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.

Stop distorting Jinnah’s words

Source: ET It is a sad statement about Pakistan that 67 years after its founding, our education system and public culture continue to distort key ideas enunciated by Mohammad Ali Jinnah to govern the country. To make matters worse, even his words end up being mutilated. In his landmark speech […]

Talent Lies Within. But Where?

Source: NY Times: As an 800-meter runner at Columbia University, David Epstein often tested himself against his training partner, Scott. Mr. Epstein was a walk-on who had clawed his way onto the varsity team. Scott, the son of two Canadian track standouts, had set a national age-group record in 1997, […]

Global Viewpoint : Kerry’s support for military coup in Egypt undermines US position in Middle East

Secretary of State John Kerry’s said the military coup in Egypt was ‘restoring democracy.’ This view confirms Muslim Brotherhood claims that the US would rather prop up a military dictatorship than accept an elected Islamic government. Leaders must choose their words accurately. By Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Op-ed contributor, Bernard-Henri Levy, […]

Before Amy Pickering, PhD, left Bangladesh, she stuffed a bright green, 70-pound iron water pump into her suitcase, carefully bolstering a key piece of her

Before Amy Pickering, PhD, left Bangladesh, she stuffed a bright green, 70-pound iron water pump into her suitcase, carefully bolstering a key piece of her research project, which aims to improve the health and save the lives of children in the Dhaka slums. Pickering and her colleagues at Stanford, including an […]

Robert Fisk: Devilish compromises of fighting ‘evil’ played out on stage… and real life: Shaw’s 1907 play about a weapons manufacturer is now more relevant than ever

And so to Major Barbara at the Abbey. Every Western arms salesman I have met – usually at arms “fairs” in the Gulf – knows Andrew Undershaft, the grotesque, brilliant, intellectual weapons manufacturer in George Bernard Shaw’s 1907 play who abides by the faith of the armourer: “To give arms […]