8,000 workers deployed to prepare for Ramadan at two holy mosques
JEDDAH: ARAB NEWS Thursday 20 June 2013 Over 8,000 men and women workers have been deployed to prepare for Ramadan at the two holy mosques, said Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, […]
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.
Jordan: Saudi Arabia reduces Hajj pilgrim quota
Petra | Jun 19, 2013 | AMMAN — Saudi Arabia has reduced by 20 per cent the number of pilgrims from Muslim countries who will be allowed to perform the Hajj (the greater Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca) this year, in light of expansion work taking place at the Grand Mosque […]
BANK DEAL DEAD: Swiss parliament kills divisive US tax bill
by Urs Geiser, swissinfo.ch June 19, 2013 – 17:42 Parliament has thrown out a draft law enabling Swiss banks to hand over confidential data to the United States for cracking down on suspected tax cheats. However, it called on the cabinet to find legal means to resolve the standoff. For […]
100 DAYS OF POPE FRANCIS: ʻThings are happening behind the scenesʼ
by Olivier Pauchard, swissinfo.ch June 19, 2013 – 11:00 One hundred days after his election, Pope Francis is enjoying a positive image and heightened popularity. Although he hasn’t been in […]
Pregnant Muslim Woman ‘Miscarries Baby After Veil Attack
Huffington Post UK | By Sara C Nelson Posted: 19/06/2013 1 A pregnant Muslim woman has miscarried her baby after she was reportedly attacked in Paris for wearing a veil. The unnamed 21-year-old was four months pregnant when she claims she was attacked by “skinheads” in the suburb of Argenteuil. […]
A two-state solution is still possible for Israel and the Palestinians
There’s no reason to waste more words on the necessity of the two-state solution. What’s important to stress is that this pessimism, which feeds on the feeling that we’ve missed the deadline, stems from shortsightedness and impatience. By Avi Shilon | Jun.19, 2013 | HAARETZ ISRAEL Economy Minister Naftali Bennett’s […]
US to keep Patriot missiles and F-16s in Jordan
The US will keep Patriot missiles and F-16 fighter jets in Jordan after a military exercise, angering Russia. Pentagon spokesman George Little said the US enjoyed “a long-standing partnership with […]
How to End the Stalemate With Iran
By SEYED HOSSEIN MOUSAVIAN and MOHAMMAD ALI SHABANI The New York Times THE stunning election of a pragmatic former Iranian nuclear negotiator, Hassan Rowhani, has offered the Obama administration a once-in-a-lifetime chance to end the atomic stalemate with Iran. In the West, Mr. Rowhani is widely seen as a turbaned […]
One by one, Israel’s coalition members abandon two-state rhetoric
More and more, members of Israel’s ruling parties are matching their public statements to the reality they are implementing every minute on the ground: Israel’s opposition to the establishment of a viable Palestinian state and a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict. By Mairav Zonszein 972mag.com Economy Minister and Jewish […]
The adventures of a Libyan weapons dealer in Syria
REUTERS By Jessica Donati, Ghaith Shennib and Firas Bosalum BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) – Abdul Basit Haroun says he is behind some of the biggest shipments of weapons from Libya to Syria, which he delivers on chartered flights to neighboring countries and then smuggles over the border. After fleeing Libya in […]
Humans are destroying themselves: Chomsky
By Jana El Hassan The Daily Star STORY SUMMARY “Human beings are destroying themselves,” said luminary Noam Chomsky, warning that unrest in Syria could turn into a Sunni-Shiite conflict that […]
Titanic Archaeologist, Robert Ballard, May Have Found Evidence Of Noah’s Flood
April Flowers for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online It is one of the oldest stories in the human pantheon, and one of the first any child learns at church. Noah […]
And the World’s Most Educated Country Is…
Source:Time News Feed Click HERE for the details:
The Foreign Policy Impact of Iran’s Presidential Election
Source: Stratfor: By Michael Nayebi-Oskoui and Kamran Bokhari Iranians went to the polls Friday to elect outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s successor. Candidates reported few serious problems with the process, and the losers sent congratulations to the eventual winner, Hassan Rouhani. Compared to the political instability that followed Ahmadinejad’s 2009 re-election, […]
I’ll tackle Obama on surveillance
Source: The Local German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she will tackle US President Barack Obama on the scale of American online surveillance, and call for “transparency” on its scope as […]
Obama’s weapons-for-peace program
Source: Asia Times: The myth of US President Barack Obama as “reluctant warrior” in Syria is pure nonsense. Even his Russian counterpart, ex-KGB sickle Vladimir Putin, cannot convince him that expanding the proxy war would make the current – horrible – status quo look like a walk in the park. […]
The making of a global security state
Source: Asia Times. By Tom Engelhardt As happens with so much news these days, the Edward Snowden revelations about National Security Agency (NSA) spying and just how far we’ve come in the building of a surveillance state have swept over us 24/7 – waves of leaks, videos, charges, claims, counterclaims, […]
Royal baby to give almost $400 million bump to British economy
Source: ET LONDON: From Union Jack booties to “Born to Rule” sleepwear, the British royal family has joined retailers in offering baby products to mark the arrival of the royal heir. Analysts estimate the baby fever could boost the economy by 240 million pounds ($380 million). A baby sleepsuit modeled on […]
Analysis: In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa budget, PTI lays out a strong start
Source: ET Public safety gets the second-highest allocation, at nearly Rs38 billion, no surprise in a province that has faced the onslaught of a brutal militant insurgency. DESIGN-FAIZAN DAWOOD/FILE KARACHI: Finance Minister Sirajul Haq may have delivered the address, but the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa budget had Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf economic wizard Asad Umar’s fingerprints […]
French big names with Swiss accounts
RFI. France. As the French scandal surrounding tax-evasion by former ministers grows, a former Swiss banker tells the French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche that he knows of at least 15 other French people who had, or still have, bank accounts in Switzerland. More: