“DEUS VULT”: Pete Hegseth’s Problematic Tattoos & the Fetishization of The Crusades

Hegseth's official US gov portrait; image credit: Wikipedia

Pete Hegseth – the United States’ Secretary of Defense – a man in a key position of military power, sports a series of very concerning tattoos that are explicitly connected to the killing of Muslims. This is the equivalent of a neo-Nazi sporting swastika tattoos – if that neo-Nazi was elected to power and became Secretary of Defense for one of the world’s most powerful nations, routinely at war with Muslim countries.   

Three tattoos in particular stand out: (i) the Jerusalem Cross on his chest, (ii) the ‘Deus Vult’ tattoo on his right arm, and (iii) the ‘Kafir’ tattoo, in Arabic, beneath the Deus Vult tattoo. 

This brief paper explores the symbolism behind Hegseth’s tattoos and what they tell us about the man, while also trying to grapple with the fetishization of the Crusades and its legacy of violence amongst the far-right.

A Short History of Hegseth

A graduate from Princeton, Hegseth served in the US military, doing tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and serving at Guantanamo Bay. Later, he became a host on FOX News, where he co-hosted the FOX & Friends show, becoming a prominent voice of support for Donald Trump - launching himself into Trump's political orbit.

Hegseth on FOX & Friends interviewing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; credit Wikipedia

His military history would become central to his media persona, one which blended well with Donald Trump's 'strongman' authoritarian style. Hegseth would voice support for a range of Trump's policies and opinions - from the criticism and dismantling of DEI, particularly in the military, to Trump's policies on immigration and the Muslim ban. Hegseth also urged Trump to issue pardons for US soldiers accused of war crimes.

On the other hand, Trump showed support for Hegseth, praising and endorsing his book, American Crusade.

The Jerusalem Cross 

Hegseth's Jerusalem Cross on his chest

Emblazoned prominently on his chest, the Jerusalem Cross was the insignia of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Crusader state established in the Holy Land after the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem at the end of the First Crusade. (Side note: the Crusade known as the ‘People’s Crusade’, led by Peter the Hermit, was the actual first Crusade, departing many months prior to the grander and more formalized First Crusade – a story for another time).  

The Jerusalem Cross is a large cross with four smaller crosses in each corner. Accordingly, these smaller crosses bear a range of symbolic significance. From representing the wounds of Christ, inflicted upon him while he was crucified; to an icon of the First Crusades, carried on a standard by figures like Geoffrey de Bouillon (who would become the first “king” of Jerusalem) given to him by Pope Urban II (Grenier, 2025).  

Flags with the Jerusalem Cross; credit: Brittanica

Another interpretation is that it represented the emerging Crusader states within the area: the Principality of Antioch (in modern-day Syria), the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the County of Tripoli (in modern-day Lebanon), and the County of Edessa (stretched between modern-day Turkey and Syria) (Grenier, 2025).  

As crusading fervor waned over the years following Salah Ad Din’s recapture of Jerusalem, the symbol became used across Europe as a means of commemoration and remembrance. Furthermore, as pilgrimage to Jerusalem continued in the following centuries, many pilgrims would tattoo themselves with the Jerusalem Cross (Grenier, 2025).  

This shows us the range of interpretations linked to the symbol. What is certain however is that the Jerusalem Cross is very much a symbol of the Crusades and has become popular amongst Christian countries around the world (it is the flag of Georgia for instance). This does not mean that all who associate with it are doing so because of its legacy of violence. For some, it is purely a religous symbol. 

Georgian Flag; credit Brittanica

In isolation, the tattoo of the Jerusalem Cross can be read as the tattoo of a devout Christian. However, when considered alongside Hegseth’s history, from his time in the military, his role on FOX news, and even to the books that he’s authored – glaringly titled American Crusade – as well as Hegseth’s other tattoos, we have a clearer idea of the interpretation here: a direct signal to the Crusade’s legacy of violence; a fetishization of the violence of the Crusading era. 

