Altered Flag With Arabic Inscription Removed From Wildberries

The Kazakh flag featuring the Islamic shahada was deemed a desecration under national law, which allows for punishment including imprisonment, Orda.kz reports.

The Wildberries online marketplace removed from sale a flag of Kazakhstan bearing Arabic inscriptions that brought about recent public backlash. The company’s press service confirmed the move.

The controversy began when a photo of four girls in niqabs holding a modified Kazakh flag circulated on social media. The flag, instead of the official national design, featured Arabic text resembling the shahada — the Islamic declaration of faith — along with a sabre.

Later, information surfaced that similar flags were available on Wildberries for nearly 5,000 tenge.

In response, Wildberries launched an internal review and removed the item from its platform.

Based on the results of the inspection, flags with Arabic inscriptions were removed from sale. Wildberries actively fights against any manifestations of unfair actions on the platform. All sellers confirm that their goods comply with the legislation of Kazakhstan, and we ensure that these conditions are observed,
 the company said in an official statement.

Sellers listing the flags received warnings about the severity of such violations. Wildberries emphasized that it responds quickly to customer feedback and official requests, and will continue to monitor compliance with Kazakhstan's legislation.

On March 27, 2025, reports surfaced that Atyrau police detained four young women who had posed for the photo with the altered flag. A criminal case was opened under the article concerning desecration of state symbols. Under Kazakh law, such offenses are punishable by a fine, community service, or imprisonment.

Original Author: Ruslan Loginov