Ink, scars and salvation

Without judgement: Tasawuf Underground serves those who have been pushed to the margins: street punks and young men from broken homes who live on the streets out of necessity, not choice. — Photos: Arlina Arshad/The Straits Times/ANN

THE black-and-green ink that runs down the side of Ahmad Rezki Fauzi’s face draws stares wherever he goes.

Thick and deliberate, it is impossible to ignore. The tattoo is not simply decoration. It is a shield. Beneath it lie the scars of an acid attack that nearly destroyed him. A decade ago, while he was asleep, someone poured corrosive liquid over his face.