H&M recalled an entire collection of socks after a pattern printed on them appeared to resemble the word "Allah" (God) written in Arabic, The Independent reported

The figure was allegedly "intended to be a Lego figurine holding a jackhammer, but turned upside down it resembled the ancient language."

Several shoppers who spotted it, reported the issue to H&M's customer service. 

The incident also sparked intense backlash on social media earlier this week, with many accusing the Swedish retail giant of cultural appropriation and others deeming the print "inappropriate and insulting" to Islam and other religions. 

It all started when images of the print-on went viral

While some people thought the whole thing was a coincidence

Others were having none of it

Many were left speechless

Some expressed their anger

The retail company has since issued an apology

Source: Facebook/hm

In an official statement on the matter, a spokesman for the retail company apologized over the latest controversy. 

“At H&M we always aim to offer products that we believe our customers will appreciate," the statement read

"The print on this sock represents a Lego figurine, any other meaning is entirely coincidental and we apologize if this motif has offended anyone," it added

Not this year's first H&M controversy

The latest controversy for H&M comes just a few weeks after the retail giant sparked outrage over using a black child to model a hoodie with the slogan “coolest monkey in the jungle” printed on it. 

The ad was deemed racist, offensive, and inappropriate, it also led many to call on a boycott of the company's products. 

At the time, H&M issued an apology over the incident and also recalled the hoodie line from all their stores.