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.
As controversy continues to encircle the American surveillance program, Cryptome, the digital library host that was created by the US as a repository for secret documents and material, revealed that the CIA spied on 7.8 billion calls in Saudi Arabia. The Cryptome report said that “Saudi Arabia was the target […]
JEDDAH: HABIB SHAIKH ARABNEWS Saudi Arabia strongly supports the establishment of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Human Rights Commission, said Mohammed Tayeb, director-general of Makkah province’s branch of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Addressing the third session of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) on Saturday in Jeddah, […]
Franck Ribery: Islam has strengthened me French football player Ribery says that religion was his privacy and he felt stronger since he preferred Islam. World Bulletin/News Desk The Frenchman – who was named the UEFA Best Player in Europe last season – is among the top contenders along with […]
The Turkish prime minister yesterday defended a controversial decision to enter talks with China to buy Turkey’s first long-range anti-missile system, but said no deal had yet been finalised. Ankara’s announcement last month that it was launching discussions with the China Precision Machinery Import-Export for the deal – worth US$4 […]
Reported by Abu Hurairah (RA): The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The slave (whose faults) Allah conceals in this world, Allah will also conceal (his faults) on the Day of Resurrection.” (Muslim) Source: http://www.hadithoftheday.com/
BY ABDUL HAQ COMPIER Summary: Traditional education about Western civilisation tells the story of how around 1500, Greek texts recovered the lost memory of Europe’s Greek and Roman past and […]
By Dominique Moisi The Daily Star Story Summary In reality, nearly three years after the beginning of the “Arab Spring,” Turkey is more in search of itself than it is of Europe, even if it needs Europe more than Turks are willing to admit. The Arab Spring was initially seen […]
Story Summary President Michel Sleiman (of Lebanon) said Saturday that the Qatari emir has informed him that Doha is exerting maximum efforts to help secure the release of the bishops kidnapped in Syria. The Maronite patriarch was also in Doha this week where he met with the Qatari emir over […]
BELGRADE: Serbia’s president says he won’t take part in a Balkan initiative with Turkey in protest over reported remarks by Turkey’s prime minister in Kosovo. Serbian media have quoted Recep […]
JEDDAH: SIRAJ WAHAB Published — Sunday 27 October 2013 A visiting Pakistani-American radio journalist has commended Saudi Arabia for the successful organization of this year’s Haj. Qamar Abbas Jafri of […]
Experts have called on the government to protect various ancient sites and mosques in Makkah because of their religious and historical importance. Talal Al-Sharif, an Islamic antiquities expert, said the […]
Source: The Local: US President Barack Obama was personally informed of mobile phone tapping against German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which may have begun as early as 2002, German media reported Sunday. More:
Source: NY Times: LEGIAN, Indonesia — They have defaced Britney Spears posters, denounced Pamela Anderson’s charitable work and threatened Lady Gaga and Miss World beauty pageant contestants. And now, hard-line Muslims in Indonesia, in concert with Islamic-based politicians, are eyeing new targets: Johnnie Walker, an award-winning local pilsner called Bintang, even […]
Source: press@amjinternational.org. The World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and Fifth Khalifa, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, inaugurated the Masroor Mosque in Brisbane on 25 October 2013. After unveiling a plaque to commemorate the opening, His Holiness led the Friday Prayers from the new Mosque. During his sermon, Hazrat Mirza Masroor […]
Source: Jakarta Globe: Leaks from Edward Snowden have helped America’s adversaries and represent the most serious breach of classified information in US history, the CIA’s former number-two ranking official said in an interview Friday. Michael Morrell, who served as deputy director and acting director of the CIA, told CBS television’s […]
Source: Dawn.Com FOR decades, Pakistan has had a single-item foreign policy: Kashmir. Of late, drones have been added to this short list. Long gone are the days when Pakistan commanded respect on the global stage, and was seen as a spokesman for the developing world. Now, wracked by two violent […]
Source: Dawn Com. SLAMABAD: Pakistan’s plan to import natural gas by pipeline from neighboring Iran would be an economic ”death sentence” for the country because the gas price is too high, a Pakistani advocacy group said in a report released Wednesday. Despite US pressure, the Pakistani government struck a deal […]
By SHARON ADARLO Oct. 25, 2013 9:05 p.m. ET At a Muslim wedding in New Jersey more than a year ago, Wajahat Ali recalled, guests were confused when the bride […]
October 26, 2013 – 08:04 DUBAI (Reuters) – Seventeen Iranian border guards were killed in clashes with “armed bandits” on the country’s southeastern boundary with Pakistan overnight, Iran’s state news agency reported. It gave no more detail on the identity of the armed group, but security forces have fought drug […]
The trauma of youngsters wrongfully taken from their parents by officials reveals an entrenched prejudice PETER POPHAM Author Biography THURSDAY 24 OCTOBER 2013 THE INDEPENDENT Their blonde hair and blue eyes marked them as unusual, extraordinary even. And when authorities were alerted to their presence in Romany communities police acted […]