A rose by any other name is still a rose, but is the same
true of the terror world’s latest scourge, ISIS? Or ISIL? Or ISI? Or IS? Or
DAESH? What’s in a name?
The winning appellation thus far has been ISIS, an acronym
for the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (which is popularly understood by
Americans to be Syria). Its predecessor, which called itself ISI (Islamic State
of Iraq) grew from an offshoot of al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia, the Mujahedeen in
Iraq, and a fun bunch of guys called Soldiers of the Prophet’s Companions.
By 2010, Jabhat Al-Nusra, a large Syrian opposition militia
group, collapsed into ISI and the “S” was added for al-Sham. For Westerners,
the last “S” in ISIS stands for Syria just fine with our usage and
understanding. The more austere and stately IS stands for Islamic State, and while it sounds like the place
where the B-student terrorists go to college, it is as acceptable in usage as
ISIS, but for eyeball-grabbin’ newsertainment, ISIS has been the popular
expression.
So why does President Obama insist on using ISIL in his addresses?
ISIL is an acronym for Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. The Levant refers
to all of the countries that border the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea,
which would additionally include Lebanon, Palestine, Israel and Jordan, and in
the administration’s view, more accurately reflects the ambitions of
Al-Baghdadi’s militia, as well as the nations that are most immediately vulnerable to its threat. Some component of the pundit class sees the president’s use
of ISIL as unnecessarily obtuse.
Your final option is DAESH, which I understand is a real
stinker as far as DAESH members are concerned. Secretary of State John Kerry
prefers calling it DAESH, as it carries with it a very nasty dig. It
too is an acronym, but for an Arabic phrase that is pronounced “al-Dawla
al-Islamiya fi Iraq wa ash-Sham.” The actual meaning of the words are, “The Islamic
State of Iraq and al-Sham,” which is fine on paper, but when spoken, apparently DAESH sounds
like the words that mean “the sowers of discord (Dahes),” or "one who
crushes underfoot (Daes).”
A sower of discord can include a thief, an adulterer, or
worst of all, an apostate, and apparently it drives these indiscriminate murderers wild with hatred and
rage, but hey, what doesn’t? A DAESH spokesperson communicated through the AP
in 2014 that they would, "cut the tongue of anyone who publicly used the
acronym DAESH.”
So take your pick. Go full John Kerry-style and give a
Wahaabist mullah the finger by using DAESH, or follow the president’s lead
and use the conspicuously contrarian ISIL. Perhaps you’d prefer to keep it
short and sweet with IS, or stick with the popularly preferred ISIS. A rose by
any other name is still a rose, and it is likewise so with deluded zealot
assassins, so in my opinion, it matters not a fig.
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| As long as we are naming things properly, this is the real Isis. |
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