Apple Removed "Quran Majeed" a Popular Quran App in China

Apple has removed Quran Majeed, a popular application for reading and listening to the Quran, from the App Store in China, the BBC reports. The company reportedly removed the app at the request of government officials, a somewhat surprising move given that Islam is a protected religion in the People's Republic of China.

Quran Majeed is available for free and "recognized by 25 million Muslim users around the world," according to the app's developer, Pakistan Data Management Services. The removal of the application apparently had nothing to do with its religious content, "according to Apple, our Quran Majeed application has been removed from the App Store in China because it contains content that is illegal," the developer told the BBC. The developer says that it is now trying to solve the problem with the China Cyberspace Administration. The Verge has reached out to both Apple and the US Embassy of China for comment.

Without a clearer explanation, the move looks like a possible overreach, although it falls within Apple's official position on human rights abroad (PDF):

We need to comply with local laws and sometimes there are complex issues that we may disagree with governments and other stakeholders on the right way to go. With dialogue and a belief in the power of engagement, we try to find the solution that best serves our users: their privacy, their ability to express themselves, and their access to reliable information and useful technology.

While it makes sense for business, that framework has put the company in questionable positions before. Apple removed VPN apps that allowed Chinese users to bypass censorship and proactively leaked apps that mentioned Tiananmen Square, the Dalai Lama, or the independence of Taiwan and Tibet. Apple's suppliers in the region have also been linked to the oppression of China's predominantly Muslim Uighur minority.

Apple is in a tough spot either way. It is based on your business relationships and sales in China. Taking a firm stance against the government could put that in jeopardy. This week, Microsoft made the decision to shut down the local Chinese version of LinkedIn, separately acknowledging that it is becoming increasingly difficult to comply with the Chinese government's demands. Apple has yet to find that line on its own, and with how much it relies on China to get its iPhone business running, it may not happen anytime soon.