As part of this strategy, the Indian Government has from now on decided to refer to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as Daesh. ISIS looks down upon the use of this acronym because it phonetically resembles Daes or Dahes. These two words in Arabic mean one who crushes something underfoot' and 'one who sows discord' or 'a bigot who imposes his view on others.’
“Islamic State is a misleading nomenclature which gives the impression that it has a valid status. They use ISIS to legitimize their claims of a borderless Islamic State comprising areas of Syria and Iraq. On the other hand, Daesh is considered derogatory and followers of Islam refrain from using the word. Hence, the move is aimed at reining in the traction of the terror outfit among gullible youth who fall prey to its propaganda”, said an official of India’s Ministry of Home Affairs.
A number of western countries have been using the word Daesh for some time already, and the leaders of the group have issued numerous messages threatening to cut the tongue of those who refer them by that name.
