Arabic Tattoos Documenting the Cultural Skin Behind the Ink

It's no secret that tattoos have become a commonly accepted and popular form of self-expression; people young and old wear sleeves of ink. or intimate little designs that peek out from the top of a waistband or the collar of a shirt. Over the past few years, however, a sub-genre of tattoos has emerged, making for elegant designs of ink on skin and compelling cross-cultural markers: Arabic tattoos. Although Islam prohibits tattooing, there has been a surge in recent years of non-Muslims getting Arabic tattoos. From names converted from Latin to Arabic script, to words such as "love" and "peace," the popularity of Arabic tattoos shows the extent of the impact that Arabic-speaking cultures have made on the world at large - from urban hipsters to bona fide celebrities (both Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have Arabic tattoos). Arabic Tattoos documents this trend with color photographs, stories behind the tattoos and essays that examine the cultural ramifications of non-Arabic speaking individuals wearing religiously and culturally rich scripts.Udelson, Jon is the author of 'Arabic Tattoos Documenting the Cultural Skin Behind the Ink', published 2007 under ISBN 9780977985081 and ISBN 0977985083.