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.

Old wine in new bottle

Source: BD News 24. By Moinul Hoque Chowdhury Hifazat-e Islam’s Dhaka blockade is a demonstration of the muscle power of religion-driven politics, but under a non-political banner in a year when parliament elections are due, political analysts say. The radical Islamist organisation enforced the Dhaka blockade within a month of its […]

Expanding our empathetic scope (thoughts of a Syrian student in the US …) by Burhan Aldroubi

by Burhan Aldroubi Source: The Williams Record Western imperialism, a modern segment of historic imperialism, continuously inspires discussion in our classrooms. Realist and morally deterministic arguments go head to head, with both regrets and admissions realized as afterthoughts. Formal discussions about Latin America or the Levant can perhaps be viewed […]

Sharia do like it

Source: The Economist: A new study reveals what Islam means in different countries ISLAMIC law, in many eyes, has overtones of rigid puritanism. Yet some of its staunchest backers are also strong supporters of religious pluralism, reports the Pew Research Centre, a think-tank, in a survey of 38,000 Muslims conducted in 39 […]

It will be a boy

Source: ET LONDON: Prince Harry has reportedly revealed the sex of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s first child, saying it will be a boy and that he is excited about welcoming his first nephew. And while Prince Williams and Duchess of Cambridge, whose maiden name is Kate Middleton, have made no […]

Saudi Arabia: 166 ‘reformed’ militants freed

RIYADH: GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN ARABNEWS Monday 6 May 2013 Saudi Arabia released yesterday 166 former Al-Qaeda members and repentant militants after they underwent a long-term state-sponsored counseling program (Munasaha) aimed at reintegrating them into society, said Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman of the Ministry of Interior. The rehabilitation program and release […]

Don’t Boycott Bangladesh

Source: Forbes By Tim Worstall   I know, I’m sorry, I keep writing about Bangladesh at the moment. But the list of silly responses to the recent disaster and tragedy seems to keep growing. Now we’ve news that the European Union itself might restrict access to the European market for […]