KUALA LUMPUR – Former religious affairs minister Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mohamad al-Bakri is auctioning a Rolex watch that was gifted to him by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz in 2017.
Zulkifli said on X, formerly Twitter, that the auction for the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust II will start at RM40,000, with each bid increasing the price by RM100, and the money raised will be donated to help the Palestinians.
“I’m opening this (auction) to those who are interested to bid in the comment section,” he posted today.
The former minister also shared that the watch was a souvenir gifted to him after presenting a speech as federal territories mufti before the Saudi king.
“The souvenir was collected by my officer Dr Aizam. I did not open the box. It was kept in my office in Putrajaya until I was appointed minister (in March 2020).
“When I was minister, the box was moved to my second office at the Malaysia Islamic Centre KL. When I resigned in 2021, it was taken to my personal office. There, I opened it and wore the watch as a show of appreciation to the Saudi king,” he added.
JAM ROLEX UNTUK PALESTIN
— Dr. Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri (@drzul_albakri) October 30, 2023
لَنْ تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتّٰى تُنْفِقُوْا مِمَّا تُحِبُّوْنَ ۗوَمَا تُنْفِقُوْا مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَاِنَّ اللّٰهَ بِهٖ عَلِيْمٌ
Maksudnya: “Kamu tidak akan memperoleh kebajikan, sebelum kamu menginfakkan sebagian harta yang kamu cintai. Dan apa pun yang kamu… pic.twitter.com/V8dvu6gbGv
At least 7,703 people have been killed in Gaza since the war started on October 7.
With Israeli forces announcing their expansion of ground operations in the Palestinian enclave, this is expected to bring more deaths, injuries and distress to the locals.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said on October 29 that it received threats from Israeli forces to evacuate Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza, while the hospital shared on X that there have been bombs dropping 50m from its building. – October 30, 2023