The apology: A Turkish-Jewish perspective
By IGAL ACIMAN03/26/2013 22:33 First person: As many cheer the pending normalization process, they know it is based on strategic interests. ISTANBUL – When the news of Prime Minister Binyamin […]
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.
Former U.S. Soldier Charged with Conspiring to Use Destructive Device While Fighting with al Qaeda-Affiliated Group in Syria
U.S. Attorney’s Office March 28, 2013 Eastern District of Virginia (703) 299-3700 ALEXANDRIA, VA—Eric Harroun, 30, of Phoenix, was arrested and charged with conspiring to use a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) while fighting with the al Nusrah Front, an organization commonly referred to as “al Qaeda in Iraq” and designated […]
How Obama Is Failing Syria
By Fouad Ajami Bloomberg In the matter of the Syrian rebellion, the U.S. hasn’t even “led from behind.” The Obama administration has pioneered a new role for a great power: We are now the traffic controllers, directing the flow of weapons to the rebels. The money isn’t ours; it is […]
USA: Most Say Illegal Immigrants Should Be Allowed to Stay, But Citizenship Is More Divisive
OVERVIEW A new survey finds that seven-in-ten Americans (71%) say there should be a way for people in the United States illegally to remain in this country if they meet […]
Biggest Threat to U.S. National Security: Wars (started by themselves)
BY SPENCER ACKERMAN WIRED In 2004, Osama bin Laden explained how his terrorists were going to win its struggle against a vastly more powerful adversary: al-Qaida sought to “blee[d] America […]
Growth in Developed Countries to Accelerate in First Half, O.E.C.D. Says
PARIS — Economic growth among developed nations is likely to accelerate in the first half of this year as strength in the United States and Japan help to compensate for the continuing malaise in Europe, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Developmentsaid Thursday. “The global economy weakened in late 2012 […]
Risk of poverty lower in Germany than in EU
Source: The Local The share of people at risk of poverty in the population stood at 15.8 percent in Germany — or just over one in six — compared with an EU average of 16.9 percent, Destatis said in a statement. A person is defined as being at risk of […]
Interview with Matenia Sirseloudi – What Drives Young People to Jihad?
Source: Qantara Interview conducted by Albrecht Metzger What is behind the Islamicisation and radicalisation of young people in Europe? To what extent do European foreign policies and military interventions abroad play a role in this? Albrecht Metzger spoke to sociologist Dr Matenia Sirseloudi about politically motivated violence and radicalisation processes […]
Religious Tension in Indonesia – Tolerance No More
Source: Qantara Indonesia has the biggest Muslim population in the world and is often described as a country where people live peacefully side by side, tolerating difference. In reality, however, the targeting of religious minorities has been on the increase for years. By Andy Budiman Indonesia’s brand of Islam is […]
Will Shiite and Sunni Islam Ever Reconcile?
by Mike Ghouse, Huffington Post Facts don’t matter. It did not matter to the leadership of President Bush and his obedient followers. They chose to believe what they had decided to believe about WMD, despite the information to the contrary. Muslims leadership is no different, each one of the sect […]
No, Islamists will not dominate in Syria – says Rami G. Khouri
By Rami G. Khouri The Daily Star Story Summary The fast pace of developments in and around Syria in the past week has pushed the country more quickly toward the end of Bashar Assad’s regime, a situation many of us thought was imminent last autumn. The Syrian government that ruled […]
Amid regional power plays in Syria, US indecisiveness (or why it is never good to impose structures from outside).
Story Summary The moderate political and military command structure the United States has been trying to foster within the Syrian opposition appears to be fracturing, a victim of bitter Arab regional rivalries. The battle for political influence has centered around the opposition’s March 19 appointment of Ghassan Hitto as interim […]
Bullet in the arm reminds Bulgaria’s Muslims of repression
By Vessela Sergueva Daily Star, Lebanon KORNITSA, Bulgaria: “Here, feel the bullet, it was never taken out,” says Ibrahim Byalk, presenting his arm where a bullet is still lodged 40 […]
US, China and playful AfPak frogs
Source: A times: By M K Bhadrakumar Writing in the Los Angeles Times a year ago, predicting with extraordinary prescience how exasperating the American efforts to negotiate an Afghan settlement would turn out to be when the crunch time comes, Peter Tomsen who was president Ronald Reagan’s special envoy to […]
Innocent victims: “Sanctions must not punish the wrong people”
by Mohamed Cherif, swissinfo.ch Mar 27, 2013 – 11:00 The aim of international sanctions is to de-escalate and solve conflicts, but there must be no hidden agendas, says Hans-Christof von […]
Smarten Up: Measuring the real impact of sanctions
by Andrea Ornelas and Marcela Aguila Rubin with input from Simon Bradley, swissinfo.ch Mar 27, 2013 Since the end of the Cold War the United Nations Security Council has increasingly […]
Thai Authorities, Muslim Rebels Launch Peace Talks
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia March 28, 2013 (AP) Thai authorities and Muslim separatist leaders on Thursday started peace talks aimed at ending almost a decade of unrest in the country’s far south, as a fresh attack by suspected militants killed three Thai soldiers. Thailand’s National Security Council secretary-general Paradorn Pattanathabutr said […]
Cutting classes – As Chicago plans to close more than 50 schools, we ask what it means for the students who will be forced to relocate.
There is outrage in Chicago over plans to close more than 50 public schools – most of them in poor and minority neighbourhoods. Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the closures are tough but necessary in order to deal with a $1bn deficit and what he called “underutilised” schools. He also […]
Cyprus controls expected to hit foreign transactions
(Reuters) – Cyprus is expected to stop people taking their money out of the country but will not restrict dealings at home as it tries to avert a run on its banksafter agreeing a tough rescue package with international lenders. Cypriots have taken to the streets of Nicosia in their […]