Muslims with tattoo regrets flock to a free removal service during Ramadan

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Teguh Islean Septura groans in pain as each staccato rat-a-tat-tat of the laser fires an intense beam at the elaborate tattoos on his arm. But the former musician's determination to “repent” in the holy month of Ramadan is enough to keep him going.

The 30-year-old guitarist got his back, arms and legs tattooed to “look cool” when he was performing in a band. But these days Septura has a newfound zeal for Islam, including the conviction that Muslims should not alter the body that God gave them.

“As humans, sometimes we make mistakes. Now I want to improve myself by moving closer to God,” Seputra said, as a health worker aimed the white laser wand at Septura’s skin, blasting the red, green and black pigments with its penetrating light. “God gave me clean skin and I ruined it, that’s what I regret now."

Septura is among a growing number of people in Indonesia's capital who have signed up for free tattoo removal services offered by Amil Zakat National Agency, an Islamic charity organization, during Ramadan to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to “repent."

Launched in 2019, the tattoo removal program is now held every Ramadan, a month of fasting, increased worship, religious reflection and good deeds. Some 700 people have signed up for the services this year, and in total nearly 3,000 people have taken part.

“We want to pave the way for people who want to hijrah (to move closer to God), including those who want to remove their tattoos” said Mohammad Asep Wahyudi, a coordinator of the event. He added that many people cannot afford to remove their tattoos or know where and how they can do so safely.

Laser removal, which takes repeated treatment and may not be completely successful, could cost thousands of dollars for tattoos as extensive as Septura's.

Tattooing remains strongly associated with gangs and criminality in some Asian cultures. In addition to the religious prohibitions in Muslim-majority Indonesia, ideas about tattoos also reveal oppressive attitudes toward women, who if tattooed can be labeled as promiscuous or disreputable and not worth marrying.

Sri Indrayati, 52, said she tattooed the name of her first daughter on her hand shortly after she gave birth to her at the age of 22. She said she regretted it when her two grandchildren kept asking her to erase it because it looked like dirty, thick marker writing.

“When I take my grandson to school, (the children) whisper to each other: ‘look at that grandma, she has a tattoo!” she said.

Another woman, Evalia Zadora, got a tattoo of a large star on her back and the words "Hope, Love and Rock & Roll” on her upper chest as a teen to gain acceptance into a gang. She wants to remove them now to move closer to God and out of consideration for her family.

“Bad image (against people with tattoos) is not a big deal for me, but it affected my husband and son,” said Zadora, 36. “They are not comfortable with my tattoos and I respect their feelings, so I want to remove it.

Evalia Zadora leaves after having her tattoo removed during Ramadan in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

A Muslim displays his hand after having tattoos on his fingers removed in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

A Muslim takes the service of a free tattoo removal service offered by an Islamic charity organization during Ramadan to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to "repent," in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

A Muslim takes the service of a free tattoo removal service offered by an Islamic charity organization during Ramadan to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to "repent," in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

A Muslim takes the service of a free tattoo removal service offered by an Islamic charity organization during Ramadan to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to "repent," in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

A Muslim takes the service of a free tattoo removal service offered by an Islamic charity organization during Ramadan to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to "repent," in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Sri Indrayati, 52, left, recovers after removing the tattoo of the name of her first daughter that she got shortly after she gave birth to her at the age of 22, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

A woman take the service of a free tattoo removal service offered by an Islamic charity organization during Ramadan to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to "repent," in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Teguh Islean Septura has his tattoo removed during Ramadan in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

A Muslim has his tattoo removed through service provided by an Islamic charity organization during Ramadan to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to "repent." in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

A man has his blood pressure checked before having his tattoo removed in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

People wait to take the service for free tattoo removal offered by an Islamic charity organization during Ramadan to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to "repent," in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

People take the service of a free tattoo removal service offered by an Islamic charity organization during Ramadan to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to "repent," in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Sri Indrayati, 52, removes the tattoo of the name of her first daughter that she got shortly after she gave birth to her at the age of 22, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

ISTANBUL (AP) — Hundreds of supporters gathered in front of an Istanbul courthouse on Saturday, where detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu faced further questioning over allegations of corruption and terror links. His arrest this week intensified political tensions and sparked widespread protests across Turkey, with demonstrators rallying in multiple cities to voice their opposition.

