In Germany Judge orders lawyer to remove headscarf
Source: The Local: A Berlin judge has banned a Muslim lawyer from wearing a headscarf in his courtroom stating she should show religious neutrality. More:
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.
Forensic Details in U.N. Report Point to Assad’s Use of Gas
Source: NY Times A United Nations report released on Monday confirmed that a deadly chemical arms attack caused a mass killing in Syria last month and for the first time provided extensive forensic details of the weapons used, which strongly implicated the Syrian government. More:
Al Qaeda leader urges restraint in first ‘guidelines for jihad’
Reuters | Sep 17, 2013 | 00:35 LONDON — Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri has issued his first specific guidelines for jihad, urging restraint in attacking other Muslim sects and non-Muslims and in starting conflicts in countries where jihadis might find a safe base to promote their ideas. The […]
There is something deeply cynical about this chemical weapons ‘timetable’
Even if it succeeds, Syrians will be left to kill each other as before – only without sarin BY ROBERT FISK, THE INDEPENDENT, UK What on earth was going on in Washington and Geneva last week? I’m not trying to cheapen the unspeakable tragedy of Syria, nor the apparent common […]
Grand Mufti condemns attacks on non-Muslims
RIYADH – Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh condemned violence against non-Muslims living in Islamic countries as well as attacks on Muslims after labeling them as infidels. In a statement carried on Monday by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Grand Mufti warned against dangers of takfeeri ideology (the practice of […]
Op-Ed Contributor: A Preventable Massacre
By SETH ANZISKA Published: September 16, 2012 ON the night of Sept. 16, 1982, the Israeli military allowed a right-wing Lebanese militia to enter two Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut. In the ensuing three-day rampage, the militia, linked to the Maronite Christian Phalange Party, raped, killed and dismembered at least […]
The Public Editor’s Journal Blog: Guardian Story on Israel and N.S.A. Is Not ‘Surprising’ Enough to Cover
By MARGARET SULLIVAN THE NEW YORK TIMES September 16, 2013 Many Times readers have been writing to me for several days about a story The Guardian broke last week, describing how the United States routinely shares with Israel intelligence information that the National Security Agency gathers on American citizens. The […]
Switzerland: REUNITING SYRIAN FAMILIES: New visa rules raise hopes – and questions
by Simon Bradley, swissinfo.ch September 16, 2013 – 11:00 The Swiss government recently eased visa rules to help reunite Syrians from the war-torn state with their relatives in Switzerland. But what difference will this gesture make in practice? swissinfo.ch gauges the temperature among Syrian expats. “It’s a really good thing; […]
12 killed in shooting at Navy Yard in DC
by Naureen Khan @naureenindc September 16, 2013 9:03AM ET Updated 2:15PM ET At least one suspect dead, two other suspects believed still at large WASHINGTON — Twelve people were killed in a shooting Monday morning, and a number of others injured, at the U.S. Navy Yard, Washington Police Chief Cathy […]
The two state solution died over a decade ago
Israel continues to look for more Oslos to gain international legitimacy By Ilan Pappe, Special to Gulf News The recent attempt to revive the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians is not likely to produce more meaningful results than that of any of the previous attempts. It comes 20 […]
‘Halal hotels’ lure Turks, not Arabs
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News Turkey’s ‘Muslim-friendly’ or ‘halal’ hotels that offer visitors an alcohol-free environment along with separate swimming pools for women and men are drawing Turkish tourists, not […]
US plays Monopoly, Russia plays chess
Source: Asia Times: By Spengler Americans see individual pieces of geopolitical real estate in isolation, like hotels on the Monopoly board, while the Russians look at the interaction of all their spheres of interest around the globe. Syria is of no real strategic interest to Russia, nor to anyone else […]
Obama invites Rouhani to join great game
Source: Asia Times: By M K Bhadrakumar It was vintage Barack Obama, hitting back when he is supposed to be at his weakest. The US president said it in a flat tone – almost casually – towards the end of his interview focused on Syria with George Stephanopoulos of ABC […]
“Muslim Quartet” should increase role in Syria settlement – Lavrov
Moscow, September 16, Interfax – All countries of the “Muslim Quartet” must be involved in the search for a settlement of the Syrian conflict, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Russia welcomed the proposals for setting up the so-called “Muslim quartet” of negotiators, which is comprised of Egypt, Turkey, Iran […]
Breaking News: Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Germany becomes very active for coming Elections:
Source: Frankfurt Rundshau via Zafarullah Khan, local secretary external Affairs, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Frankfurt 16. September 2013 Landtagswahlen WahlkampfDebatte im Gebetsraum Von Jakob Blume Note by the Editor: 22.09.2013 is the day for general elections in whole of Germany. This year enthusiasm for general election is at its lowest. Majority […]
Translate This: Google’s Quest to End the Language Barrier
Can the language barrier be breached? Google certainly thinks so: Under the leadership of a computer scientist from Germany, the company is making progress toward a universal translation tool. But […]
Obama has ended up in a better place on Syria
Story Summary By Fareed Zakaria The Daily Star Whatever the twisted path, whether by design or accident, the Obama administration has ended up in a better place on Syria than looked possible even days ago. The president was wise to take up and begin to test the Russian offer to […]
64 Saudis = $204 billion
Saudi Arabia tops the list of Middle East’s billionaires, with 64 highly wealthy individuals possessing $204 billion in 2013, the Wealth-X and UBS World Ultra Wealth Report said. “There are 1,360 rich people in the Kingdom with a total wealth of $285 billion,” the report pointed out. The UAE came […]
Pakistani ‘Father of Taliban’ keeps watch over loyal disciples
Source: Wasim Sr via Mobile Reuters Com: By Maria Golovnina and Sheree Sardar AKORA KHATTAK, Pakistan (Reuters) – He is known as the Father of the Taliban, a radical Pakistani cleric who calls the Taliban’s one-eyed leader an “angel” and runs a seminary described as the University of Jihad. Bespectacled […]
Veiled Insult ; The right response to the niqab is not to ban it, it is allow liberal values to triumph
In the meantime it is safe to say that Britain is not France. Ours is not a constitutionally secular country; nor one that in colonial times assigned itself a “mission civilatrice” and explicitly sought full assimilation as an alternative to grappling with the complexities of clashing cultures. Ahmadiyya Times | […]