Removal of Jakim’s LBGTQ conversion app from Google Play Store is ‘unfortunate’, says Idris Ahmad

KUALA LUMPUR: The removal of the Hjrah Diri app from the Google Play Store is unfortunate, says Datuk Idris Ahmad.

“It is unfortunate that an app intended to return people to the right path has been rejected by certain groups.

“There are many other applications that lead to immorality,” the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of religious affairs said on social media.

He added that he had instructed Jakim to contact the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for clarification and advice on what action should be taken.

The Hijrah Diri app was developed by the Islamic Development Department (Jakim), to help the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community “return to the right path”.

It was removed from Google Play Store as it breached the platform’s guidelines.

“Whenever an app is flagged to us, we investigate the matter against our Play Store policies.

“If violations are found, we take appropriate action to maintain a trusted experience for all,” Google was quoted as saying to The Guardian.

The article further read that under Google’s guidelines, apps that “attempt to deceive users or enable dishonest behaviour” or are “determined to be functionally impossible” are disallowed.

The app was first released in July 2016, but attracted fresh attention after it was shared on Twitter by Jakim.

Amnesty International’s Malaysia researcher Rachel Chhoa-Howard said that such material was dangerous.

“Conversion therapy is a deeply discriminatory and harmful practice which can cause long-lasting damage to those who are subject to it.

“It has been criminalised in many countries. We call on the Malaysian authorities to immediately abandon its use of Hijrah Diri, and instead ensure respect and protect LGBT rights in the country,” she said to the UK daily.

This is not the first time an app has been removed for similar reasons, with the Play Store previously removing an app from a United States-based group Living Hope Ministries that promoted so-called “conversion therapy”.

The app, which suggested that users could “pray away the gay”, was removed in 2019.

Conversion therapy is the pseudo-scientific practice of attempting to change an individual’s sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual or their gender identity from transgender to cisgender using psychological, physical, or spiritual intervention.

Medical, scientific, and government organisations in the United States and the United Kingdom have expressed concern over the validity, efficacy and ethics of conversion therapy.

Mainstream medical bodies including the World Psychiatric Association have stated that conversion therapy can be harmful because it may exploit guilt and anxiety, thereby damaging self-esteem and leading to depression and even suicide.

There is also concern in the mental health community that the advancement of conversion therapy can cause social harm by disseminating inaccurate views about gender identity, sexual orientation, and the ability of LGBT people to lead happy, healthy lives.