Q: I heard that ISIS hates the word “Daesh.”Ī: They despise it, to the point of threatening to cut out the tongues of those who use it. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria’s flag incorporates the shahada and the seal of Muhammad in its design. That may be because it is commonly used by his counterparts overseas, say analysts. Secretary of State John Kerry has been using “Daesh” for a while. Though President Obama still uses the term ISIL, people noticed that he chose “Daesh” when he denounced the group on Monday after the Paris massacres. Q: But “Daesh”? How do you get “Daesh”?Ī: “Daesh” is simply the acronym for the name in Arabic, and it’s used by some Arabic speakers, the French government and others. government does, recognizes the group’s desire to control a region beyond the borders of Syria and Iraq. It includes Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories. Q: So the “L” in ISIL refers to the Levant, which is what? And why might this be a better translation than ISIS?Ī: The Levant encompasses a great swath of land, not just Syria, but the region east of the Mediterranean from Egypt all the way to Turkey. “It’s misusing the name of Islam in such an ugly way,” he said. Syeed of the Islamic Society of North America. And there is nothing Islamic about it, said Imam Sayyid M. But many call that wrongheaded or offensive or both. You could also say the “Islamic State,” the name the group now prefers. If you choose “Levant,” your acronym is ISIL. The first part of the original name - Dawlah islamiyah fi al-Iraq wa Bilaad al-Shaam - is straightforward: “Islamic State in Iraq.” But you’ve got some room for disagreement on “Sham,” which can be “Syria” or “Greater Syria” or “the Levant.” Go with “Syria” and the acronym becomes ISIS. But the Islamic State can be “ISIS,” “ISIL” and “Daesh.” Why so many names?Ī: Put the group’s Arabic name into the translation machine, and you get different renderings in English. What does each mean, and why would a person use one over another? Q: Al-Qaida is al-Qaida. 13) in Paris - in Europe is known by several names and acronyms. (RNS) The terrorist organization murdering people across the Middle East and now - with the massacres Friday (Nov. The ‘Splainer is an occasional feature in which RNS staff offers facts and background on a religion-related event, person or group in the news.
Source: Public domain image, via Wikipedia Fighters belonging to the Islamic State group in Anbar, Iraq.