Call the Islamic State ‘Daesh’, Help Delegitimate the Terrorists
November 27, 2015
“The state of donkeys in Iraq and Syria”
Did you know that the term for ISIS or the Islamic State preferred by many of its Arabic-speaking victims is “Daesh” (pronounced “die-EESH”)? The reasons for this are complex, as explored at length by Alice Guthrie at Free Word, but the short version is that thanks to various connotations and cultural context in the Arabic-speaking world, calling the terrorist group “Daesh” delegitimates them by making them sound “little, silly, and powerless,” but also “implies they are monsters, and that they are made-up.”
See also shorter discussions of this from the New York Daily News and the blog pietervanostaeyen.
That’s why the name Daesh has already been widely adopted by the Arabic media, according to Mrs. Guthrie, and more recently has been catching on even among squishy American idiots like John Kerry.
Sounds good to me.
Enjoyment and Contemplation 
November 27, 2015 at 12:54 AM
[…] Speaking of helping delegitimize the terrorists, did you know that our Muslim allies and non-allies alike, as well as Israelis, are making fun of Daesh (ISIS) through sketch comedy and songs? Check out these, from Kurds on TV in Iraq, Palestinians, and Israelis (warning, some rude content): […]
November 27, 2015 at 12:10 PM
I’m sure the Democrats only use it because it sounds Arabic; if they ever cotton to what it means, they’ll surely stop using it. ;)
November 27, 2015 at 3:49 PM
Right! When I first heard that John Kerry was calling ISIS by some Arabic name, I naturally assumed it was part of what John Derbyshire calls the “Onomastic Cringe”, but apparently not!
http://johnderbyshire.com/Opinions/Culture/ethnonymy.html
(Or, I suppose, as you suggest, the Democrats could still be intending to cringe, and using the right name for the wrong reasons…)
November 28, 2015 at 11:23 AM
That is my suspicion.
And why I say if they realized it was poking fun at the terrorist organization, they would stop immediately, is because they wouldn’t want to ‘offend’ them.
November 28, 2015 at 9:46 PM
You make a strong point. After all, if we offend the terrorists, then it’s understandable that they may take drastic measures, and really, isn’t our subsequent murder our own fault?
November 28, 2015 at 9:58 PM
Exactly; progs are gutless, except when blaming their own…
April 19, 2016 at 8:35 PM
[…] is beautiful. Daesh/ISIS thugs destroyed another priceless ancient monument; so London has erected a new […]
November 8, 2016 at 6:45 AM
[…] and a half. This is why he’s supposedly the only one who can build the wall, or destroy the Islamic State/Daesh: he can do all things through the unusual force of his indomitable will. If you couldn’t […]