Israel mulls replacing al-Aqsa mosque
An Israeli official says the Tel Aviv regime is considering replacing the al-Aqsa Mosque in al-Quds (Jerusalem) with a temple. Minister of Housing and Construction Uri Ariel on Friday called […]
Author Archives
Rafiq A. Tschannen
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.
Switzerland: QUICK DECISIONS: Asylum seeker numbers drop significantly
swissinfo.ch and agencies January 24, 2014 – 17:12 The number of asylum seekers in Switzerland fell by a quarter in 2013 compared with the previous year. The authorities received 21,465 […]
U.S. senators urge admission of refugees
STORY SUMMARY Democratic and Republican U.S. senators called Tuesday for the country to take in more of the millions of people forced from their homes during Syria’s nearly three-year civil war. Only 31 Syrian refugees – out of an estimated 2.3 million – were allowed into the United States in […]
The terrorism games?
MARK GALEOTTI ARABNEWS.COM Published — Saturday 25 January 2014 What is the price of security? Three billion US dollars, it seems, as far as the Russians are concerned. Even in the midst of an economic slowdown, they have committed unparalleled resources to protect the Sochi Winter Olympics from terrorists, who […]
Prince Turki calls for UN resolution to pull out Shiites from Syria
DAVOS, Switzerland: Prince Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, has criticized the US over its policy on Syria, and called for a UN resolution […]
Islamic museum in Cairo seriously damaged after bomb blast
Facade of the museum is destroyed, and some interior ceilings have collapsed Nevine El-Aref, Friday 24 Jan 2014 ALAHRAM ONLINE The façade of the Museum of Islamic Art in central Cairo has been completely destroyed by a powerful car bomb that exploded outside the adjacent Cairo Security Directorate early on […]
Davos: UK’s Cameron urges ‘reshoring’ of jobs
British Prime Minister David Cameron at Davos on Friday urged the rest of Europe to seize an opportunity to win back millions of jobs through the “reshoring” of production from […]
Is Pakistan finally going after the Taliban?
For years, the United States has been demanding that Islamabad launch a military action against the extremist Haqqani Network in its semi-governed region of North Waziristan. The US believes the area is being used by al Qaeda and Taliban operatives as a base to launch attacks on international troops in […]
5 Afghan cricket players killed by gunman
KABUL: An Afghan official says a gunman on a motorcycle opened fire at a group of local cricket players, killing five of them during a game in eastern Laghman province. […]
‘Major’ Byzantine-Era Church With Stunning Mosaic Unearthed In Israel (PHOTO)
Excavations prior to the construction of a new neighborhood in Israel have turned up the ruins of a 1,500-year-old Christian church with a beautiful mosaic. Archaeologists found the Byzantine-era church […]
Stateless and in Exile: One Palestinian Family’s Story of Being Expelled From Their Jerusalem Home
Suheir Azzouni/Mondoweiss Far-fetched Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations began earlier this month. But in parallel process for my family, long-time residents of occupied East Jerusalem, we have been sent into exile by […]
Blair’s Moral Failure
By Mustafa Barghouthi On Monday January 13th, the office of the special Envoy of the Quartet in Jerusalem, Mr. Tony Blair, circulated the eulogy [see below] he delivered at Ariel Sharon’s funeral, in the form of a Quartet statement. The full text of his eulogy, now accessible to the public, […]
Syrian opposition refuses to meet govt face-to-face at Geneva 2 talks
The first day of talks in Switzerland, on Wednesday, was riddled with harsh denunciations made by both sides of the other’s lack of compromise and brutality on the ground during a fierce civil war. Meanwhile, other participants defended their own prerogatives. Western countries, Arab states, and Turkey supported the opposition […]
WEF WOES: Business chiefs fear ticking jobless time bomb
by Matthew Allen in Davos, swissinfo.ch January 23, 2014 – 20:16 The nascent global economic recovery is failing to trickle down to the man or woman on the street in the shape of new jobs or improved incomes, the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Davos meeting has heard. Another five million […]
Riyadh metro to be 73 km underground
RIYADH: ABDULLAH AL-ANSARI ARABNEWS More than 73.4 km of the metro in the capital would be underground. One of the world’s largest metro projects, this automatic driverless network will be […]
Creationism: When God created the Swiss He was well pleased …
… and God asked the Swiss: “What else can I do for you?” The Swiss answered: “Some Mountains with snow on top and forests on the bottom would be nice” and he got it. God asked: “And what else would you like?” The Swiss answered: “Lakes spread around the country.” […]
3 MYTHS THAT BLOCK PROGRESS FOR THE POOR – by Bill Gates
Source: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation By almost any measure, the world is better than it has ever been. People are living longer, healthier lives. Many nations that were aid […]
How a banana can land you in an American Prisoner-of-war Camp
Whenever I eat a banana I remember the story told to me by one of Iraq’s few ACA Chartered Accountants. When I met him he was Finance Director in an […]
Gunmen kill 6 police escorting Spanish cyclist (in Pakistani Baluchistan)
By ABDUL SATTAR and RIAZ KHAN, Associated Press | January 21, 2014 QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Gunmen opened fire on Pakistani police escorting a Spanish cyclist through a volatile province […]
U.N. to offset refugee crisis by buying Lebanese
STORY SUMMARY The Industry Ministry in cooperation with U.N. agencies will advise Lebanese businesses on the procedures to participate in U.N. tenders to purchase goods for refugees, Sabounjian told The Daily Star. Pasini, who participated in the meeting with Sabounjian and Watkins, said the workshop aimed at bridging the gap […]