Did Pete Hegseth get a new tattoo that says 'Kafir'?

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing criticism for a new tattoo allegedly saying ‘Kafir’, an Arabic term for infidel. The new tattoo has been spotted in photos of him from his recent visit to Joint Base Pearl Harbour. Just below his Deus Vult tattoo on his right biceps, the new tattoo in question appears. Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani said this tattoo can’t be just a personal choice, it’s a clear symbol of Islamophobia.

Defense secretary Pete Hegseth, embroiled over the leak of US’ apparent war plan against the Houthis, has been snapped with reportedly a new tattoo on his right arm that says ‘Kafir’. Hegseth is not new to tattoos and neither to controversies because of them but the new one comes at a time when he is facing resignation calls from the Democrats for the embarrassing Signalgate that the Trump administration dismissed and played down.

But has Hegseth got a new tattoo at all?

The new tattoo has been spotted in photos of him from his recent visit to Joint Base Pearl Harbour. Just below his Deus Vult tattoo on his right biceps, the new tattoo in question appears. Social media posts claimed that the new tattoo translates to Kafir. There has been no confirmation about this.

‘Kafir’ means infidel in Arabic.

Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani said this tattoo can’t be just a personal choice. “Hegseth just got a kafir (uS) tattoo under his Deus Vult tattoo-a Crusader slogan. This isn’t just a personal choice; it’s a clear symbol of Islamophobia from the man overseeing US wars.”

“Kafir” has been weaponized by far-right Islamophobes to mock and vilify Muslims. It’s not about his personal beliefs. It’s about how these beliefs translate into policy—how they shape military decisions, surveillance programs, and foreign interventions targeting Muslim countries,” Kiswani wrote.

“The US just bombed Yemen. This is the real-world impact of officials who glorify imperialist violence. These tattoos aren’t harmless—they reflect the policies that continue to kill and oppress Muslims worldwide.

“This is the normalization of Islamophobia at the highest levels of power. What else is this supposed to mean besides U.S. foreign policy being a crusade against Muslims?”

A war veteran and a former Fox News host, Pete Hegseth is covered in tattoos. Among them, the most controversial one so far was the Jerusalem Cross on his chest, which he defended as a historic Christian symbol. On his right bicep there is ‘Deus Vult’ which means ‘God will it’.

Hegseth’s arm features a cross with a sword that references the New Testament verse Matthew 10:34, which reads “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

On his upper arm, he inked the Greek letters chi and to, standing for Christianity.

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