Allow us to drive, women urge Mufti

February 5, 2014

Dammam, Feb 5: The head of the Board of Senior Ulema has received a letter from women activists asking him that women should be allowed to drive, Al-Hayat daily reported.

A source, who preferred to remain unidentified, said the letter was received by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Asheikh’s office. It is not known whether the letter was referred to the board itself.

He pointed out that the committee reviews queries on a periodical basis and replies to senders using all communication means.

“The committee does not automatically reject any queries submitted to them and replies to any questions that concern Shariah,” he said.

The letter was submitted by supporters of the Oct. 26 campaign for women driving, which said they have yet to receive any reply.

They said that preventing women from driving has more disadvantages than allowing them to drive.

In addition, the government has the authority to implement laws and regulations to overcome any disadvantages, they said.

These activists pointed out that they were asked to refer their demands to official channels and so they submitted the letter to the Grand Mufti. The letter stated that anything that harmed women’s liberty should be tackled through a legal request that must be considered by anyone entrusted with such matters.

Enlisting the support of scholars is the right course of action because it is in line with Shariah.

The letter said that preventing women from driving has resulted in more hardships for them and their children as they have to depend on drivers who are strangers living in their houses and whose real motives are not known.

The activists also reviewed penalties that women who took to wheel were subjected to such as detainment and confiscation of their vehicles as well as the threat of prison and fines.

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Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

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