Apple removes Quran app in China from App Store at government request

A widely used app that allows users to read texts from the Quran has been removed from the App Store in China at the request of the government. The app is said to contain “illegal religious texts,” according to the Communist Party.

The Apple Censorship website noticed the deletion first, and Apple confirmed to BBC News that the request was made by the Chinese government. Apple referred the BBC to the company’s human rights policy in its response, stating: “We have an obligation to follow local laws, even if we disagree with governments.”

What exactly is ‘illegal’ about the religious texts in the so-called Quran Majeed app is not known. Islam is an officially recognized religion in China. The BBC suggests it could be because of the Chinese government’s crackdown on the country’s Muslim Uyghurs.

According to the maker, the app is “known among more than 25 million Muslims worldwide”. It is not known exactly how many users the iOS app has. In the Google Play Store, the Android version has more than five million downloads. Quran Majeed contains the texts of the complete Quran, including audio recitation and translations into Chinese, among others.

Earlier this week, Microsoft removed the Chinese LinkedIn app, because it had reportedly become unfeasible to meet the increasingly strict requirements of the Chinese government. In Russia, an election app was removed from Apple and Google app stores last month at the behest of the Russian government.