Driver gifted car on ‘sponsored’ big fat Saudi wedding

January 20, 2014

Jeddah, Jan 20: In a heart-warming gesture rarely witnessed, a Saudi businessman in Buraidah celebrated the wedding of his Indonesian driver and, what is more, handed over the keys of his personal car to the groom as a wedding gift that has been applauded by Saudis and expats alike.

Rashid Al-Shallash, the businessman, not only footed the wedding bill of Solikin Abu Ahmed, but also paid his salary and that of his wife for a year besides taking on the expense of transferring the wife’s sponsorship.

Al-Shallash did not stop there. To make it a truly memorable event, he invited prominent personalities in the town, including businessmen and religious scholars, to attend the wedding that was performed as per Saudi tradition.

Al-Oudah commended the businessman for responding positively to the initiative aimed at fighting the racist behavior of some Saudis against foreign workers.

He urged all Saudis to behave decently with foreigners working under their sponsorship, especially house servants. In his program titled “Wasm” (brand), Al-Oudah had addressed the issue of Saudis’ misbehavior against foreigners.

“I am extremely happy to hear this news,” said Dr. Abdelelah Saaty, dean of the College of Business in Rabigh. “This is what we should do while dealing with foreign workers. This is what we have learned from Islam. People who ill-treat their workers are very few. They don’t represent the Saudi society,” he told Arab News.

“We should treat all foreigners including non-Muslims in a nice manner and we have several examples for this from the life and teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him),” Saaty said, and praised Al-Oudah for encouraging people to do such wonderful things. “I wish I can see many more such good examples from Al-Shallash and other businessmen.”

Speaking to Arab News, Akbar Batcha, a senior business executive, said all Saudis should emulate Al-Shallash to improve their image and uphold the Kingdom’s reputation.

“All are equal before Allah. No Arab is better than a non-Arab except in faith and fear of Allah,” Batcha said, quoting a Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him). “If Saudis follow the Prophet’s teachings in their lives, their country will become a Paradise.”

Stating that he was very happy with what Al-Shallash did for his Indonesian driver, he said: “I have not seen or heard of such an inspiring incident in all my 27 years of life in Saudi Arabia. There are many good people like Al-Shallash in the Kingdom but the bad behavior by a handful of Saudis makes headlines.”

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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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