The New Theology of Crusading

It is important to understand that this violence was a contentious issue within the church prior to the call for the First Crusade. The Crusades represent a distinct departure from Christian doctrine at the time, which preached peaceful resolutions to conflict, and did not condone murder in the name of Christ. Thus, the first Crusade became a very divisive subject amongst the clergy, who saw great difficulty in altering doctrine to condone religious murder. For years and even centuries after, there would exist dissension within the church over the nature of the crusades.  

Artist depiction of Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont, 1095. Credit: Wikipedia

Christian theology at the time reflected peace, forgiveness and nonviolence – the Crusading ideology sought to alter this, to recognize murder in the name of God as not only permissible, but spiritual and redemptive. The idea of penance was central to this new ideology as it promoted religious murder as a means of penance for sins; this is generally referred to as the Crusade Indulgence and was first formally granted by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1095. 

This is an important point as it flies in the face of the now commonplace understanding within the ideologies of Christian supremacy; wherein acts of violence to spread the faith – from the Crusades to colonialism – are inherently Christian. This is just not the case and was a product of Biblical reinterpretations promulgated for political reasons. This was an ideological transformation which many in the church challenged (we shall explore this in greater depth in articles committed solely to the Crusades).   

This controversy was further reignited when the order of the Templar Knights was formed. This extended the idea of murder in the name of Christ to now include an order of holy men, a monastic order, founded to commit murder in the name of Christ. It seemed absurd at the time, religious holy men ordained to commit holy murder. These contradictions were in some way resolved by ensuring the order committed themselves to vows of poverty and celibacy – yet, as history has shown us, the Knights Templar became the richest order in the land, with economic power sufficient to challenge Kings. Their economic capacity was so strong that they even founded the world’s first international banking system.   

Once again, the founding of the Knights Templar was connected to political need more than religious. After establishing the Crusader states (represented by the Jerusalem Cross) throughout the Middle East, it became necessary to establish an order of knights that would be permanently based in the Holy Lands as a means of maintaining control over the region. From their headquarters at the Al Aqsa Mosque (formerly Solomon’s Temple, from which their name comes); to their fortress in Gaza which enabled them to oversee critical routes between Egypt and Jerusalem.  

Fetishizing the Crusades

Cover of Hegseth's American Crusade. Credit Wikipedia

Hegseth, along with many on the far-right, delight in Crusader iconography. Hegseth sees himself as a modern-day Crusader or Templar Knight. Aside from these tattoos, he has repeatedly used the term Crusade to describe the state of America’s war against the Middle East.  

A simple glance at the books he’s written confirm this: in American Crusade: Our Fight to Stay Free (Hegseth, 2020), he spews out passages reflective of conspiracy theories like The Great Replacement Theory (nothing new as far as the far-right leadership goes), saying Islam is incompatible with the West, and that Muslims have resorted to an alternative form of warfare: demographic conquest achieved through immigration and higher birthrates.

He criticizes the UN and European nations for caving to Islamism – another common ideology amongst the right, given form and weight by Bat Yeor’s Eurabia. He uses the fact that "Muhammad" was the most popular name for newborn boys in the UK as a means of igniting fear of Muslims - as if Britain wasn't a country of pagan tribes subjugated by Rome through which Christianity spread. As if Britain did not invade and colonize the world - including neighbouring Ireland - a land of white Christians.

Writing for Media Matters, Erik Hananoki detailed Hegseth's previous incidents with Islamophobic conspiracies (2024):

• In a February 2016 segment about Hamtramck, Michigan, which has a Muslim majority, Hegseth pushed fears about the “assimilation” and “integration” of Muslims.

  
  

• In May 2017, Hegseth criticized then-Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges (D) for giving her State of the City address at a mosque. He stated: “This is the left doing everything they can to fall over themselves to fawn over a new community.”

• In May 2018, Hegseth said of France: “I hate to put it this way, but I think it's true. They've got a slow-motion 9/11 happening in their borders in France. ... Demography matters. Muslims are having 2.6 kids, whereas French-born folks are having 1.6 kids.”  

Importantly, he relies on this metaphor of crusading – firstly as a war between good and evil, where compromise is impossible. Secondly, as a historical precedent, framing the current political context in a way directly similar to the context of the crusades (or at least the context described in crusading propaganda) – wherein they are surrounded on all sides by the enemy and are required to take up arms. In this case, the enemy are the leftists, the globalists, the socialists, the secularists, and of course, the Muslims (Hegseth, 2020).  

