Afghan attacks soldier Robert Bales to plead guilty
A US soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians in two rampages last year will plead guilty to avoid the death penalty, his lawyers say. Staff Sgt Robert Bales will […]
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.
If Iran wins in Syria, danger threatens the Gulf
After regional and international stances became clear, the struggle in Syria and over Syria has become clear. This is a war that will alter the region’s map. If Bashar al-Assad’s regime survives, Hezbollah and Iran win as well. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that this is crucial […]
Switzerland: JUNE 9 VOTE: Asylum and cabinet reforms set for clear verdict
by Urs Geiser, swissinfo.ch May 29, 2013 – 17:01 A reform aimed at tightening asylum laws is poised for approval at the ballot box next month, but a rightwing proposal […]
Syria crisis: Geneva talks offer last chance for peace, says Turkish minister
Foreign affairs chief Omer Celik states June meeting is only chance for nations to salvage credibility after 80,000 deaths Julian Borger in Ankara, Ian Traynor Brussels guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 29 May 2013 If the planned Geneva peace talks on Syria fail, it will mark the end of the road for attempts […]
Afghanistan war has cost Britain more than £37bn, new book claims
Frank Ledwidge, author of damning study Investment in Blood, says failing, bloody campaign has cost £2,000 per UK household by Richard Norton-Taylor The Guardian, Thursday 30 May 2013 The war […]
Dhaka: A life=Tk 1 lakh
Source: The Daily Star By SUSHMITA S PREETHA Workers of Outwear Fashions Ltd take to the streets in Sheorapara in the capital demanding better pay and longer maternity leave. They blocked Rokeya Sarani and called on garment workers of other factories to join them. The workers of other factories, however, refused. […]
‘Govt needs to act against 13-point’
Source: BD News 24 United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women Rashida Manjoo has said the demands of Hifazat-e Islam over women’s’ rights in Bangladesh run counter to the constitution. She says it is the government that needs to act against the 13-point charter of demands the Islamic organisation […]
Murder case against Musharaf
Credit: The Express Tribune Son’s plea: I fear Musharraf’s ‘free exit’ ISLAMABAD: Fearing Pervez Musharraf being given a ‘safe exit’ from Pakistan, son of deputy cleric of Lal Masjid Abdur Rashid Ghazi is seeking a murder case against the former president and approached Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday. Haroon […]
Expatriate life: Where Is Home for a Third-Culture Kid?
By DOREEN CARVAJAL International Herald Tribune PARIS — When golden poppies blanket the hills of Northern California, it’s the annual season to dispatch my daughter — a summertime American — for home. Home is a complex word in our stone farmhouse in the country outside Paris, where we all possess […]
It’s Time to Send Pakistan’s Army Back to the Barracks
Source: Huff Post via Wasim Sr First, help Sharif send the army back to the barracks by suspending military aid, while making clear: drone strikes will end only when Pakistan stops providing sanctuary to terrorists. For a Pakistani military that believes it has leverage “because a large portion of NATO […]
“Baat se Baat Naaji Ke Saath (Atmi Dhamakon Ka Faisla Kab Huwa?)
Source: Wasim Sr Clicvk HERE for interesting details (sorry only in Urdu)
Global Economy Is Rebounding, O.E.C.D. Says
BERLIN — The global economy is slowly regaining its strength, driven largely by the rebound of the United States and Japan, but record-high unemployment in Europe continues to drag on efforts to recover in that region, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Wednesday. The organization, based in Paris, […]
I was a radical Islamist who hated all of you
MAAJID NAWAZ THE DAILY TELEGRAPH MAY 29, 2013 12:00AM MOST people find it hard to imagine stabbing another human being, let alone almost decapitating someone with a meat cleaver. To […]
Revisiting the war on terror
ALSIR SIDAHMED ARABNEWS Wednesday 29 May 2013 US President Barack Obama in his first major speech on terrorism has hinted that the ongoing fight against terror will ultimately have come to an end. And this is where Muslims, especially those living in the West, can help. In fact the contribution […]
Kerry’s four billion dollar lure (for Palestine)
OSAMA AL SHARIF ARABNEWS Wednesday 29 May 2013 US Secretary of State John Kerry $ 4 billion development plan to revitalize the Palestinian economy is as daring as it is fanciful. Since he took office last February, Kerry has made the resumption of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians […]
The Khafir is Always to Blame
Source: The Conservative Papers. The leader of the Muslim Public Affairs (MPACUK), Asghar Bukhari, when interviewed by the BBC, placed the entire blame for the murder in Woolwich on the West. He didn’t have a single word to say about totalitarian Islamism and certainly not about jihad in Islam itself or in […]
Philadelphia, where the nation’s next terrorism attack will happen.
Source: Conservative Papers. Even while the clowns running the White House think the war on terror is dead, there are brand-new concerns about a massive terror strike on this major U.S. city. Some analysts are suggesting Philadelphia, the historic city of “Brotherly Love,” is where the nation’s next terrorism attack […]
Suu Kyi, rights activists criticize 2-child limit for Muslim Rohingya in parts of MyanmarA
Source: Washington Post. By AP YANGON, Myanmar — Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Islamic leaders expressed dismay over decisions by authorities in western Myanmar to restore a two-child limit on a Muslim minority group, a policy that does not apply to Buddhists and follows accusations of “ethnic cleansing.” […]
The Death Spiral of US Influence in the Middle East
by John TirmanExecutive Director, MIT Center for International Studies HUFFPOST Enough has been said about President Obama’s speech on counter-terror last Thursday. Useful takes are Juan Cole’s good news/bad news analysis, and Stephen Walt’s Twitter comment, “Obama’s speech was step in right direction, but have learned to watch for what […]
By Inserting Itself Into Syrian War, Hezbollah Makes Dramatic Gamble
Source: NY Times: BEIRUT, Lebanon — Fighting a pre-emptive war against foreign jihadists is not the usual mission for Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group best known for confronting Israel. So when its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, explained why he was sending fighters into Syria, he took care to remind his followers […]