Apple removed the popular Quran app in China's App Store due to a request from the local government. The application, called Quran Majeed, is known to have 35 million users worldwide and is one of the most popular religious applications in China.
The removal of the Quran Majeed app from the Chinese App Store was first reported by Apple Censorship, a site that monitors apps in the App Store globally. Currently the Quran Majeed application is still available on the App Stores of other countries and on the Google Play Store.
"According to Apple, our Quran Majeed app was removed from the Chinese App Store because it contained illegal content," said Quran app developer Majeed PDMS, as quoted by the BBC, Sunday (17/10/2021).
"We are trying to contact the Cyberspace Administration of China and the relevant Chinese authorities to resolve this issue."
Apple declined to comment when questioned by the BBC and referred to their human rights policy which states, "We are required to comply with local laws, and sometimes there are complex issues that we may disagree with the government on."
But what rules the Quran Majeed app violated in China is still unknown. Quran developer Majeed says they currently have nearly one million users in China.
The Chinese government recognizes Islam as one of the official religions. But the Bamboo Curtain Country has often been criticized for its treatment of the Uyghur ethnic group, the majority of whom are Muslim, for violating human rights.
Apple's decision to remove the app at the request of the Chinese government is in line with a New York Times report published in May. The report says Apple will remove apps that talk about sensitive topics such as Tiananmen Square, the spiritual group Falun Gong, the Dalai Lama, and independence for Taiwan and Tibet.
Apple's relationship with China is also increasingly complicated because the country is one of its biggest markets. In addition, this iPhone manufacturer is also very dependent on China because most of its supply chain is based in that country.
Quran Majeed is not the only app to be recalled in China. Microsoft recently shut down its LinkedIn service in China due to difficulties complying with local government regulations
