Jon Udelson
Reviewer: R.W. Hulme
The holy Islamic text, the Qu’ran, is explicit in forbidding any type of body modification, like piercings or tattoos. Yet in Arabic Tattoos, author Jon Udelson illustrates the increasing popularity of personal tattoos written in Kufic-style Arabic script.
Compiling the accounts of over 40 ‘inked’ individuals, Udelson presents the thought process that inspired each member of this varied demographic to mark themselves in beautiful Arabic script. Their stories are in turn fascinating, inspiring, puzzling and provocative, each one accompanied by a full-color photograph of their tattoo.
Jon Udelson uses these accounts to pose several significant questions, like how appropriate it is for Westerners to plunder the Arabic language and use the beautiful Kufic scripting for a purpose, he admits, is “inherently forbidden.”
“I don’t feel like a language can be owned or confined by one group,” admits Kayla, who chose to tattoo her shoulder with a beautiful Qabbani poem. Another American, Lindsay, initially encountered hostility when she attempted to get a tattoo in Arabic: “I was told I was unpatriotic for wanting to get an Arabic tattoo done in the first place.”
Many of those featured in this book experienced enmity regarding their tattoos, both from Westerners and Muslims. “An Arabic tattoo is recognized as a sign of sin in the Muslim world,” admits Sharif, “and a sign of terrorism here in US.”
However, for the majority of those interviewed, the choice of Kufic-scripting was made with the greatest respect and admiration for Islamic culture and language. “After spending time in the Middle East,” admits Kim, “I’m proud to wear a small part of their culture with me every day.” Tanya, who had herself tattooed to acknowledge the birth of her child, says: “Arabic calligraphy is beautiful, like my son.”
The most astonishing thing about Udelson’s collection of stories is just how much thought went into choosing Arabic as the language of each tattoo. He asks whether Westerners adopting the Arabic language, even for a purpose as blasphemous as a tattoo, is the sign of an emerging trend towards bridging the gap between Western and Islamic culture.
But although he asks many questions, Udelson leaves it up to the reader to decide the answers for themselves. He provides a fascinating peek into the mindset of people who want to display their tattoos for the whole world to see, yet shroud their meaning behind an ancient and largely unknown language.
Arabic Tattoos is a great coffee table book, perfect for picking up and dipping into. Each inked individual has a double-page spread dedicated to their story, so picking a page at random delivers a peek into the unique thought process behind these beautiful and mysterious tattoos.
The book itself is glossy and well-produced, although the quality of the photography varies enormously. Some of the tattoos are displayed through professional-quality photosets, while others seem to have been snapped on a home camera. That does highlight the difference between each person’s story, though, and helps give Arabic Tattoos a somewhat gritty, real feel to the accounts.
By blending global politics, Arabic culture and the alt lifestyle, Arabic Tattoos stands to interest a wide variety of readers: For anybody intrigued by the deeper meaning behind seemingly innocuous tattoos, this book proves to be utterly fascinating. ArabicTattoos
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