US citizenship turns onerous for expats
Scott Schmith is a patriot and a US military veteran but he is no longer a US citizen. Sick of complex tax rules making his life in Switzerland miserable he […]
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.
Switzerland: More foreigners and fewer naturalisations
The number of non-Swiss living in Switzerland rose slightly in 2012 to 1.825 million, a three per cent increase over 2011, the Federal Migration Office reported on Friday. Foreigners continue to make up roughly 20 per cent of the population. The increase was primarily attributed to migration by citizens of […]
North Korea Is Believed to Have Conducted Third Nuclear Test
Source: Newyork Times: American and South Korean officials reported seismic activity in North Korea on Tuesday that appeared to be evidence of the country’s third and long-threatened nuclear test and a new challenge for the Obama administration in its effort to keep the country from becoming a full-fledged nuclear power. […]
Benedict once said that he had “no talent for…administration or organisation”.
Source: The Economist: In fact Benedict XVI’s papacy is likely to be remembered as overly passive. Though he acknowledged that the church needed to go on “a long penitential journey” to atone for sins committed by its clergy, the church he presided over was slow to react to sexual-abuse scandals […]
Iraq at the brink: A decade after the invasion
by Ramzy Baroud ARABNEWS Tuesday 12 February 2013 Soon after the joint US-British bombing campaign “Operation Desert Fox” devastated parts of Iraq in Dec 1998, I was complaining to a friend in the lobby of the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad. I was disappointed with the fact that our busy schedule […]
The Vatican’s woes God’s bankers A beleaguered papacy is embroiled in intrigue. Some scent a succession struggle
Source: The Economist: God’s bankers FEW things annoy Vatican officials more than lurid novels that depict the papacy as the secretive heart of a global conspiracy. Pope Benedict XVI’s most senior official, his secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, this month accused journalists of trying to imitate the American […]
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to build world’s largest desalination plant
JEDDAH: P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR ARABNEWS Tuesday 12 February 2013 The Saline Water Conversion Corporation yesterday announced its plan to establish the world’s largest desalination plant in Rabigh, northwest of Jeddah, […]
HISTORIC ANNUAL MUSLIM CONVENTION CONCLUDES WITH ADDRESS BY WORLD LEADER
Source: Ahmadiyya Press Desk London. The three-day, 89th Annual Convention (Jalsa Salana) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Bangladesh concluded yesterday in Dhaka with a powerful and faith-inspiring address by the Fifth Khalifa, the World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, His Holiness, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad. The Khalifa addressed […]
Rising inequality in America is causing the economy to sputter
By Naomi Wolf The Daily Star, Lebanon Story Summary The hit of this year’s Sundance Film Festival was a low-key affair called “Inequality for All,” in which Robert Reich, a labor secretary in the Clinton administration, explains how rising income inequality and the demise of the middle class is causing […]
President Ernest Bai Koroma commends the Ahmadiyya Mission in Sierra Leone for exemplifying Islamic values for education, peace and tolerance since its establishment
Source: SLBC President Ernest Bai Koroma has commended the Ahmadiyya Mission in Sierra Leone for exemplifying Islamic values for education, peace and tolerance since its establishment. President Koroma was speaking at the fifty second Jalsa Salana Annual conference of the Ahmadiyya Mission in Sierra Leone. Ref:
SAUDI MINISTER, ISLAM FORBIDS SORCERY: ARAB NEWS
(MENAFN – Arab News) Justice Minister Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Isa met Tuesday with a delegation from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to discuss the Saudi judiciary system among other topics.The delegation talked about the sorcery-related issues in detail, seeking answers on the concept of witchcraft and […]
Catholics shocked as pope resigns, but little emotion
By Alexandra Hudson, Cristiano Corvino Story Summary Catholics reacted with shock on Monday to the sudden abdication of Pope Benedict, although the mood among many was one of respect rather […]
WHY SIR SYED LOSES AND ALLAMA IQBAL WINS: EXPRESS TRIBUNE
Why Sir Syed loses and Allama Iqbal wins in Pakistan Iqbal said what people wanted to hear — and his genius lay in crafting it with beautifully chosen words. By Pervez Hoodbhoy Published: February 9, 2013 The writer retired as professor of physics from Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad Syed Ahmad Khan […]
Indonesian speaker plays down polygamy ‘joke’
Agence France-PresseFebruary 7, 2013 The speaker of Indonesia’s parliament sought Thursday to play down comments he made about all men wanting to be polygamous but being afraid of their wives, saying the remarks were just meant as a joke. House of representatives speaker Marzuki Alie was quoted by the Jakarta […]
Roza Bal – The Tomb of Jesus: JESUS IN KASHMIR – THE LOST TOMB
JESUS IN KASHMIR – THE LOST TOMB a book by Suzanne Olsson look at: http://www.rozabal.com and http://www.rozabal.com/EBookPREVIEW.html Hopefully we can give you a book review sometimes soon.
Belated honour: POW medal recognises US aviators’ suffering (an interesting glimpse at Worldwar II history in Switzerland)
by Olivier Grivat, swissinfo.ch Feb 11, 2013 – 16:00 Nearly 70 years after being interned in a Swiss disciplinary camp and, for many, punished for trying to escape, a group […]
ECP reconstitution: SC questions legitimacy of Tahirul Qadri’s petition
The Muslim Times Editor for Pakistan By Web Desk / Ema Anis Published: February 11, 2013 ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court asked Minhajul Quran International (MQI) chief Tahirul Qadri to explain the legitimacy of his petition which called for the reconstitution of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), reported Express Newson […]
Australian Boot to Asylum Seekers Challenged in PNG
Sydney. Papua New Guinean opposition leader Belden Namah has launched legal proceedings against an Australian detention center for asylum seekers in Manus province of this South Pacific island nation. Namah argues that the detention centre is illegal and the conditions there are inhumane. The move adds further weight to international […]
Iran, Pakistan start talks to finalize gas line project
Iran and Pakistan have started several days of crucial talks to finalize a contract for the construction of a billion-dollar gas pipeline project between the two countries. The talks, which […]
POPE BENEDICT XVI TO STEP ASIDE: VATICAN
Pope Benedict XVI to step aside on Feb. 28, Vatican says http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39788177?launch=50768156&csid=NBC_World_Blog&PG=MSVNA3&BTS=MSVNMB&height=429&width=600The pope announces he will step down on February 28 because of his failing health. TODAY’s Matt Lauer speaks with NBC’s Claudio Lavanga in Rome, who says the resignation “came as a shock,” and George Weigel, NBC […]