Islamophobic antics of US defence secretary spark controversy

Senior functionary gets a tattoo that is viewed as offensive by most Muslims

THE WORLDVIEW

March 29, 2025

IT is common for governments to have one or two lesser-known functionaries who have a knack for offending rival politicians as well as the general public by stirring up controversies. However, the current US administration is unique in that it does not merely have a few less popular functionaries but several high-profile figures — including the president himself — who excel in this regard.

If President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Elon Musk were not enough to generate controversy, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has now joined his more prominent colleagues in making headlines. He has come under heavy criticism for sporting a tattoo on his arm, which many argue is ‘Islamophobic’.

Hegseth is facing a backlash over his new tattoo, which spells ‘kafir’ (infidel), according to various international media outlets.

The defence secretary posted pictures on his X account that were taken during a visit to a base in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. One of those images showed a fresh tattoo on his arm that reads ‘kafir’ — a term that, according to Turkish broadcaster TRT World, is the Arabic word for infidel or disbeliever.

Activists and experts have contended that the tattoo is an Islamophobic symbol, particularly concerning given that Hegseth oversees the US military. “Hegseth just got a kafir tattoo under his Deus Vult tattoo — a Crusader slogan. This is not just a personal choice; it is a clear symbol of Islamophobia from the man overseeing US wars,” Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani stated on X.

“Kafir has been weaponised by far-right Islamophobes to mock and vilify Muslims,” she added. “It is not about his personal beliefs; it is about how these beliefs translate into policy — how they shape military decisions, surveillance programmes, and foreign interventions targeting Muslim countries.”

Writer Tam Hussain described the tattoo as “not a good look” for Hegseth, particularly given that the term is used in the Holy Quran to refer to someone who rejects God. “To the Muslim world, the tattoo will be seen as an open declaration of Hegseth’s enmity towards them, which will be confirmed by the bombing of a hospital in Yemen,” Hussain said on X.

In a statement, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned the new tattoo, describing it as “a sign of both anti-Muslim hostility and personal insecurity”.

“Tattooing the Arabic word ‘kafir’ — which essentially refers to a person who knowingly conceals or denies fundamental, divine truths — on his body is a sign of both anti-Muslim hostility and personal insecurity,” CAIR’s national executive director, Nihad Awad, said in the statement, according to the ‘USA Today’.