Religious perspectives on tattooing
Some religions have perspectives on tattooing.
Christianity
Some Christians take issue with tattooing, upholding the Hebrew prohibition. The Hebrew prohibition is based on interpreting Leviticus 19:28—"Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you"—so as to prohibit tattoos, and perhaps even makeup.Interpretations of the passage vary, however. Some believe that it refers specifically to, and exclusively prohibits, an ancient form of self-mutilation during mourning. Under this interpretation, tattooing is permitted to Jews and Christians.
Others hold that the prohibition of Leviticus 19:28, regardless of its interpretation, is not binding upon Christians—just as prohibitions like "nor shall there come upon you a garment of cloth made of two kinds of stuff" are not binding—because it is part of the Jewish ceremonial law, binding only upon the Jewish people.
Some Christian groups, such as the Knights of St. John of Malta, sported tattoos to show their allegiance. A decline often occurred in other cultures following European efforts to convert aboriginal and indigenous people to Western religious and cultural practices that held tribal tattooing to be a "pagan" or "heathen" activity. Within some traditional indigenous cultures, tattooing takes place within the context of a rite of passage between adolescence and adulthood.
Christian Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina started tattooing, especially of children, for perceived protection against forced conversion to Islam and enslavement during the Ottoman occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This form of tattooing continued long past its original motivation. Tattooing was performed during springtime or during special religious celebrations such as the Feast of St. Joseph, and consisted mostly of Christian crosses on hands, fingers, forearms, and below the neck and on the chest.
Orthodox Coptic Christians who live in Egypt commonly tattoo themselves with the symbols of Coptic crosses on their right wrists, the history of this custom is similar to that of the Christian Croat tattoos.
Among Mormons, getting a tattoo is not considered sinful, but it is discouraged as it is altering the creation of God.
Christianity-related tattoos are highly common among military veterans and born-again Christians.
Many Christians with tattoos will have a Psalm or verse from the Bible tattooed on their body although some people will still have tattoos from the Bible despite not being Christian. Popular verses include, Philippians 4:13, and Psalm 23.
Islam
Scholars who claim that tattooing is a sin support their view by pointing to hadiths such as one in Sahih al-Bukhari narrated by Abu Juhayfah that declares "The Prophet cursed the one who does tattoos and the one who has a tattoo done." These scholars generally do not hold the view that non-permanent tattoos such as henna are sinful; nor do they claim that converts to Islam who had tattoos prior to conversion need to get those tattoos removed. Turkish professor of religious studies Remzi Kuscular states that tattoos are sinful but that they do not violate a Muslim's wuḍūʾ. Canadian Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Kutty states that tattooing prohibitions exist in Islam to protect Muslims from HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and other diseases that can be transferred to people through tattoos.. There is no direct mention of "al-washm" or "tattooing" in the Qur'an.History
Göran Larsson, a Swedish professor in religious studies, states that there are "both historical and contemporary examples indicating that, at different times and in different places, was practiced by certain Islamic groups." Al-Tabari mentions in History of the Prophets and Kings that the hands of Asma bint Umais were tattooed. Muslims in Africa, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran and West Pakistan have used tattoos for beautification, prophylaxis, and the prevention of diseases.Edward William Lane described the tattooing customs of Egyptian Muslim women in his 1836 book, An Account of the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians. In a 1909 trip to Persia, Percy Sykes observed Shia Muslim women had "birds, owers, or gazelles tattooed, but occasionally verses from the Koran" and that victorious male wrestlers and gymnasts were honored with the tattooing of a lion on the arm. In a 1965 article published in the journal Man: A Record of Anthropological Science, author John Carswell documented that Sunni and Shia Muslims in Lebanon would get tattoos of the swords of Abu Bakr and Ali, respectively, to distinguish themselves from one another.
According to historians Shoshana-Rose Marzel and Guy Stiebel, face tattoos were common among Muslim women until the 1950s but have since fallen out of fashion. Traditional Tunisian tattoos include eagles, the sun, the moon, and stars. Tattoos were also used in the Ottoman Empire due to the influx of Algerian sailors in the 17th century. Bedouin and Kurdish women have a long tradition of tattooed bodies.
Margo DeMello, a cultural anthropologist and professor at Canisius College, notes that tattoos are still common in some parts of the Muslim world such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Morocco, Algeria, and Egypt. Underground tattoos have also been gaining popularity among Iranian youth. Some Turkish youth get tattoos as a form of resistance, fashion, or as part of a counterculture. Tattoos are also gaining popularity among young Muslims in the West.
