US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has stirred controversy again. The Donald Trump adviser recently posted photos on his social media account that shows off a tattoo that appears to read "kafir" or infidel in Arabic.

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Why is the tattoo controversial?

Hegseth posted a bunch of photos on his X account on Tuesday (Mar 25). In one photo, the Fox News host turned US defence secretary can be seen supporting a tattoo that says "Kafir", an Arabic term used within Islam to describe a 'non-believer'.

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In Islam, the term is specifically used to describe a person who does not believe in the existence of god or denies it. It is considered a huge insult.

As per the Guardian, the tattoo is not new, another photo from July 2024 also shows the tattoo. 

Hegseth's Islamophobia on display?

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Nerdeen Kiswani, a pro-Palestinian activist in New York, claimed that the tattoo was not merely a "personal choice" but a "clear symbol of Islamophobia from the man overseeing US wars".

US based Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in a statement said that the tattoo was "a sign of both anti-Muslim hostility and personal insecurity".

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"It appears Islam lives so rent-free in Pete Hegseth’s head that he feels the need to stamp himself with tattoos declaring his opposition to Islam alongside a tattoo declaring his affinity for the failed Crusaders, who committed genocidal acts of violence against Jews, Muslims and even fellow Christians centuries ago," said the organisation.

"Secretary Hegseth can tattoo himself with whatever he wants, but he should keep in mind that he leads the U.S. armed forces, which includes thousands of American Muslims, and that he is sworn to defend the American people, who include millions of American Muslims" it added.

Netizens slam Hegseth

Hegseth's tattoo has stirred fresh controversy as netizens slam him for getting a tattoo that may be considered offensive to muslims.

Slamming the US defence secretary one user posted a video showing heart-wrenching scenes from Palestine and wrote: "The Honorable Hegseth Secretary of Defense, you didn't need to write KAFER in a new tattoo on your arm, instead, just post a video of a Palestinian father carrying the head of his child which was separated from his body, and write 'This is what our bombs do'."

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Another called Pete Hegseth "the dumbest person in existence" for getting "Kafir" tattooed on his body. "Imagine claiming to be a Christian but then tattoos himself with 'Disbeliever' in Arabic...And no small minded ones, this strictly means disbeliever in god, has nothing to do with a specific religion."

This fresh controversy comes as Hegseth faced heat over his involvement in 'Signalgate,' a leaked chat that exposed operational details of US plans to bomb Yemen.

(With inputs from agencies)