Prime Minister Tony Abbott has joined leaders and governments across the world in referring to the IS group as DAESH – a name which the death cult finds intolerable. This ‘rebranding’ is also expected to be taken up by Australian MPs and officials.
The relabelling is a result of Middle Eastern leaders requesting that the Western world no longer use the group’s other monikers, such as as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) or the simplified form of Islamic State (IS).
DAESH, or DA’ISH, is an acronym formed from the Arabic spelling of the terror group’s name – al-Dawla al-Islamiya fi Iraq wa al-Sham – and is a term which is considered derogatory by the organisation. According to the British ambassador to Iraq, Simon Collis: “Arabic speakers spit out the name DA’ISH with different mixtures of contempt, ridicule and hostility. DA’ISH is always negative.”
Mr Abbott first used the term in the Middle East around two weeks ago, after talks held with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. “DAESH hates being referred to by this term and what they [sic] do not like has an instinctive appeal to me,” Mr Abbott said. “I absolutely refuse to refer to it by the title that it claims for itself (Islamic State), because I think this is a perversion of religion and a travesty of governance.”
The Forum on Australia’s Islamic Relations approves of the Prime Minister’s use of the acronym.
“There is a perception that Islam is a problem and I think that it’s very important that we try and avoid associating Islam as a religion in general with these criminal acts or these terrorist acts,” said Kuranda Seyit, Director of the Forum. “It’s really important that we do change the way we refer to these organisations because it will help in alleviating some of the strains that the Muslim community are going through at the moment.”
International media reported last year that IS militants threatened to remove the tongue of anyone who publicly used the acronym DAESH when referring to the group.
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What’s in a name?
The decision to refer to IS as DAESH may seem trivial at first, but the rationale behind the rebranding is a blessing to all Muslims.
It is no secret that Muslims the world over have been copping the fallout as a result of the actions of a minority who claim Islam as the catalyst for their terrorist ways. This rebranding seeks to dissuade the Western world from associating Islam with terrorism. And while groups claiming to be associated with Islam have indeed been responsible for many terror attacks, it is simply ignorant to blame the religion of millions for the actions of a few.
The rebranding of IS is move which makes sense on many levels – it’s not fair that an entire religion is held responsible for extremists who claim to be acting on behalf of Islam – and it is sensible for Mr Abbott to take this stance. But does he really need to stir up an already volatile situation through statements such as “DAESH hates being referred to by this term and what they [sic] do not like has an instinctive appeal to me”?
Our country is already a target, and the latest video released by IS in the US this week sees Australia as a renewed priority for terrorist attacks. Mr Abbott egging these extremists on seems to me to be a foolhardy tactic and makes us a focus of potential threats down the line. Just as we may associate the actions of terrorists with the religion of which they claim to be connected, the terrorists can claim that we share the perceived incendiary opinions of our leader, putting us in harm’s way. It’s fine for the PM to make such inflammatory statements, but he has 24-hour security and rarely, if ever, will we see him attending the sporting events, or riding public transport, or visiting the cafés that have been, and could be, prime sites for terror attacks.
This exercise in relabelling IS as a separate entity from Islam may take the heat off Muslims, but Mr Abbott’s offhand comments put us squarely in the crosshairs of the rebellion of which we are trying to deprive of legitimacy.
What do you think? Do you feel that this rebranding is enough to change the minds of Australians from the opinion that Islam is responsible for terrorism? Do you feel that Mr Abbott could do with less posturing and be more concerned with the protection of his people?
