Prime Minister agrees to new reference for extremist group
Prime Minister David Cameron has told the House of Commons that he will only refer to the extremist group, known as Islamic State (IS), ISIS or ISIL, as Daesh from now on.
Speaking on Wednesday, the Tory leader said he had received “strong representations” from MP Rehman Chishti, amongst others, as to why the name change should occur.
Daesh, which is an acronym of ‘al Dawlah al-Islameyah fi Iraq wal-Sham’ or in English, ‘Islamic State in Iraq and Syria’, has some negative connotations yet experts believe this influence has been overplayed.
It is one Arabic letter away from reading ‘Daas’, which means to crush underfoot, and Daesh is also considered a somewhat ‘nonsense’ word.
Mr Cameron said: “I feel it is time to join our key ally France, the Arab League and other members of the international community in using, as frequently as possible, the terminology Daesh rather than ISIL.
“Because frankly this evil death cult is neither a true representation of Islam nor is it a state.”
Mr Chishti added: “I am delighted that the government will now be joining our key international allies in using the term Daesh to defeat this evil organisation’s propaganda, appeal and self-proclaimed legitimacy.
“The prime minister has listened to the strength of feeling across Parliament, with this campaign being supported by 170 MPs from across the political spectrum.
“This barbaric terrorist group is not Islamic nor is it a state and Daesh is a better term for it. I hope that media organisations will now follow the government’s lead and also adopt the term.”
