🇦🇺🇵🇸 Muslim founder takes on TikTok

In a week when Syria formally recognized the Kurdish language and tiny Prince Edward Island in very big Canada, made a $2.26m investment in halal beef processing (no news yet on halal moose), Musletter got the Ramadan-is-three-weeks-away panic and managed to give up caffeine for at least ten minutes before deciding instead to bulk-buy medjools.

Here’s what we have for you in this edition:

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🇦🇺🇵🇸 TikTok alternative: For some, it was the recent TikTok outages. For others, it was pro-Palestine activists getting shadow-banned (or totally banned) from posting content. Or just the migraine-inducing thought of new owner Larry Ellison’s political views dictating the app’s algorithm. Either way, it was time for an alternative. Enter UpScrolled, which is a new social media platform where ‘every voice gets equal power’. It was started last year by (deep breath, here come the hyphens) Palestinian-Jordanian-Australian founder Issam Hijazi. Get downloading! Actually, finish this newsletter first. Then get downloading!

🇸🇦🎡 155mph rollercoast-blurgh: Hold onto your lunch, the world’s tallest and fastest rollercoaster just opened in Saudi Arabia. It’s a $1bn megaproject/gigaproject (what, no teraproject?) from Six Flags and is the first attraction to be operational in Qiddiya City, an entertainment and sports complex just outside Riyadh. Not only will it encourage domestic spending within the Kingdom, but it is also expected to create 7,000 jobs and contribute $686m to GDP this year. When other parts of Qiddiya City are completed (an F1 race track and World Cup stadium), the hope is that 85,000 jobs will have been added, along with an $11bn contribution to GDP by 2030.

🇺🇸🇶🇦 U.S.-Qatar AI agreement: The U.S. has announced Qatar’s entry into the Pax Silica initiative, with a signing-ceremony photo so weird it must be AI-generated. Anyway, the pact is a framework aimed at securing global AI supply chains – the stuff tech firms need so ChatGPT can answer your query about why your cat won’t stop yowling. Qatar is the eighth signatory to the agreement, which focuses on critical minerals, chip manufacturing, data flows, and logistics. The agreement is well-timed, given the GCC region’s growing investment in AI infrastructure.

🌎 Passport power: If you’re a Singaporean Muslim (or a Singaporean of any background, for that matter), well, congratulations. You’re number one! That’s according to the 2026 Henley Passport Index, which ranks the world’s passports based on their global mobility position, which is a fancy way of saying a passport that lets you go lots of places without a visa. Other top performers include the UAE at 5th place and Malaysia at 9th. Meanwhile, Türkiye ranks 46th, Saudi Arabia 54th, and Egypt 85th. Notably, both Türkiye and Egypt offer citizenship-by-investment programs (spend money, get a passport), while KSA instead offers a 'premium residency' route.

🇵🇰 ⚔️ Pakistan defense deals: Pakistan has seen a massive uptick in defense exports, with fighter jets, tanks, drones, and naval systems now valued at around $13bn. They make stuff, and people want it. And it’s going to deliver a significant boost to the country’s economy while also creating a rise in foreign exchange reserves. But it’s not just about jets and tanks – the agreements will stimulate investment across industries that support the defense sector, including electronic systems, shipbuilding, and even training.

🇲🇾🚢 Umrah cruise: Malaysia has launched Asia’s first Umrah cruise, so you no longer have to enter the state of ihram in an airport washroom. So if you want a break from air travel (yes, please!), how about IslamiCruise – a 15-day voyage that departs from Port Klang (Malaysia’s main port) and travels to Saudi Arabia via Indonesia, the Maldives, and Oman. So you get there, having revived the centuries-old maritime pilgrimage route – rather than standing at Jeddah baggage claim on no sleep, realising you left your tawaf counter on the plane. The cruise initiative forms part of the Visit Malaysia 2026 programme.

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