The grand charity auction conducted by Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) at the Amphitheatre of Katara, Cultural Village Foundation, yesterday raised a total income of almost QR11mn. A number of luxury cars were sold.
QRC will receive the profit, estimated to be about 10% of the proceedings, and donate it to the people of Gaza and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. The price of the vehicles will be paid to the dealers.
Eminent scholar Dr Yusuf al-Qaradawi, chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), was present at the event along with senior QRC officials, Qatari businessmen and a number of key figures from various walks of life.
The auction was conducted in mainly three categories: luxury cars including Lamborghini Sesto Elemento - full carbon fibre (2013), two Ferrari 458 Spider (2014), Bentley Continental GT Convertible (2014), Mclaren MP4-12c (2012), two Jaguar F-Type 5.0V8 SC Convertible (2014), two Maserati Quattroporte V8 530 (2014), Jaguar XF2.0l4 Luxury (2014), Jaguar XJ 3.0V6 SC Luxury (2014), BMW 750Li Saloon LCI (2014), BMW X5 Experience Design (2014), Chevrolet Camaro Coupe (2013), and Mini Cooper Countryman JCW 851(2014); motorcycles: Ducati Diavel Dark (2013), Ducati Diavel (2013), and two Ducati Superbike 899 Panigale ABS (2014); and pieces of the Kiswah (cover) of Kaaba, embroidered with gold threads.
All the cars sold at the auction were bought by Qatari businessman Mohamed Abdulkarim al-Emadi, CEO of Al Emadi Enterprises, who was praised by Qaradawi for his initiative to support the event.
The most expensive car was Lamborghini Sesto Elemento (2013) which was sold at QR8mn, followed by Bentley Continental GT Convertible (2014) at QR960,000; Mclaren MP4-12c (2012) at QR850,000; BMW 750Li Saloon LCI (2014) at QR 470,000 and Mini Cooper Countryman JCW 851 (2014) at QR 190,000.
Al-Emadi also bough a piece from Kaaba cover at QR80,000 used for the key of Kaaba. Another person bought another piece of the cover. However, the remaining parts of Kaaba cover, the other cars and the motorcycles remained unsold.
The contributors Alfardan Group, Jaidah Group, and Al-Wajba establishment offered their cars on the auction at a price less than that of the market according to QRC officials and donated the profit for the cause of Gaza.
Qaradawi highly appreciated the initiative and stressed that endurance of the people of Gaza against the aggression of the occupiers is a honour to all Muslims and Arabs. Accordingly, everybody should support them in their difficult time, he said.