominent Muslim academic on the threat of the Islamic State group and how scholars are failing the Muslim world. An ‘Islamic Caliphate’, a […]
OCT 11, 2014 – 13:30 Newspapers in Switzerland took their lead from Friday’s announcement of the joint winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, 17-year-old Malala Yousafzai and 60-year-old Kailash Satyarthi, […]
President Obama likes to list “our friends and partners” who have signed up for his military campaign in Iraq and Syria. If only he knew how to lead such a wartime coalition. This week’s handling of the crisis on the Syrian-Turkish border is a case study in mismanagement. True to […]
by Michael Young, The Daily Star, Lebanon Summary President Barack Obama’s attitude toward the Syrian conflict is the equivalent of wanting to win the lottery without buying a ticket. Obama has used his aircraft to bombard ISIS in Syria, but the president does not want to do anything yet, or […]
Some pilgrims returned to Arafat on Wednesday to visit their loved ones who died during the Haj over the past few years. The undated cemetery is only open one day […]
GENEVA: Thousands of people “will most likely be massacred” if Kobani falls to Islamic State fighters, a UN envoy said on Friday, as militants fought deeper into the besieged Syrian […]
VIENNA — Talks between the UN nuclear watchdog and Iran this week appear not to have substantively advanced an investigation into suspected atomic bomb research by Tehran, potentially dimming chances for a broader deal between the Iranians and big powers. Western officials say Iran must improve cooperation with United Nations […]
October 09, 2014 12:15 am • By Lilly Fowler lfowler@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8221Loading… IF YOU GO What: St. Louis Shroud Conference 2014 Where: Drury Plaza Inn, at 355 Chesterfield Center. When: Today through Sunday. Tickets are $150 for all events, $50 per day. Opening talk is free. Register at stlouisshroudconference.com It’s […]
Pakistani teenager and Indian children’s rights activist beat Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning, the Pope and Vladimir Putin to the prestigious prize Paul Owen, Matthew Weaver and agencies The Guardian, Friday 10 October 2014 13.14 BST Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenage education campaigner shot on school bus in 2012 by a […]
Swiss Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga has called on Italy to comply with its obligations under the Dublin agreement and register asylum seekers. She also signalled Switzerland’s willingness to help share the asylum burden. Speaking ahead of a meeting with European Union (EU) interior ministers in Luxembourg, Sommaruga said Switzerland was […]
GAZA CITY: The new Palestinian unity government held a Cabinet meeting in the war-battered Gaza Strip for the first time Thursday, marking the end of more than seven years of […]
Allah the Almighty legislated acts of worship and obedience for great wisdom and sublime objectives. No wonder, as they strengthen the faith, purify the soul, correct the attitude and refine the morals. If acts of worship did not achieve these objectives, then the Muslim would not benefit from them properly. […]
Businessmen and officials have welcomed the Saudi Railway Organization’s (SRO) plan to establish a 660-km coastal railway line between Jeddah and Jazan, saying it would boost the two regions’ economic, […]
OCT 8, 2014 – SWISSINFO.CH Defence Minister Ueli Maurer has performed a U-turn regarding the Islamic State The Swiss government has decided to outlaw the militant Islamic State group and similar organisations. The ban includes activities, as well as propaganda and financial support of the jihadist fighters. “Islamic State has […]
Nicholas Kristof A few days ago, I was on a panel on Bill Maher’s television show on HBO that became a religious war. Whether or not Islam itself inspires conflict, debates about it certainly do. Our conversation degenerated into something close to a shouting match and went viral on the […]
The Daily Star Turkey appears to be playing a game on its border with Syria, but it does not appear to have figured out how to win it, nor what […]
JEDDAH: P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR Published — Thursday 9 October 2014 A group of young Saudi history enthusiasts has retraced the path of the People of the Elephant who tried to […]