Apple removes a popular Quran app in China
Apple has removed one of the most famous applications of the Holy Quran in the world in China, Application Quran Majeed, a popular application to read and listen to the Holy Quran, from the App Store in China.
The company has reportedly removed the app at the request of government officials, a somewhat surprising move given that Islam is a protected religion in the People’s Republic of China.
The Glorious Quran is available for free worldwide via the App Store. It has nearly 150,000 reviews. It is used by 25 million Muslim users around the world. This is according to the company that developed the app Pakistan Data Management Services.
The app has been removed for hosting illegal religious texts. And in a statement issued by the app’s manufacturer, which said: According to Apple, our Quran Majeed app has been removed from the China App Store because it includes content that requires additional documentation from the Chinese authorities.
Pakistan Data Management Services said it has nearly one million users in China. It is now trying to solve the problem with the Chinese Cyberspace Administration.
The Chinese Communist Party officially recognizes Islam as a religion in the country. However, China has been accused of human rights violations, and even genocide, against the Muslim-majority ethnic Uyghur group in Xinjiang.
Earlier this year, the BBC reported that Uyghur imams had been targeted in China’s crackdown in Xinjiang.
Without a clearer explanation, this move appears to be a possible overreach, although it falls under the official position The company on human rights abroad.
The company’s human rights policy says: We are required to comply with local laws. There are sometimes complex issues that we may disagree with with governments on. Through dialogue and belief in the power of sharing, we try to find the best solution for our users. including their privacy, ability to express themselves, and access to reliable information and useful technology.
However, it is not clear what rules the app has violated in China. The application is trusted by more than 35 million Muslims worldwide.
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Apple has repeatedly complied with the demands of Chinese officials
China is one of Apple’s biggest markets, and while the move might make sense from a business standpoint. But this framing has put the company in questionable positions before.
Apple removed VPN apps that allowed Chinese users to avoid censorship and preemptively excluded apps that mentioned Tiananmen Square, the Dalai Lama or the independence of Taiwan and Tibet.
The company’s suppliers in the region have also been linked to the persecution of China’s Muslim-majority Uyghur minority.
Apple relies on the business relationships and sales it makes in China. The company can be put at risk if it takes a strong stand against the government.
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