Muslim Pro, the leading Islamic lifestyle app with over 170 million users across 190 countries, has implemented robust data security measures to protect user privacy while providing essential services to the global Muslim community. As concerns about digital privacy grow worldwide, Muslim Pro offers insights into how it handles sensitive user information.
For any location-based app, collecting certain data is essential to provide core services. For Muslim Pro, accurate prayer times and Qibla direction — which indicates where Muslims should face during prayer — require location information. However, the company emphasizes that data collection is strictly limited to what’s necessary.
“To do the prayer times or to provide the prayer time services, you actually need the location,” explains Nafees Khundker, CEO and group managing director of Muslim Pro. “They have to give us consent, I think, twice before they can even do that.”
This multilayered consent system represents part of Muslim Pro’s commitment to transparency, ensuring users have full control over what information they share and why. The app has also implemented stringent data minimization practices. “If you access the app today and you go into locations and say, ‘I want to check the prayer times in Singapore,’ I would know that you are in Singapore. But tomorrow if you are in New York, I would know that probably you’re in New York, but I would not have that Singapore data anymore in our app,” Khundker explains.
This means Muslim Pro retains only a user’s most recent location request, rather than tracking or storing a history of movements.
Heightened sensitivity for faith-based apps
Muslim Pro acknowledges that faith-based apps require extra diligence regarding user privacy.
“Faith is something most people practice at home. It’s very personal to each individual,” notes Khundker. “These are habits. They have prayer. It’s a spiritual journey that they have. I would say people are more sensitive to personal stuff.”
In today’s complex global environment, users of faith-based apps may have legitimate concerns about how their data might be used. “There are instances of profiling and discrimination based on people’s faith. That brings in another layer of sensitivity, I would say, where people are worried about discrimination, which is a concern,” Khundker acknowledges.
Muslim Pro has responded to these concerns with comprehensive privacy measures to ensure user data is treated with the utmost respect and used only for its intended purposes.
Current data protection measures
Muslim Pro has implemented multiple layers of protection for user information:
Controlled access within the company: “We have a very, very strong process of managing data. Very few people will ever have access to individual data,” says Khundker, adding that even as CEO, he doesn’t have access to user-specific information. This restricted access operates on a strict need-to-know basis, with only employees whose job functions require data access being granted permission — a data provisioning practice increasingly adopted by security-conscious organizations worldwide.
Anonymized data: When data must be collected for essential functions, Muslim Pro ensures it can’t be traced back to specific individuals. “All data was anonymized. We never said, ‘OK, someone was in this particular location,’” Khundker emphasizes.
Comprehensive partner vetting: Muslim Pro has dramatically strengthened its approach to partnerships, particularly with third parties that might handle user data. “We do way more thorough due diligence on everyone before we start working with them,” Khundker notes. “After 2020, we won’t work with any partners that do not meet our security requirements.”
This process involves multiple assessment stages:
- Initial internal research into a company’s history and practices.
- Evaluation of potential partners’ core values and alignment with Muslim Pro’s mission.
- Review of their privacy and data policies.
- External due diligence when necessary.
For example, when Muslim Pro launched its Umrah travel services, for those seeking information on the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, the company maintained strict data protection protocols even when it slightly affected the user experience.
“For this Umrah services, we worked with a partner, and because we’re with a partner and we keep our data very safe and we do not share any individual data, a lot of this individual data had to be reinserted while the person was doing the booking,” Khundker explains. “This has to happen because we really don’t share any data with anyone.”
Ad network monitoring: As a “freemium” app supported partly by advertising, Muslim Pro takes extra precautions regarding the types of ads displayed to users. “Even the ads we show, we have a lot of filters,” Khundker notes. The company continuously monitors and manages advertising content to ensure it aligns with the app’s values and user expectations.
Commitment to transparency
Muslim Pro has made transparency a cornerstone of its stance on data privacy. Users can access detailed information about what data is collected, how it’s used, and with whom it might be shared. Muslim Pro works with the OneTrust global Consent Management Platform to ensure all its platforms comply with data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation in Europe. The app’s UI/UX is designed to provide clear explanations of why certain permissions are needed, allowing users to make informed decisions about sharing their information.
Building community while protecting privacy
As Muslim Pro continues to evolve beyond its initial prayer time functionality, it aims to create what Khundker describes as “the digital home for all things Muslim.” This expansion includes new community features.
“We are actually relaunching our community section; there will be different types of forums, and you can have a lot more interaction within our app,” Khundker says. “We’ve already built a community; it’s a global community. Now, they can actually come and interact with each other within the app.”
These community features are designed with privacy considerations integrated from the start, demonstrating how Muslim Pro is working to balance social connection with data protection.
Looking ahead: Trust as a foundation
For Muslim Pro, maintaining user trust remains paramount as it continues to develop new features and services. “We want to be an app you turn to for anything you need to practice Islam—or anything you need in your daily life,” Khundker emphasizes.
The company recognizes that this ambition can only be realized if users feel confident that their personal information is secure. By implementing strong data protection measures, maintaining transparency about data practices, and continuously refining its privacy practices, Muslim Pro aims to provide a safe digital space for Muslims worldwide.
As technology advances and privacy regulations evolve, Muslim Pro remains committed to adapting its practices to ensure user data is protected while delivering on its mission to make practicing Islam in the modern world more accessible and meaningful.
For users concerned about digital privacy, Muslim Pro offers reassurance that faith and technology can coexist without compromising personal information security — a balance increasingly important in today’s connected world.
