China President and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping. COURTESY PHOTO.
By Aaron Sseruyigo & News Agencies
China’s Communist party is intensifying its crackdown on Christianity. Earlier, officials banned online retailers from selling the Bible, and now, American tech giant Apple has been forced to remove Bible apps from its App Store in the country.
According to sources, a Bible App by Olive Tree, which has over 1 million downloads, was taken down this month.
Founded in 2000 in Spokane, Washington, Olive Tree is an electronic publisher of Bible versions, study tools, Bible study tools and Christian eBooks for mobile, tablet and desktop devices.
Uganda Christian News readers should also note that, Quran Majeed App, used by millions of Muslims, was also taken down, Apple confirmed to the BBC.
Apple explained that Chinese officials had said the apps breached laws on hosting “illegal religious texts”.
The tech giant then directed the BBC to its Human Rights Policy: “We’re required to comply with local laws, and at times there are complex issues about which we may disagree with governments.”
Fortune.com reported that the Chinese market makes up a significant portion of Apple’s sales, and the company depends heavily on manufacturers in the country to make its products.
Some suggest that this “relationship” makes it difficult for the tech giant to turn down the government’s requests.
US-based Christian group International Christian Concern (ICC) expressed concern over the removal of the Bible and Quran apps, citing that China had recently shut down Christian WeChat accounts, removed Bible apps and jailed Christians for selling electronic Bible players “illegally.”
Open Doors, a non-denominational mission supporting persecuted Christians in the world, estimates that China has more than 97 million Christians, many of whom worship in unregistered or so-called “illegal” underground churches. The organisation ranked China 17th out 50 countries where Christians face extreme forms of oppression in its 2021 World Watch Report.
Christian organizations and clergy face surveillance and penalties if they violate various Chinese laws regulating religious groups, including the 2018 regulations on religious affairs. The rules require all religious organizations and clergy to be registered with the state and prohibit any activity that the state deems illegal and unauthorized.
“The new restrictions on the internet, social media and non-governmental organizations, as well as religious regulations … are strictly enforced and represent a serious restriction on freedom,” Open Doors said.
Communist China presents itself as an atheist state officially. Although it recognizes the legal entity of five organized religions — Buddhism, Protestantism, Catholicism, Islam and Taoism — religious organizations and activities are strictly controlled.
