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.
NEW YORK: ARAB NEWS Friday 15 March 2013 The US war in Iraq has cost $ 1.7 trillion with an additional $ 490 billion in benefits owed to war veterans, expenses that could grow to more than $ 6 trillion over the next four decades counting interest, a study released […]
JEDDAH: P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR ARABNEWS Friday 15 March 2013 Inspired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s interfaith dialogue initiative, the Kochi-based International Interfaith Dialogue India (IIDI) recently […]
The Jordan Times Petra | Mar 14, 2013 | 21:31 Updated: Mar 14, 2013 | 21:31 AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday congratulated Pope Francis I on his […]
The World Gold Council had some words of advice for central banks around the world: It may be time to diversify away from the U.S. dollar. While the dollar remains the world’s main reserve currency, the WGC said in a research report that its “optimal” strategy would involve, what else, […]
The civil war is hotting up on Syria’s southern front Mar 16th 2013 | RAMTHA |From the print edition THE ECONOMIST TWO long years ago, on March 18th, Syrians rose up in Deraa, a dusty town on the agricultural plain of Hauran that spreads south into Jordan. The revolt marked […]
• Amnesty International has documented an increase in war crimes and other human rights abuses committed by rebel groups including hostage taking, torture and summary killings. Its Middle East and North Africa deputy director Ann Harrison said: “While the vast majority of war crimes and other gross violations continue to […]
by Simon Bradley, in Geneva, swissinfo.ch Mar 14, 2013 – Switzerland has vowed to improve its human rights record and has accepted 100 suggestions by other states at the UN Human Rights Council. Activists commend the Swiss authorities’ inclusive approach but say they lack “political courage”. The final report of […]
Mar 14, 2013 – SWISSINFO DAMASCUS (Reuters) – When a government-linked Islamic body in Syria said this week it was a “sacred duty” to join the army and fight the […]
These headlines may deceive you into thinking that Islam is to blame for the voilence. In fact, it is the politics and the polical use of religion that has caused such unrest and this is exactly why Islam teaches Separation of Mosque and State Police clash in Bangladesh during […]
Source: Mother Jones A John Deere combine harvests corn. USDA/Wikimedia Commons Every year, nearly 30 percent of US farmland gets planted in corn, and our farmers produce close to 40 percent of the corn produced on Earth each year. So why do we grow so much of this one crop—and […]
by Rhiannon Williams JORDAN TIMES AMMAN — The Islamic Action Front (IAF) on Wednesday called on the government to take a “decisive” stance against Israeli attempts to change the legal status of Palestinian refugees through UN organisations. In a statement made on Wednesday, the IAF said that Israel is trying […]
Muslim woman had her veil ripped off at a fairground in Nantes 30-year-old man protested that he was just enforcing French law Veil ban came into force in April 2011 […]
Posted By Josh Rogin Wednesday, March 13, 2013 SOURCE: FP FOREIGN POLICY Secretary of State John Kerry announced $60 million in new U.S. aid for the Syrian opposition late last month, but the State Department has refused to detail how that money will be spent. The Cable has obtained the […]
One man and three women who were sexually assaulted and harassed in the military shared their personal experiences with a Senate subcommittee Wednesday morning–the first hearing on sexual assault in the military in 10 years. Former Army Sgt. Rebekah Havrilla, who was raped by a fellow service member while serving […]
By Nadine Marroushi – Mar 14, 2013 Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s largest organized Islamist movement, criticized a United Nations report that aimed to end violence against women and girls, saying it violates principles of Islamic law. The Brotherhood, the movement from which Egypt’s President Mohamed Mursi hails, sent a […]
Hindu Americans Welcome New Pope: Hope for Better Dialogue Boston, MA (March 13, 2013) – The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) welcomed the appointment of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to the papacy, following the sudden and unprecedented resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. Foundation leaders expressed hope that the Catholic Church, under […]
Police, protesters clash in Bangladesh Press TV Following the rally, police arrested at least 100 activists and some senior leaders including a leader of the country’s main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Reports say that authorities released Alamgir on … Press TV The Battle For […]
Source: CNN and BBC Epigraph: “Say, ‘O People of the Book! come to a word equal between us and you — that we worship none but Allah, and that we associate no partner with Him, and that some of us take not others for Lords beside Allah.’ But if they turn […]
MADINAH: JASSIM ABUZAID & YOUSUF MOHAMMAD ARABNEWS Wednesday 13 March 2013 Prominent personalities from different parts of the Islamic world attended the inauguration of yearlong celebrations by Crown Prince Salman, […]