Maksum Nur Fauzan

People are willing to do anything to return to the religious path, known as hijrah, in Islam. One way to improve one’s piety is the removal of bodily tattoos to attain hijrah perfection.

Some also remove tattoos to make it easier to secure a job, as quite a number of companies only recruit tattoo-free candidates.

Solo Medicare at the Indonesian Ulema Council’s Semanggi Mosque in Solo, Central Java, provides services for people who want to remove their tattoos.

On March 24, hundreds of applicants packed the mosque complex, prompting the committee to extend the tattoo removal service period. Registration opened a month in advance and people were still able to register on the day.

Before having their tattoos removed, clients were required to undergo testing for HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C as well as blood sugar checks to prevent disease transmission.

Tattoo removal is in fact nothing new and has been performed ever since tattooing first began. On this occasion, tattoos were removed using the laser technique, by which the ink pigments trapped in the skin’s dermis layer are destroyed. Some participants seemed relaxed during the tattoo erasure process, while others groaned in pain.