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.
Source: CNN By Rafael Romo, CNN Senior Latin American Affairs Editor (CNN) – It was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of opportunity: teenagers from five continents speaking directly with Pope Francis through a Google video chat. The students from schools in Australia, Israel, Turkey, South Africa and El Salvador heard advice from […]
UNITED AGAINST TERROR: NATO leaders watch a flypast of military aircraft on the second day of the NATO 2014 Summit at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, South Wales, on Friday. (AFP) AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE ARABNEWS.COM LATEST STORIES IN FEATUR NEWPORT: The US on Friday called for the creation […]
JEDDAH: FOUZIA KHAN Published — Saturday 6 September 2014 A technical committee tasked with ensuring safety inside the Grand Mosque held a meeting with the Ministry of Higher Education to […]
The Swiss cabinet has advised parliament not to adopt a motion from a rightwing parliamentarian to ban women from wearing headscarves in their passport photos. Oskar Freysinger of the Swiss […]
AFP | Sep 04, 2014 | JORDAN TIMES Ragheda, the wife of Lebanese soldier Sgt. Ali Sayid who was beheaded by Islamic militants, mourns as she carries their 10- month-old daughter, Rahaf, during his funeral at his hometown in Fnaydek, Akkar north Lebanon, Wednesday. Sayid went missing around the […]
Re-opening this airport, closed since 2001, and ending Gaza’s isolation is a key demand of the Islamist Hamas movement and was at the heart of the 50-day Gaza-Israel conflict […]
The Haj Ministry has embarked on a unique program to welcome pilgrims once they are through passports and customs procedures and leave the airport’s lounges at Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz […]
The Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques has strongly denied reports that surfaced in Western media outlets claiming that the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) […]
By Ludovica Iaccino The insurgence of the Islamic State, previously known as Isis, is causing hundreds of deaths in Iraq and Syria. The killings perpetrated by the militants, who recently posted online videos in which they beheaded two American journalists, have prompted many people worldwide – including several Muslim institutions – to publicly condemn […]
Kevin Eckstrom http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/follow_button.1409790579.html#_=1409820654816&dnt=true&id=twitter-widget-1&lang=en&screen_name=kevineckstrom&show_count=false&show_screen_name=true&size=m | September 3, 2014 | 8 Comments (Travelblog is an occasional series of posts by RNS Editor-in-Chief Kevin Eckstrom, who’s on the road in Boston, Honolulu, Jakarta and Banda Aceh with the 2014 Senior Journalists Seminar, sponsored by the East-West Center in conjunction with the U.S. State Department) JAKARTA, […]
Israeli settlers continue their raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque Details Published on Wednesday, 03 September 2014 14:58 PNN/ Jerusalem The chairman of the Higher Islamic Authority and preacher for Jerusalem, Ekrema Sabri, told PNN that Israeli settlers and Rabbis, accompanied by the Israeli police, continue raiding Al-Aqsa mosque under the […]
stance on Russia sanctions divides opinions By Peter Siegenthaler AUG 26, 2014 – 11:00 Swiss vegetables and cheese are more popular in Russia than ever as a result of Russian countersanctions against the European Union (Keystone) Switzerland’s decision not to join European Union sanctions against Russia has prompted mixed reactions […]
SEP 3, 2014 – 18:00 The fast-track pilot project at the Juch asylum centre in Zurich this year has been a success, according to the federal authorities (Keystone) The Swiss cabinet has adopted a draft law concerning major reforms of its asylum procedure, such as dramatic cuts in the average […]
Summary SUMMARY by David Ignatius, The Daily Star, Lebanon Talk about America’s decline is usually wrong. But how else would you describe a country that, in a world of exploding tensions, is unable to confirm dozens of ambassadors to foreign posts because of partisan political squabbling? The State Department […]
Summary President Vladimir Putin outlined plans for a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine Wednesday but Ukraine’s premier dismissed the proposal, while France expressed its disapproval of Moscow’s support for separatist forces by halting delivery of a warship. After speaking to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko by phone, Putin said he believed Kiev […]
225. So ascribe not purity to yourselves [53:33] Those who shun the grave sins and immoral actions except minor faults — verily, thy Lord is very liberal in forgiving. He knows you full well from the time when He created you from the earth, and when you were embryos in the bellies […]
Islamist Influx: Several Radicalized Ex-German Soldiers in Iraq Germany on Sunday presented the list of weapons it plans to send to the Kurds in northern Iraq. Some of them, though, may end up being used against former German soldiers. SPIEGEL has learned that 20 ex-Bundeswehr troops have joined jihadists in […]
It’s taken nearly a whole year of planning, but a new website by the Cairo branch of the Swiss Arts Council, Pro Helvetia, has started promoting cultural interaction between Egypt and Switzerland. A demonstration takes place in the middle of the night – but the protestors exude a magical aura […]
Summary SUMMARY by Rami G. Khouri, The Daily Star, Lebanon Credible press reports and recent hints by Palestine Authority President Mahmoud Abbas indicate that Abbas will soon unveil a diplomatic initiative aimed at achieving Palestinian statehood and the end of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. The […]
HUMANITY FIRST has opened its first school in MAFRAQ, JORDAN with 75 Syrian Refugee children and 25 needy Jordanian children. We are starting this school in Kindergarten level and – […]