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.
LAHORE: A constitutional petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court, seeking action against the prime minister for allegedly committing high treason by continuously defying orders of the superior judiciary and attempting to subvert the Constitution. A local lawyer, Allah Bakhsh Gondal filed the petition in public interest through […]
by Luigi Jorio, swissinfo.ch More and more Afghan women are breaking with tradition in their male-dominated society, taking jobs and participating in public affairs. They include 1,300 or so who have joined the police force who, despite facing discrimination, make an “immense” contribution to improving the welfare of other women, […]
By ROGER HARRISON | ARAB NEWS ‘A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.’ The national symbol of Saudi Arabia — the desert Kingdom, to use the hackneyed media phrase — is a date palm. It is through a single […]
By BADEA ABU AL-NAJA | ARAB NEWS MAKKAH: The Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs said it has made available 5,000 wheelchairs and 100 electric wheelchairs for elderly and disabled pilgrims during Ramadan. Pilgrims can obtain wheelchairs free of charge from an office in the eastern courtyard of the […]
DAMASCUS (Agencies) – Jordan Times. Syrian President Bashar Assad, under growing foreign pressure to end a crackdown on anti-regime protests, promised on Tuesday an unceasing battle against the “terrorist groups” he claims are behind them. “We will not waver in our pursuit of terrorist groups,” Assad told visiting Turkish Foreign […]
Her Majesty Queen Rania hosts a Ramadan iftar on Tuesday in honour of families of martyrs at the King Hussein Sports City in Amman.
By Mohammad Ghazal, Jordan Times AMMAN – Jordan will spare no political, diplomatic or legal effort to protect the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem from Israeli violations in coordination with the Palestinian Authority, His Majesty King Abdullah said on Tuesday. The Kingdom, he said, will continue renovation works […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve is back in the spotlight, with investors anxiously wondering if the central bank will end a two-month hiatus and announce new measures to support the economy on Tuesday. Under its chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, the Fed has pushed the boundaries of its authority and defied […]
MULTAN: On April 14, two men entered Asma Firdous’ home, cut off six of her fingers, slashed her arms and lips and then sliced off her nose. Before leaving the house, the men locked their 28-year-old victim inside. Asma, from impoverished Kohaur Junobi village in Pakistan’s south, was mutilated because […]
The Local, Switzerland The number of overnight stays last year at Swiss B&Bs increased by 9.3 per cent compared to 2009, exceeding expectations, said the Bed and Breakfast Switzerland association. The increase is mainly due to Swiss guests, but also on the rise were visits from German tourists. “More and […]
By Simon Cameron-Moore, Reuters, Jordan Times. ISTANBUL -Turkey’s friendship with Syrian President Bashar Assad stood near breaking point as Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu prepared to visit Damascus on Tuesday in a last-ditch effort to persuade Assad to stop his security forces attacking civilians. On Sunday, one of Assad’s advisers warned […]
Jordan Times. TEHRAN (AFP) – Gas- and oil-rich Iran has discovered another gas field with reserves of 495 billion cubic metres valued at $133 billion, the oil ministry’s SHANA news service quoted an oil official as saying on Monday. “The new gas field has in spot reserves of about 495 […]
By Hana Namrouqa, Jordan Times AMMAN – Archaeologists are studying the significance of caves and remnants of bones unearthed recently in Amman during construction work, government officials said on Monday. The archaeological finds were discovered last week during the construction of a building near the Sports City Circle behind Al […]
by Renat Künzi, swissinfo.ch and agencies The killing in Syria will continue regardless of what the UN Security Council says, according to Swiss-based Syrian-Kurdish filmmaker and activist Mano Khalil. The warning came as international pressure for an end to the violence intensified on Monday, with Bahrain and Kuwait joining Saudi […]
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday annulled the suspension orders of Additional Director General (DG) FIA Zafar Qureshi, and reinstated him as the head of the NICL scam probe. (Read: SC to announce NICL verdict on Monday) Qureshi was tasked to investigate the multi-billion rupee land scam in the National Insurance […]
Dr Ghassan Khatib, the Special Envoy of the Palestinian Authority President, last week addressed the Capital Jewish Forum in the Victorian Parliament House. (J-Wire, Jewish online news from Australia and New Zealand) Dr Khatib spoke on ‘Statehood: Palestine and Israel’ and was introduced by Mr Izzat Abdulhadi, Palestinian Authority Head […]
By ROGER HARRISON | ARAB NEWS The value of dates as food has long been known and a simple analysis establishing them as a source of protein, glucose, vitamins and minerals is fact. Far less of an established fact is the folkloric record of their medicinal properties. As with many […]
By P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) on Sunday opened the newly established international terminal at Prince Muhammad International Airport in Madinah that can handle 35 flights daily. “The new terminal has the capacity to accommodate 600 passengers per hour,” GACA said, […]
By ARAB NEWS MAKKAH: “High rents have wrecked my plans to spend Ramadan in a spiritual atmosphere in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque,” declared Muhammad Husain, a domestic pilgrim. There are not many vacant hotel rooms in Makkah since the beginning of Ramadan this year, despite the astronomically high […]
DAMASCUS/ JEDDAH (Agencies) – Jordan Times. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah demanded an end to the bloodshed in Syria in the early hours of Monday, and said he was withdrawing his country’s ambassador from Damascus. “What is happening in Syria is not acceptable for Saudi Arabia,” he said in a written […]