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: NY Times. WASHINGTON — The long-fractured relationship between the United States and Iran took a significant turn on Friday when President Obama and President Hassan Rouhani became the first leaders of their countries to speak since the Tehran hostage crisis more than three decades ago. More:
Source: TOI NAIROBI: Kenya has vowed not to bow to al-Shabaab’s threats of more attacks if troops are not pulled out of Somalia, following adevastating mall attack in Nairobi by the Al-Qaida-linked insurgents. “We went to Somalia because al-Shabaab was a threat to national security … We will continue to take action […]
Source: Asia Times: On September 26, 2013, Turkey made the rather eyebrow-raising decision to put its long range missile defense eggs in a Chinese basket, announcing it had awarded a US$3 billion contract to the People’s Republic of China for its truck-mounted “shoot and scoot” FD-2000 system. More:
An Epidemic: Unmarried and over 30 There is an extraordinary number of very educated women in their thirties and above who have not found a spouse. As intelligent, educated, single […]
As survivors painfully clean their bloodstained churches, mosques, and malls, we’re all once again left asking How ironic. I stayed up all night writing a rejoinder to an anti-Islam politician who insists that Islam is a violent faith. Instead, I’m met by Al-Shabab who brutally murder 59 non-Muslims in Nairobi, […]
Source: The Economist: In plain language, such an envoy would be an advocate both internationally and above all within the administration for hard-pressed groups like the Copts of Egypt, the Bahais of Iran, or the Ahmadiyyas, Shias, Christians and other non-Sunni minorities in Pakistan. If such a job existed—so Mr […]
Source: CNN (CNN) — The 161 passengers aboard United Flight 1603 must have known something was wrong when a crew member announced through the cabin loudspeaker if anyone aboard was a physician. Capt. Henry Skillern, 63, was suffering a heart attack. The in-flight emergency Thursday night that began somewhere in the […]
Source: ET Worse off are the Ahmadis who lead dual lives — secret lives, rather. Faith is an integral classification of identity in Pakistan. You are what you believe. And on this belief, we are divided — and we are killed. More:
By Christopher Harress on September 26 2013 9:22 AM International Business Times Islamic banking is set to expand dramatically in Africa over the next two decades as the number of […]
Source: Qanatara.de At the invitation of Federal President Joachim Gauck, several thousand citizens met at Berlin’s Schloss Bellevue to exchange views at the “place of encounters”. Fabian Pianka depicts the current mood prevailing in Germany with regard to immigrants, how art can help in conflict situations, and the state of […]
Credit:Dawn.com AFP Indian police officials, civilians and army personnel look on as smoke rises during an attack by militants on an army camp […]
Source: Asia Times: He came. He listened. And he surfed. “I listened carefully to the statement made by President Obama today at the General Assembly… [I’m] hoping that they will refrain from following the short-sighted interests of warmongering pressure groups and we can arrive at a framework to managing our […]
Source: TOI LONDON: India often finds itself embarrassingly high on the corruption index, rating among the most corrupt countries in the world. However, in a recent experiment, the country’s commercial capital Mumbai presenteda different picture. The ruse was a simple, abandoned wallet lying on the road, and recording how many people stumbling on […]
Source. ET ISLAMABAD: Hayat-Lifeline Campaign launched Pakistan’s first curriculum regarding Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) at a national conference held here on Wednesday. The launch is an attempt to impart formal education to youngsters on SRHR. The curriculum has been developed through close engagement of religious scholars, government officials, […]
Summary Editor’s Note: This is the first installment of a two-part series on the relationship between Central Asia and Afghanistan and the expected effects of the U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan on Central Asian security. Contrary to popular perception, Central Asia is not likely to see an immediate explosion of violence […]
With a net worth of $3.8 billion, Shahid Khan tops the Forbes list of the richest Americans of South Asian origin. Overall, Khan ranks 122nd on Forbes 400 list for 2013, up from 179th in 2012. Born in Pakistani city of Lahore, 63 year old Shahid Khan is a mechanical […]
Religion News Service | By Richard S. Ehrlich Posted: 09/25/2013 10:23 am EDT (RNS) Pakistan’s constitutionally mandated Council of Islamic Ideology told the government anyone who wrongly accuses a person […]
By Jessica Chasmar-The Washington Times Wednesday, September 25, 2013 The Muslim Brotherhood has decided to move its media office to London, shortly after an Egyptian court decided to ban the organization or any subsidiary from operating within the country, a local newspaper reported. According to the Egypt Independent, the Muslim […]
I have spent a lot of time over the last couple of weeks looking into the story that Saudi Arabia provided rebel fighters in Syria with chemical weapons. More specifically, I have been looking at the story of how it became a story – along with the questions this raises […]