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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is being slammed for a recently spotted Arabic tattoo on his right bicep, which critics argue is Islamophobic.
Observers noticed the tattoo when Hegseth worked out alongside service members at a military base in Hawaii this week.
The design features the Arabic word kafir, a religious term for a non-believer or someone “who knowingly conceals or denies fundamental, divine truths,” according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which previously advocated against Hegseth’s nomination.
The advocacy group argued that the tattoo, located next to Hegseth’s tattoo of “Deus Vult,” a slogan once used by Christian crusaders and now sometimes associated with white supremacist groups, “is a sign of both anti-Muslim hostility and personal insecurity.”
“Leadership demands respect for all, not divisive gestures,” the group’s national executive director, Nihad Awad, wrote on X. “Mocking beliefs, especially as a public figure, is not strength—it’s immaturity. We deserve better.”
Pro-Palestine activist Nerdeen Kiswani took a similar tack, arguing the tattoo was “a clear symbol of Islamophobia from the man overseeing U.S. wars.”
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“It’s not about his personal beliefs,” she wrote on X. “It’s about how these beliefs translate into policy – how they shape military decisions, surveillance programs, and foreign interventions targeting Muslim countries.”
The Independent has contacted the Defense Department for comment.
Hegseth appears to have had the tattoo since at least 2024.
During his confirmation process, Hegseth faced criticism over the “Deus Vult” tattoo, which the administration has described as a benign “Christian motto.”
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Hegesth has previously dismissed the existence of extremism within the military, and slammed what his lawyer called “outlandish claims” in a New Yorker story that he drunkenly yelled “Kill all Muslims!” at a bar in 2015
Prior to Hegseth being nominated, the former national guardsmen was kept off duty at Joe Biden’s inauguration over concerns about his tattoos, some of which feature symbols that have been used by far-right groups.
