- Apple said Chinese officials had flagged the apps as breaking laws on illegal religious texts.
- Apple’s human rights policy says the company is “required to comply with local laws.”
Apple has removed two religious literature Apps in China at the request of the Chinese authorities.
According to Business Insider, Apple has confirmed to the BBC that the company took down a Quran app called Quran Majeed and a Bible app called Olive Tree in China. The discovery was first revealed by the activist website Apple Censorship on October 12.
The developer of the Quran Majeed app confirmed to Insider the app had been removed from China’s App Store, and said Apple had advised it to contact the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).
The Chinese government has systematically persecuted its minority Uighur Muslim population and was detaining as many as 1 million people in a network of prison facilities,
In Apple’s response to BBC, the company said the reason for the removal was because Chinese officials had stated the apps breached laws on hosting illegal religious texts.
Last May, ICC also reported on Bible apps and Christian WeChat Accounts being shut down in China. The Chinese government seeks to monopolize the sales of Bibles through its state-vetted Three-Self churches.
The latest development shows the dilemmas faced by foreign companies as they are bound to serve Beijing’s interests, often at the cost of human rights. LinkedIn recently announced its withdrawal from China after the censorship from the state had become overwhelming.