🥩 Quit tech. Cook halal BBQ.

In a week when King Charles visited the UK’s super-eco Cambridge Central Mosque and Mark Ruffalo came this close to challenging Netanyahu to a fistfight (no one’s beating the Hulk), Elon Musk took the I’m-definitely-an-alien crown from Zuckerberg (with a side helping of Islamophobia), and Musletter cooked up this new edition just for you!

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

Plus: Our recommendations on what to read, watch, and buy!

Let’s jump right in!

🥩 Quit tech, cook halal BBQ: Texans know BBQ. Heck, they probably even invented it. Meanwhile, lots of Muslims live in Texas (you can see where this is going, can’t you?). But halal BBQ is no niche offering. In fact, halal BBQ restaurants now regularly feature in Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s 50 best. Besides tasting great, it’s become a viable business opportunity. Enter Texas entrepreneur Salahodeen Abdul-Kafi, who left a 14-year career in tech to open Kafi BBQ in 2024, offering Texas staples with an Iraqi twist. What started as a pop-up generated $2.3 million in its first year, with $4 million projected for 2026. 

🗽 HabibiTech Summit in NYC: Coinciding with UN General Assembly Week (expect traffic jam meltdown), HabibiTech Summit will hit New York City on September 26. And it promises to be the world’s largest Muslim AI and creator event. Who’s gonna be there? The likes of Shaykh Yasir Qadhi and LaunchGood co-founder Chris Blauvelt will join Muslim leaders, builders, investors, creators, and policymakers. What are they gonna be talking about? Funny you should ask. The weaponization of AI and the problem of data centers, and much more. Get your tickets and join the discussion: Should Muslims go with the AI flow or stop and consider an ethical response?

🕌 The beauty of MENA architecture: The World Architecture Festival has unveiled its 2026 shortlist, with hundreds of global projects set to compete at the November event in Florida. The MENA region has done well, with some stunning contributions including the reimagining of what a children’s hospital could be in Kuwait and a striking new Ministry of Culture building in Damascus. While new developments in Riyadh and Dubai feature prominently, Egypt also gets the nod for the Pukka Walk in the New Administrative Capital, and Iraq is celebrated for the Maritime building in Al Faw port in Basra.

🥡 Gulf food delivery brands under new ownership: Uber has agreed to buy Germany’s Delivery Hero for $14.8 billion. Aside from ramifications in Europe – the company will invest $2.3 billion in Germany – it will make Uber the world’s largest food delivery company outside of China, serving 99 countries and affecting a number of key brands in the Middle East, which will now be under new ownership. This includes Talabat (active across the Gulf and wider region) and HungerStation in Saudi Arabia. As the global food and beverage industry continues to consolidate, it’s unlikely this will be the end of Uber’s mega-scaling as it faces off against its rival, DoorDash.

🎮 Retain culture, create a game: Saudi Arabia-based developers Ash Games have raised $1.5 million in a Seed funding round led by Merak Capital and Impact46. The cash will help accelerate the company’s goal of creating action-adventure titles inspired by Saudi culture and history. Their flagship game Nomad is set for release next year on PC, PlayStation and Xbox. Promoting and retaining culture is increasingly seen as a viable goal in game development, and Ash (founded in 2022) targets both homegrown and international audiences. Meanwhile, the games industry in Saudi and MENA is increasingly seen as an exciting venture capital opportunity.

Adam spent 20 minutes looking for a $36 receipt. His finance team sent three Slack messages. Someone made a sticky note.

Ramp would have matched it automatically the moment he swiped. Auto-coded, in-policy, synced. Nobody had to ask Adam for anything.

This is what finance looks like when it runs itself.

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