Huawei removes advert of product ‘favouring Muslims’

Beijing, Nov 17 (IANS) Chinese technology giant Huawei has removed a commercial of its latest product after it was accused by netizens of "favouring Muslims".

Huawei said some people "viciously attacked" its latest product’s alarm function. It issued a statement on Thursday saying the alarm function was specifically designed for customers in overseas regions and was not available in China, the Global Times reported.

The statement came after netizens posted videos and screen shots of one of Huawei’s product commercials showing it designed the alarm function for users to do morning prayers at nearby mosques.

The commercial was later removed from Huawei’s website and e-commercial websites like JD.com and Taobao. Many netizens criticized Huawei for giving preferential treatment to Muslims. Some even called for a boycott of Huawei.

Huawei’s defenders said they believed the company was considerate enough to design such a function for Muslims. The company said someone deliberately distorted the facts and fanned the flames to attack Huawei.

Huawei provides customized designs for people from different countries, culture and ethnic groups.

It has been attracting many Muslims in countries by designing special functions for them to practice their faith such as including the Quran in the cellphone.