Forensic Research Archive of Manipulation and Exploitation
Flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, white, 1997 Afghanistan sign or banner: A plain white field bearing the Islamic

Flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, white with the shahada (Afghanistan, 1997)

A plain white field bearing the Islamic profession of faith (the shahada) in black Arabic script. The tell is a sacred text used as the state's own emblem, which lends the creed's authority to the government and its flag.

Propaganda techniques used in this sign or banner

Transfer
Date
1997
Period
Contemporary
Made by
Taliban government (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan), Kandahar and Kabul; flag as set out in the September 1997 amendments to the flag law

Full record

Region, Country, Medium, Issuer type, Regime, Leader, Audience, Purpose, Theme, Source, Rights
Region
South Asia
Country
Afghanistan
Medium
Signs and banners
Issuer type
State
Regime
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Leader
Mohammed Omar
Audience
Mixed
Purpose
Mobilize or secure compliance
Theme
Religion
Source
Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
Source
Wikimedia Commons, retrieved October 11, 2026
Rights
Public domain (Commons PD tag: simple flag design with ancient script)
Flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, vector by Wikimedia Commons contributors, via Wikimedia Commons.

More propaganda examples that use the same techniques

Fragments of the Abydos king list from Ramesses II's temple, in the British Museum: rows of royal cartouchesNew Kingdom EgyptFragments of the Abydos king list from Ramesses II's temple, in the British Museum: rows of royal cartouches0000 · Card stacking, TransferClay cylinder with the Ehulhul inscription of Nabonidus, king of Babylon, describing work on three templesNeo Babylonian EmpireClay cylinder with the Ehulhul inscription of Nabonidus, king of Babylon, describing work on three temples0000 · TransferSeated limestone statue of Hatshepsut as king, with feminine royal titles on the throne, reassembled from fragments broken up at Deir el-BahriNew Kingdom EgyptSeated limestone statue of Hatshepsut as king, with feminine royal titles on the throne, reassembled from fragments broken up at Deir el-Bahri0000 · Transfer, TestimonialGlazed-brick panel with a striding lion, from Babylon (reign of Nebuchadnezzar II)Neo Babylonian EmpireGlazed-brick panel with a striding lion, from Babylon (reign of Nebuchadnezzar II)0000 · TransferLimestone relief block of Ramesses II wearing the White Crown, a jubilee relief from his temple at HerakleopolisNew Kingdom EgyptLimestone relief block of Ramesses II wearing the White Crown, a jubilee relief from his temple at Herakleopolis0000 · TransferLine drawing of the Great Kadesh battle relief on the walls of the Ramesseum, from Breasted's History of EgyptNew Kingdom EgyptLine drawing of the Great Kadesh battle relief on the walls of the Ramesseum, from Breasted's History of Egypt0000 · Card stacking, TransferContent noteGypsum alabaster slab inscribed in cuneiform, from Nimrud (Kalhu), reign of Ashurnasirpal IINeo Assyrian EmpireGypsum alabaster slab inscribed in cuneiform, from Nimrud (Kalhu), reign of Ashurnasirpal II0000 · Transfer, Glittering generalitiesEgyptian alabaster jar inscribed with the name of Xerxes the Great in four languages (Old Persian, Elamite, Babylonian, Egyptian), 486 to 466 BCEAchaemenid EmpireEgyptian alabaster jar inscribed with the name of Xerxes the Great in four languages (Old Persian, Elamite, Babylonian, Egyptian), 486 to 466 BCE0000 · Transfer