American tech giant Apple has removed a Bible app and a Quran app from its App Store in China following requests from officials, triggering conde-mnation from rights groups over a further violation of religious freedom by the communist state.
Apple confirmed to the BBC that the apps, Quran Majeed and Bible App by Olive Tree, have been taken down. Chin-ese officials complained that the apps violated laws by hosting religious texts illegally. “We are required to comply with local laws, and at times there are complex issues about which we may disagree with governments and other stakeholders on the right path forward,” Apple reportedly told BBC, explaining its human rights policy.
Quran Majeed has over 5 million downloads on the Google Play Store, while Bible App by Olive Tree has just over 1 million downloads, according to Business Insider.
Quran Majeed is produced by Pakistan Data Management Services. The company says it has over 35 million users globally including 1 million users in China. It said Apple informed it that “the app has been removed from the China App Store because it includes content that requires additional documentation from Chinese authorities.”
Olive Tree Bible Software, founded in 2000 in Spokane, Washington, creates biblical software and mobile apps. It is an electronic publisher of Bible versions, study tools, Bible study tools and Christian eBooks for mobile, tablet and desktop devices. Another American tech giant, Microsoft, recently announced it was closing its career-focused site LinkedIn in China as Chinese laws pose extreme difficulties. LinkedIn faced criticism recently for closing the accounts of some journalists following complaints from Chinese authorities.