To draw an alarming quote from the book’s first chapter, the current crusade is “not about literal swords... yet.” (Hegseth, 2020)  

"Deus Vult" 

The second of Hegseth’s tattoos, ‘Deus Vult’, is another crusader reference. Meaning “God Wills It”, it became a powerful rallying cry used to encourage the new crusading ideology, the product of Biblical reinterpretation and ideological adjustments necessary to alter the theology of the times from peace and forgiveness to killing infidels for the forgiveness of sins (‘infidel’ was a term used by Crusaders to describe Muslims and Jews - though popular media today portrays it as a term originating from Muslim lands and languages).  

Hegseth's 'Deus Vult' and 'Kafir' tattoos on his right arm

Deus Vult meme; credit imgflip

Thus, ‘Deus Vult’ was a way to confirm to the followers of the crusade that God had indeed willed this pilgrimage of religious murder. This helped dispel any cognitive dissonance or any discomfort at the contradictions.  

Deus Vult has become popular amongst the extremist right; it was written in the manifesto of the Christchurch Killer and is featured in many memes across the internet – from echo chambers like 4chan’s /pol board to mainstream social networks like Facebook. 

"Kafir" 

The last, and likely the darkest, of Hegseth’s tattoos, is the Arabic word ‘kafir’. Meaning “one who denies the truth”. It has become popular amongst military vets who served in the Middle East, Hegseth included, likely as a way of embracing American military intervention in the Middle East as a religious war and crusade, or even a symbol of defiance against Muslims.   

However, in Islamic eschatology, it is believed that the antichrist will bear the Arabic inscription ‘kafir’ across his forehead. The far-right has built up its own ideas and conspiracies about Islam by adapting and appropriating Islamic discourse in ways which match their narratives: from Bat Yeor’s Dhimmitude, to the notion that Muslims are allowed to lie through a practice known as Taqiyyah - lying in order to conceal one’s identity or religious beliefs in the face of persecution and execution – but it does not mean that Islam encourages lying, not at all, but this is how Taqiyyah is spun into an anti-Muslim belief. 

These narratives all have some knowledge about Islam and give credence to the fact that these military vets and Islamophobes are aware of the dark meaning the term has for Muslims – a portent of the antichrist. 

Regardless his reason for choosing this tattoo, as a key figure in power today – especially one overseeing wars in Muslim countries - sends a very dark signal to the Muslim world; one that taps into centuries of history and religious memory.

The popularity of these symbols among the military is even more alarming; masking itself with the veneer of brotherhood, as a symbol forged in combat between a unit of soldiers. One that as proud Christians, they use to announce their disbelief in Islam.

Instead, it is a deliberate provocation, a symbol of Muslim bloodshed used to knight fellow Muslim-bloodshedders. It is not a neutral term. From Afghanistan to Iraq and Palestine, it is a unified message of killing Muslims.  

Military vet with Kafir tattoo; credit theislamicworkplace

German soldier in Afghanistan; credit theislamicworkplace

Tattoo of a US veteran of the Iraq War; credit BPR

Israeli fighter jet; credit alamy

US military vehicle in Syria with kafir printed on the top; credit Middle East Eye

What Does it all Mean? 

Collectively, these symbols paint Hegseth as someone who sees violence against Muslims as not only a good thing, but a divine thing. Seeing himself as a Crusader fulfilling God’s work.

Cover of 2083, Anders Brevik's manifesto, featuring a Templar Cross

Once again, these symbols are not neutral. They are not simply expressions of a personality; these are political statements, representing the blurred line between “national defense interests” and a modern-day crusade. The prevalence of the ‘kafir’ slogan amongst the military and the popularity of crusader iconography amongst the far-right is something to be deathly afraid of.  

Anders Brevik, the Oslo Bomber and Camp Utoya Killer, called himself a Templar Knight; his 1500-page manifesto was drowned in crusading metaphors. He killed 77 innocents in a slaughter across Norway, from a bomb in the city centre of Oslo, to a massacre that same day at Camp Utoya.  

