From first Malaysian astronaut to technopreneur

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is moving to globally compete in the e-commerce market through Aladdinstreet.com.my.
Co-founded by Malaysia's first and only astronaut to date, Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, and Datuk Seri Desmond To, the company will be based in 30 countries with the headquarters here.
Sheikh Muszaphar said the company is an emerging halal and syariah compliance business which is set to rival Internet business giants Amazon and Alibaba.
Aladdin Group will select its merchants who are either halal certified by the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim) or those who comply with the Shariah guidelines to market on its site.
"What we aim to achieve is to compete with the likes of Amazon and Alibaba, and maybe even be bigger than them one day.
"Aladdin represents an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to gain halal certification and immediately gain access to 30 markets globally," he said at the soft launch of the website by former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi here today.
Sheikh Muszaphar said there is a growing demand for halal products internationally and Aladdin would provide a new platform for Muslim consumers to shop for halal products.
"But, we would also like it to appeal to non-Muslims. Because halal is not about religion alone, it is also about ethics and hygiene," he added.
Among the major markets it would expand to over the next three years are Indonesia, India, China, Middle East, and parts of Europe.
Aladdin has spend about US$5million (RM21.25 million) for its building and the domestic site which started operations today.