CIA’s secret prison: ‘Poland dragging out investigation’
A Polish investigation into secret CIA jails is being suppressed because it will embarrass the top echelon of the country’s government, lawyers of two men held illegally in one of […]
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: Rights group calls for changes to ‘discriminatory’ Citizenship Law
by Areej Abuqudairi JORDAN TIMES AMMAN — An international human rights group has called on the government to amend the Citizenship Law, which prohibits Jordanian women married to foreigners from passing on citizenship to their spouses and children. In a report published earlier this month, the London-based group Equality Now […]
Iran commends Jordan’s position on Syria
AMMAN — JORDAN TIMES. Iran on Sunday praised Jordan’s position regarding the Syrian crisis as rational and logical. Speaking at a press conference at the Iranian embassy in Amman, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian commended the Kingdom’s calls for a political and peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis, noting […]
The Sunni – Shiah split
In these days of Sunni – Shiah tension we should all study a bit more both the historical and present day reasons for the Sunni – Shiah ‘split’. I have therefore taken the liberty to draw your attention to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi’a%E2%80%93Sunni_relations and encourage all readers of The Muslim Times to study […]
PAKISTAN: Withdraw blasphemy charges against Sherry Rehman – the country’s latest ambassador to the USA
The Muslim Times Editor for Pakistan Credit: Asian Human Rights Commission January 25, 2013 (Hong Kong, 25 January 2013) The Supreme Court of Pakistan, in its effort to gain popularity […]
Syria calls on refugees to return home
Syria has called on those of its citizens who have left the country due to the unrest that began nearly two years ago to return home. The Syrian Interior Ministry […]
Majority of Turks against EU membership: Survey
A new survey suggests that the majority of individuals in Turkey believe the government should abandon efforts for a full membership in the European Union. The poll, conducted by TNS […]
International Islamic Unity conference opens in Tehran
The 26th International Islamic Unity Conference has started in Iran’s capital, Tehran, with the presence of the country’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Shia and Sunni thinkers from 102 countries will be […]
Humanity First Germany to establish and run an orphanage in Benin: A real service to Humanity!
A report from Humanity First Germany states: We have received a plot of 1,4 Acres in Porto Novo, Benin, as a donation free of charge. The plan is to construct a orphanage with two floors. With the approval and prayers of our beloved Huzur (atba) we started the construction in […]
Abbas asks Israel to let in Palestinians fleeing Syria
Reuters | Jan 26, 2013 | 22:09 Updated: Jan 26, 2013 | JORDAN TIMES RAMALLAH — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas tried to get Israel to let 150,000 Palestinians fleeing war in Syria resettle in the West Bank, but dropped the request after Israel demanded they first give up their right […]
UK announces 21 million pounds in new humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees
by Hana Namrouqa JORDAN TIMES AMMAN — The United Kingdom will provide £21 million in humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees in Jordan and the region, British International Development Secretary Justine Greening announced on Saturday. The aid includes winter clothing, food and medicines for Syrian refugees, Greening told reporters at a […]
Malik Invokes Islam In Offers to Taliban:
Source: Dawn: by Raja Asghar | Interior Minister Rehman Mailk. — Photo by AP/File ISLAMABAD: Like his other colleagues who spoke in the National Assembly on Saturday, the usually tough-talking interior minister, Rehman Malik, took the role of a preacher to make a holy, though ambiguous, offer to Taliban militants: “Return to […]
No Room For Violence In Islam : Minister
No room for violence, extremism in Islam: minister ISLAMABAD: Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khursheed Ahmad Shah on Saturday said that there was no room for violence, extremism and terrorism in Islam – a religion of peace and tolerance. Winding up the discussion on Seeratun Nabi (PBUH) in the National […]
‘The Danger Is that Europe Will Fail’
Source. Spiegel. Read the full text of British Prime Minister David Cameron’s Wednesday speech on his country’s plan to hold a referendum on the future of its membership in the European Union. DPA The Union flag is draped behind that of the EU: “All this doesn’t make us somehow un-European.” […]
Islam Teaches reverence for Jesus…..LIFE POINT
Islam teaches reverence for Jesus and other biblical prophets (LifePoints column) By Kay Campbell | kcampbell@al.com on January 25, 2013 at 1:32 PM, updated January 25, 2013 at 1:33 PM The Bible and the Quran have much more in common than most non-Muslims know, writes Zakiyyah Shakoor. (Kay Campbell / kcampbell@al.com) HUNTSVILLE, […]
Afrighanistan?
Source> The Economist. AFTER 11 years spent waging war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq, almost $1.5 trillion in direct costs and hundreds of thousands of lives lost, the Western public feels it has learned a hard lesson. It is more convinced than ever that even the best-intentioned foreign intervention […]
Switzerland: Good offices: Adjusting to the changing face of conflicts
by Thomas Stephens, swissinfo.ch Jan 25, 2013 – 11:00 Good offices continue to play a significant role in Swiss peace policy, according to the foreign ministry. However, the number of protecting power mandates is dwindling. Whether it’s acting as a messenger between two non-speaking states or trying to actively mediate […]
Missed opportunities for reform in Jordan
By Editorial Board,January 22, 2013 WASHINGTON POST FOR ALL the upheaval the Arab revolutions have brought to the Middle East, and the tricky challenges they have created for the United States, it’s important to note that much of the region remains unchanged — and therefore vulnerable. While four autocratic rulers […]
World’s youth facing worsening unemployment, warns new UN report
Source: UN News Center 21 January 2013 – Global unemployment rose in 2012 amid continuing economic insecurity and insufficient policies stifling overall hiring, a new report by the United Nations labour agency has warned, adding that the world’s youth were most vulnerable to the growing job scarcity. In its annual […]
Door Closing on Peace, Warns Jordan’s King
The door is closing on the chances of a two-state solution and will be firmly shut by the end of Obama’s second term, King Abdullah warns. By Elad Benari, Canada […]