London-based news outlet Middle East Eye reported late Friday Apple had removed one of the world’s most famous “Quran Majeed” app from its app store in mainland China following a request from the Chinese government. The app was removed amid permit requirements.
Quran Majeed, used by millions of Muslims, is available worldwide on the App Store, and has close to 0.15M reviews. The BBC comprehends the app was removed for hosting unlawful religious texts. The Chinese officials haven’t provided any statement on the matter when contacted by the outlets for comment.
Apple removed popular Muslim app Quran Majeed from China’s app store after officials claimed it has illegal texts, reports BBC.
China is accused of persecuting Muslims, including mass sterilization and forcing over 1 million Uighurs and other Muslims into “re-education” camps. pic.twitter.com/mcBzHe6XZl
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Without comprehensible explanation, the action appears like a likely overreach, although it does fit within the parameters of Apple’s official stance on the human rights board.
Furthermore, iPhone-maker has directed the British Broadcaster to its Human Rights Policy, which states that they’re required to follow the local laws, and at times there’re intricate problems about which they might disagree with administrations and other stakeholders on the right way forward.
According to the website, Apple told the developer of the Quran Majeed app, Pakistan Data Management Services (PDMS), to contact the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), a Chinese internet regulator. Moreover, Middle East Eye mentioned the company’s head of growth, Hasan Shafiq Ahmed.
PDMS Attempting To Resolve Issue with CAC
Additionally, PDMS, which develops the app, stated it’s anticipating further information from the Chinese internet regulator regarding how it could be restored. The Quran Majeed app has nearly 40M users all over the world and around 1M in China.
Ahmed was mentioned as expressing the company is trying to get in touch with relevant Chinese authorities, so “Quran Majeed could be restored in China App store,” as they’ve nearly a million users in the People’s Republic that’ve been influenced.
Ahmed also said that as per their comprehension, Chinese law demands additional documentation for some apps to be presented on the App Store in mainland China. He added that the applications with books, Newspapers, and magazine content must secure an internet publishing allowance from the country’s National Press and Publication Administration.
Moreover, Apple has also taken down a Bible app by Olive Tree in China. Both apps Quran Majeed and a Bible, were initially reported as having been taken down on Tuesday by the website “applecensorship.com.”
Bible App has just more than 1M downloads on the Google Play Store, while Quran Majeed App has more than 5M downloads.