Da’ish not ISIS

Da’ish not ISIS

            When the Arab world leaders refer to this terrorist group as Da’ish what right do we in the West have to correct these men and women. They refer to Da’ish because to recognize it as ISIS is to give credence to the group as a legitimate Islamic State, which we recognize is not so. The other evening on BBC America the presenter Katty Kay had the audacity to correct her guest, an Iraqi minister whose purpose was to discuss Da’ish. In so doing, he referred to them as Da’ish, and the presenter immediately corrected him, saying “you mean ISIS.” From that point on, placed in the uncomfortable position of naming the group ISIS, he continued his interview. But obvious to every listener, he did not like the necessity of referring to the group with that acronym.

            When the Foreign Minister for the United Arab Emirates stood in front of the UN Security Council and specifically stated that the group is not ISIS and Muslim nations refused to give the terrorists any credence. He also pleaded with the world nations to do the same, but in our stubbornness to hang on to our own vocabulary, still refuse to do so. We send money and arms and make treaties with the Muslim countries attacking Da’ish, but we cannot bring ourselves to accept their superior understanding of the language and how it affects this terrorist group.

Calling them ISIS gives them an acknowledged Islamic identity, which other Arab nations cannot do. Da’ish on the other hand is an Arabic abbreviation which denigrates the terrorists to what they really are, illegal and illegitimate terrorists. In the past several months I have only heard two American foreign service individuals refer to them as Da’ish. In the UK and some American politicians still cling to the acronym ISIL, which is another Western made up acronym.

One way to defeat this group, outside of military intervention, is to unrecognized them, do not credit them as Muslims. I just returned from Egypt, and Egyptians, when asked, from taxi drivers to shopkeepers, and others, detest ISIS and its terrorist activities. Ordinary people revile the idea that these people kill in the name of their religion, bringing Islam down with them. Whether liberal or conservative, the majority of Muslims do not want to be associated with this group or other terrorist activities which use the name of their faith to kill, maim, and destroy. Let the West and in particular the media make the change and likewise refuse to give this group any recognition except what they detest, not ISIS, but Da’ish.