Kabul hosts Muslim scholars meet
Meeting of scholars from two dozen countries viewed as latest bid towards restoring peace in Central Asian nation. Ali M Latifi Al Jazeera Kabul, Afghanistan – Hundreds of Islamic scholars […]
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.
Al Shabab Beckons Kenya’s Young
Source: Jakarta Globe. Nairobi. Ali Hassan Gitonga, 33, a recent convert to Islam from the Meru community in Kenya’s Eastern Province, is said to have travelled to Somalia for training with Al Shabab in 2011. He is under arrest for alleged involvement in the Sep. 21 Westgate Mall terror attack in Nairobi. […]
The renewal of Islamic intellectual thought and heritage
Source: Morocco World News. These actions must also seek to enhance the sense of citizenship and active participation of foreign nationals and immigrants, as well as educating them on the values of tolerance and the rejection of all forms of discrimination, racism and hatred. Similarly, these actions will strive to […]
Opposition drags heels over Merkel coalition
Source: The Local Three days after the election handed Angela Merkel’s party a clear victory whilst destroying its key ally, the isolated victors are no closer to forming a new government. Josie Le Blond looks at where the Chancellor goes from here. More:
Did ‘White Widow’ attack Kenyan mall?
Source: CNN (CNN) — British-born Samantha Lewthwaite was once seen as a kind of victim of the July 2005 London terror attacks — the pregnant wife of one of the suicide bombers who killed 52 people, now left alone to care for her children. She condemned the attacks, but then vanished. […]
The ‘Columbian Exchange’: How Discovering the Americas Transformed the World
By Johann Grolle spiegel.de Columbus’ arrival in the Americas sparked the globalization of animals, plants and microbes. A recent book takes a closer look at how items from the New […]
“This is the deadliest attack on a church and the Christian community in Pakistan’s history
Source: CNN Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) — All Saints Church was designed to look like a mosque — to symbolize unity amidst a community of many religions. Completed in 1883, it was built within the old walled city of Peshawar during a century of relative peace and harmony. But the weekend bombing […]
No German, No Benefits: Turkish Family Fights Language Requirement
By Bruno Schrep Spiegel.de After three-and-a-half years of legal wrangling, there’s still no end in sight. At least officially, the case centers on €290.70 ($392). The K. family, thus identified […]
Pope Francis appeals to Muslims on peace
By Cecilia Okoth and Saudha Nakandha Pope Francis has called on the Muslim fraternity to promote peace and development saying it will bring about reconciliation. During a mid-morning visit to the Supreme Mufti, Sheikh Shaban Mubajje at Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC), Archbishop Michael Blume, the Apostolic Nuncio in Uganda, […]
Tormenting the Souls of Religious Arabs: ‘Arab Spring’ Degrades into Sectarian Counterrevolution
By Nicola Nasser PALESTINE NEWS NETWORK The blind sectarian rampage, which has been waging a war on worship mosques, churches and religious shrines have become a modern Arab trade mark phenomenon, since what the western media called from the start the “Arab Spring” overwhelmed the Arab streets. The sectarian rampage […]
Official: Kerry to sign landmark arms trade treaty
By MATTHEW LEE — Sep. 24 2:02 PM EDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — American officials say Secretary of State John Kerry will sign a landmark treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar global arms trade during the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting this week. The officials said Kerry will sign the Arms […]
Kenyan president: Terrorists defeated
NAIROBI, Kenya: The terrorists who took control of a Nairobi mall and held off Kenyan security forces for four days have been defeated after killing at least 67 civilians and […]
Pilgrim reduction leads to Makkah rent fall
The government’s decision to reduce the number of domestic pilgrims this year by 50 percent has forced Haj service providers to double their charges in order to offset their losses, […]
Sri Lanka Muslim leader criticises own govt. over extremism claims
Tuesday September 24, 2013 8:35 PM, IINA Colombo: Sri Lanka’s main Muslim political leader, who is also the justice minister, criticized his own government for blaming religious tensions in the mainly Buddhist nation on Islamists. Rauf Hakeem said he had been “disturbed” by recent comments from the country’s defense minister, […]
Rise above the veil of misinformation about Muslims
When it comes to Muslim-related issues we, in Britain, do things differently. We do not ban the face veil which is worn by some Muslim women, like they do in […]
Balochistan Earthquake Creates New Island
Source: Samaa TV Channel For English News Read Here – Dawn News by Syed Ali Shah
Switzerland: FOREIGN WARS: Mercenary services outlawed by parliament
September 24, 2013 – 12:04 Private security contractors based in Switzerland will no longer be allowed to provide mercenaries and will have to report to the federal authorities any services they plan to supply beyond the country’s borders. New legislation, which was approved Monday by parliament, will be applied to […]
Manhunt after Israeli soldier gunned down
JERUSALEM: Israeli troops on Monday hunted for a suspected Palestinian gunman who shot a soldier dead in Hebron, days after another Palestinian killed a soldier in a separate incident. The killings have cast a pall over peace talks relaunched last month after a three-year hiatus, with Israeli ministers calling on […]
THE AMERICAN FILMMAKER WHO BECAME A FREEDOM FIGHTER IN LIBYA
By Greta Hofmann Matthew VanDyke has had an interesting few years. In 2008, the Baltimore-born filmmaker set off on a three-year motorcycle expedition around North Africa and the Middle East, […]
A REPORTER AT LARGE: THE SHADOW COMMANDER
Qassem Suleimani is the Iranian operative who has been reshaping the Middle East. Now he’s directing Assad’s war in Syria. BY DEXTER FILKINS Last February, some of Iran’s most influential leaders gathered at the Amir al-Momenin Mosque, in northeast Tehran, inside a gated community reserved for officers of the Revolutionary […]