Brenton Tarrant, the Christchurch Killer, called himself a Knight Justicar – a rank amongst the Templars; and referred to Anders Brevik – whose massacre occurred several years prior – as his fellow Templar Knight. He killed 51 innocents praying at two different Mosques on a Friday afternoon in Christchurch, New Zealand. 

Yet, these terms (Crusade, Templars) have not become demonized, unlike terms like Jihad - which means ‘struggle’, in the same way that waking out of bed on a cold morning is a struggle. The term crusade on the other hand explicitly meant religious war; but over the centuries it has come to be used to mean more than that, while Jihad is seen as meaning religious war only.

Similarly, figures like Tarrant and Brevik are considered 'lone wolves' when they are quite clearly part of a community of Templar/Crusader/Muslim bloodshed-fetishists. Hegseth represents the extent of this ideology's power, reaching the upper echelons of power. A man decorated in symbols of Muslim murder, put in a position overseeing wars in Muslim lands.

Rehabilitate These Perspectives of Hate

While it sounds like a fantasy, what we need is healthy lines of dialogue between cultures to rehabilitate these perspectives which have centuries of history reinforcing them. However, the increasingly polarized state of the world makes this type of dialogue near impossible Moreso, the functions of sorting algorithms and the very nature of social media's drive for engagement creates a pattern where these polarities are further entrenched.

Hunayn Ibn Al Ishaq; credit Wikipedia

Maybe we must follow in the tradition of Early Christian theologians like Tertullian, who wrote his Apologeticums for the Roman magistrates to counter the propaganda vilifying Christians and justifying their persecution.

Maybe we too must create works with the intention of educating and clarifying against the myths of Islamophobia, entrenched in the Western consciousness from centuries of crusader propaganda, centuries of orientalist propaganda, and more. Legacies of lies and half-truths used to demonize "the other", mostly for political gain.

Or perhaps we need to step back, and focus on our histories of compatibility and collaboration, rather than our history of dissension and war.

The famous House of Wisdom (Dar-ul-Ulum) from Baghdad's Middle Ages, between the 9th and 13th centuries, saw learning flourish, and Muslim and Christian scholars unite in their shared passion for knowledge. Hunayn Ibn Ishaq is a famous Christian scholar from Baghdad's House of Wisdom who worked alongside Muslim scholars to translate manuscripts containing ancient Greek knowledge that had been lost to time - considered heresy by the church at the time. He was given the title, Sheikh Al Mutarjimin - meaning "Sheikh of the Translators".

Jesuit missions to both the Ottoman Empire and the Mughal Empire were astounded at the hospitality and openness of the leaders and scholars. Akbar the Great, Emperor of the Mughal Empire, invited many missionaries to preach in his territories, granted permission for citizens to practice Christianity, and even built Jesuit schools and congregations. He commissioned Father Jerome Xavier to translate the Life of Christ into Persian, which became known as Dastan-I-Masih.

We need to return to these days of understanding over ignorance, enlightenment over arrogance.

Written in the 1600s by Father Pierre Du Jarric, documenting the Jesuit missions to the Mughal Empire. The cover uses a famous painting of Akbar's 'ibadat khana', the Jesuit priests are dressed in black. Credit: exoticindiaart

References 

Beekun, R. (2013, November 14). The Crusader sub-culture in the US military

Grenier, D. (2025). Jerusalem cross. In Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved from Britannica’s article on the Jerusalem Cross 

Hananoki, E. (2024, November 12). Pete Hegseth’s book includes complaints about “Muslims’ birth rates,” praise for “crusaders who pushed back the Muslim hordes”. Media Matters for America. https://www.mediamatters.org/pete-hegseth/pete-hegseths-book-includes-complaints-about-muslims-birth-rates-praise-crusaders-who

Jones, D. (2017). The Templars: The rise and spectacular fall of God's holy warriors. Viking Press. 

Hegseth, P. (2020). American crusade: Our fight to stay free. Center Street. 

Ye’or, B. (2002). Islam and dhimmitude: Where civilizations collide. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. 

Ye’or, B. (2005). Eurabia: The Euro-Arab axis. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press.