Sunni Islam
The majority of Sunni Muslims believe tattooing is a sin, because it involves changing the natural creation of God, inflicting unnecessary pain in the process. Tattoos are classified as dirty things, which is prohibited from the Islam religion. They believe that a dirty body will directly lead to a dirty mind and will destroy their wudhu, ritual ablution. Some Shafi'i scholars such as Amjad Rasheed argue that tattooing causes impurity and that tattoos were prohibited by the Prophet Muhammad. They also claim that those who are decorated with tattoos are contaminated with najas, due to potential mixture of blood and coloured pigment that remains upon the surface of the skin. But, blood is viewed as being filthy so a person with a tattoo is not appropriate to practice the religion. However, in the present day, it is possible to get a tattoo without mixing dye with blood after it exits onto the outer surface of the body, leaving a possibility for a Muslim to wear a tattoo and perform a valid prayer. Scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi states that tattoos are sinful because they are an expression of vanity and they alter the physical creation of God. According to the online South African Deobandi fatwa service called Ask-the-Imam, Muslims should remove any tattoos they have if possible or cover them in some way. Even though Indonesia is the biggest Sunni Islam base in the world, there are hundreds of tattoo studios and shops that are currently operating. The majority of the customers are the younger generations who are involved in the punk community. Unlike the religious perspective, Islam’s lay population history, tattoo has been viewed as a source of healing and medicinal usage.Shia Islam
Ayatollahs Ali al-Sistani and Ali Khamenei believe there are no authoritative Islamic prohibitions on tattoos. The Quran does not mention tattoos or tattooing at all.Grand Ayatollah Sadiq Hussaini Shirazi ruled: "Tattoos are considered Makruh. However, it is not permissible to have Quranic verses, names of Ahlulbayt, drawings of Imams, Hadiths, unislamic and inappropriate images or the likes tattooed onto the body. And if the ink was the type that remains above the skin, then it would be considered prohibited. However, if it was of the type to go beneath the skin, it would be considered permissible but Makruh."
Punk Muslim
The Punk Muslim community is open about the concept of tattoos because they view it as an identity for punks. The gradual integration of tattoo in the community helped to comprehend the social norms in the Muslim population; tattoos brought a natural bond amounts the group. For example, the punk society has always been viewed as not meeting the standard norm of the Islamic religion. As a result, when someone sees another person with a tattoo, he or she will recognize that they are affiliated in the same group. Even though the practice of tattooing leads to formulating a personal identity, it mainly created a social identity in the community. The community feels indifferent about the negative perspectives that they receive and actually views it as a challenge from the norm society. Even though the Punk Muslim members are not accepted and welcomed in the general society, there are certain locations where tattoos will be a sign of confidence and pride. A popular setting where this is true are music performances and festivals. Furthermore, The Punk community does not neglect or hide their tattoos during religious practices as well. During simple religious acts such as praying and reading the Quran, they openly show the tattoos both in private or public spaces. As a result, Punk Muslim life style is not following the norm of the Islam practice, but taking a innovative route instead. They chose to express and practice their religion in different methods.Judaism
Tattoos are generally forbidden in Judaism based on the Torah : "You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves: I am the Lord." The prohibition is explained by contemporary rabbis as part of a general prohibition on body modification that does not serve a medical purpose. Maimonides, a leading 12th-century scholar of Jewish law and thought, explains that one of the reasons for the prohibition against tattoos is a Jewish response to paganism.Orthodox Jews, in application of Halakha, reveal Leviticus prohibits getting tattoos: "Do not make gashes in your skin for the dead. Do not make any marks on your skin. I am God." One reading of Leviticus is to apply it only to the specific ancient practice of rubbing the ashes of the dead into wounds; but modern tattooing is included in other religious interpretations. Orthodox/Traditional Jews also point to Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 180:1, that elucidates the biblical passage above as a prohibition against markings beyond the ancient practice, including tattoos. Maimonides concluded that regardless of intent, the act of tattooing is prohibited.
Conservative Jews point to the next verse of the Shulchan Aruch : "If it was done in the flesh of another, the one to whom it was done is blameless" - this is used by them to say that tattooing yourself is different from obtaining a tattoo, and that the latter may be acceptable. Orthodox Jews disagree, and read the text as referring to forced tattooing—as was done during the Holocaust—which is not considered a violation of Jewish Law on the part of the victim. In another vein, cutting into the skin to perform surgery and temporary tattooing used for surgical purposes are permitted in the Shulhan Arukh 180:3.
In most sectors of the religious Jewish community, having a tattoo does not prohibit participation, and one may be buried in a Jewish cemetery and participate fully in all synagogue ritual.
Reform Jews and Reconstructionist Jews forbid tattooing.
In modern times, the association of tattoos with Nazi concentration camps and the Holocaust has added another level of revulsion to the practice of tattooing, even among many otherwise fairly secular Jews. It is a common misconception that anyone bearing a tattoo is not permitted to be buried in a Jewish cemetery.