Police questioned Imamoglu for around five hours on Saturday as part of an investigation into allegations of aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, the Cumhuriyet newspaper reported. A day earlier he was questioned for four hours over the corruption accusations. The mayor rejected all charges during both interrogations.

He was later transferred to a courthouse for questioning by prosecutors along with some 90 other people who were also detained with him.

The authorities barred access to the courthouse using barricades on local roads and closing nearby metro stations. Hundreds of police officers and over a dozen water cannon trucks were deployed. Still, hundreds gathered in front of the building shouting: “Rights, law, justice!”

Crowds also began to rally outside the city hall for a fourth night in a show of support to the mayor.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya posted on social media that 343 suspects had been detained in protests in major cities on Friday night, adding “There will be no tolerance for those who seek to violate societal order, threaten the people’s peace and security, and pursue chaos and provocation.” The cities listed included Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Antalya, Canakkale, Eskisehir, Konya and Edirne.

Imamoglu, who is a popular opposition figure and seen as a top challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was detained on Wednesday following a dawn raid on his residence over allegations of financial crimes and links to Kurdish militants. Dozens of other prominent figures, including two district mayors, were also detained.

Many view the arrest as a politically driven attempt to remove a popular opposition figure and key challenger to Erdogan in the next presidential race, currently scheduled for 2028. Government officials reject accusations that legal actions against opposition figures are politically motivated and insist that Turkey’s courts operate independently.

His arrest has ignited protests that have steadily increased in intensity.

On Friday, police in Istanbul used pepper spray, tear gas and rubber bullets to push back hundreds of protesters who tried to break through a barricade in front of the city’s historic aqueduct while hurling flares, stones and other objects at officers. Police also dispersed groups that had rallied outside of the city hall for a third night running, after the opposition Republican People’s Party leader, Ozgur Ozel, delivered a speech in support of the mayor.

Simultaneously, police broke up demonstrations in Ankara, the capital, as well as in the Aegean coastal city of Izmir, resorting to forceful measures at times, according to television images. Thousands marched in several other cities calling on the government to resign.

Earlier, Erdogan said the government would not tolerate street protests and accused the opposition party of links to corruption and terror organizations.

The Istanbul governor's office announced it was expanding a ban on demonstrations until March 26 and imposed restrictions on the entry and exit of vehicles deemed to be transporting people “likely to participate in unlawful activities.”

Erdogan on Saturday accused the CHP’s leadership of turning the party “into an apparatus to absolve a handful of municipal robbers who have become blinded by money.”

He also accused it of “doing everything to disturb the public peace, to polarize the nation.”

Imamoglu’s arrest came just days before he was expected to be nominated as the opposition Republican People’s Party’s presidential candidate in a primary on Sunday. Ozel has said that the primary, where around 1.5 million delegates can vote, will go ahead as planned.

The opposition party has also urged citizens to participate in a symbolic election on Sunday — through improvised ballot boxes to be set up across Turkey — to show solidarity with Imamoglu.

In a tweet posted shortly before his arrival at the courthouse, Imamoglu urged the public to safeguard the ballot boxes for Sunday’s primary, “Don’t forget: they are very afraid of you and your democratic right to vote.”

In an earlier message, Imamoglu described his arrest as a “coup" and accused the government of exploiting the judiciary and worsening the country’s troubled economy.

A Protester shouts slogan during a protest against the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, outside Caglayan courthouse, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Protesters shout slogans as they protest against the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, outside Caglayan courthouse, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Policemen stand guard next to a police bus carrying Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and other arrested to Caglayan courthouse, as protesters protest against their arrest, outside Caglayan courthouse, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Protesters shout slogans as they protest against the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, outside Caglayan courthouse, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Protesters shout slogans as they protest against the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Protesters shout slogans during clashes with anti riot police during a protest against the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Police officers use pepper spray during clashes with people as they protest against the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

A policeman uses an anti riot rifle to disperse people during a protest against the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

A man with the Turkish flag on his back stands in front of anti riot police officers during clashes in a rally against the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Protesters run during clashes with anti riot police while protesting against the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

A man holds a metal board during clashes with police during a protest against the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Protesters shout slogans during clashes with anti riot police during a protest against the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

People light flares as they protest against the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

A man, a Turkish flag draped on his back, stands in front of anti riot police officers during clashes in a rally against the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)