Apple has removed a popular Quran app from its app store in China that permitted users to read or listen to the Quran. ‘Quran Majeed’ is claimed to have hosted illegal content, although it is not clear what the controversial contents precisely were. The app was removed following a request by government officials.
‘Quran Majeed’ was developed by Pakistan Data Management Services. The developer told the BBC, “According to Apple, our app Quran Majeed has been removed from the China App store because it includes content that requires additional documentation from Chinese authorities”.
“We are trying to get in touch with the Cyberspace Administration of China and relevant Chinese authorities to get this issue resolved,” PDMS added. The app has close to one million users in China.
Apple refused to comment on the matter and directed BBC to its ‘human rights policy’, which says, “We’re required to comply with local laws, and at times there are complex issues about which we may disagree with governments.”
Meanwhile, Audible (Amazon’s audiobook service) and some apps for reading the Bible have also reportedly disappeared from the Apple Store. Audible apparently removed its app in China “due to permit requirements.” AppleCensorship, a watchdog website that monitors such developments, was the first to detect the removals.
Islamic groups have accused Apple of enabling China’s persecution of its Muslim population. “If American corporations don’t grow a spine and stand up to China right now, they risk spending the next century subservient to the whims of a fascist superpower,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the national deputy director of CAIR, a group whose links to Islamist outfits are well known.
