ISIL or ISIS? Take your pick

Q: On Sunday night, I watched the president’s address from the Oval Office. As always he referred to the terrorist organization in the Middle East as “ISIL.” At the bottom of the TV screen a CBS-generated caption appeared that used “ISIS” rather than “ISIL.” What’s the difference between the two and why can’t the commander in chief and the rest of the nation get on the same page on this?

A: With the continuing bitter turmoil we see in Washington, I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising that one simple letter could cause yet another major political rift. That’s what’s happening here, many pundits say, and here’s why:

Both come from different English translations of the same Arabic name. ISIS is the acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. ISIL stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a centuries-old term that, depending on one’s definition, includes not only Syria but also Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and other areas.

Conservative media, such as Fox News and The Fiscal Times, accuse President Obama of favoring ISIL because it takes the focus off what they would describe as his failed policy in dealing with the turmoil in Syria, one of the two countries prominently mentioned in ISIS.

“Most likely, he would rather eliminate the connection between the chaos in Iraq with his inaction in Syria,” Liz Peek wrote in The Fiscal Times. “Better that the upheaval in a country to which we committed so much blood and treasure remain the fault of George W. Bush.”

Obama’s defenders, however, argue that ISIL is a more accurate term for two reasons: First, many language experts say it is a closer translation to the Arabic name that the Islamic extremist group once gave itself. Second, by using the term that includes “the Levant,” Obama is acknowledging that the militants’ threat is not limited to Iraq and Syria but poses a danger to a much wider area.

As a result, many governmental agencies — including the U.S. State Department — as well as the United Nations favor ISIL as well. And it’s not just politicians caught up in the debate. News organizations also have wrestled with the issue. Back on June 14, 2014, the Associated Press decided on go with ISIL.

“We believe this is the most accurate translation of the group’s name and reflects its aspirations to rule over a broad swath of the Middle East,” John Daniszewski, AP vice president and senior managing editor for international news, said at that time.

This group has given itself more names over the years than the musician Prince. It apparently was founded in 1999 by Jordanian radical Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as The Organization of Monotheism and Jihad. Five years later, al-Zarqawi swore his allegiance to Osama bin Laden and changed the group’s name to The Organization of Jihad’s Base in Mesopotamia. (Others informally called it al-Qaeda in Iraq.)

More changes came in 2006. In January, it united with several other Iraqi insurgent groups to form the Mujahideen Shura Council. After Al-Zarqawi was killed in June, it merged with still more insurgent factions, and, on Oct. 13, announced the establishment of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI). The new leaders were Abu Abdullah al-Rahid al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri. When they were killed in April 2010, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi took over.

Then, on April 8, 2013, came the change at the heart of the current fuss. Having expanded into Syria, the group adopted the Arabic name ad-Dawlah al-Islamiyah fi-lraq wa al-Sham or the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham. While some simply translated al-Sham as “Syria,” many other wordsmiths argue that it refers to a region stretching from southern Turkey through Syria to Egypt, including Lebanon, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan.

This area has been known as “the Levant” since at least 1497, when the term is believed to have entered the English language. Originally it meant the East in general or Mediterranean lands east of Italy. It comes from the French “levant” for “rising,” which likely refers to the sun rising in the east or the point where the sun rises. In any case, many argue ISIL better fits the militant’s aims for wider conquest.

Others continue to disagree.

“It’s a bit odd that the administration is using ‘the Levant,’ given that it conjures up a colonial association from the early 20th century, when Britain and France drew their maps, carving up Mesopotamia guided by economic gain rather than tribal allegiances,” New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote in 2014. “Unless it’s a nostalgic nod to a time when puppets were more malleable and grateful to their imperial overlords.”

So, not surprisingly, this rift has been playing itself out for months on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. According to the Sunlight Foundation, 86 percent of all mentions of ISIS came from Republicans during floor speeches while 54 percent of ISIL mentions came from Democrats — and this was before the Dems agreed to use ISIL.

As if this weren’t confusing enough, some analysts say that DAIISH (or Da’ish or Daesh) may be an even better acronym for that long Arabic name, so I’m sure you’ve heard it thrown around from time to time, too. However, ISIL/ISIS says it will flog or cut out the tongue of anyone who uses Daesh because it is so similar to the Arab word “Dase” (“one who crushes something underfoot”) and Dahes (“one who sows discord”). Not surprisingly, more than 100 members of the British Parliament asked the BBC to use Daesh, perhaps just for spite.

After all this clamor, the entire issue has been rendered moot. On June 29, 2014, this group declared itself a worldwide caliphate with its caliph claiming religious, political and military authority over all Muslims worldwide. Although its claim is rejected by international governments and other Muslim leaders, it now calls itself simply ad-Dawlah al-Islamiyah — the Islamic State (IS). Two months later, the AP followed suit, but explained it is careful to keep the name in perspective:

“Our approach is to refer to them on first reference simply as ‘Islamic militants,’ ‘jihadi fighters,’ ‘the leading Islamic militant group fighting in Iraq (Syria), etc.,’” an AP spokesman told the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. “On second reference, something like ‘the group, which calls itself the Islamic State,’ with ‘group’ helping to make clear that it is not an internationally recognized state.”

Today’s trivia

Who reportedly said, “A good education is the next best thing to a pushy mother”?

Answer to Monday’s trivia: When Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts first envisioned a TV series about three beautiful private investigators, they called it “The Alley Cats,” in which the lovely ladies would reside in alleys and wear whips and chains. Actress Kate Jackson, who was given some control over the series’ development, quickly nixed that idea, so it eventually became “Charlie’s Angels.”

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 8:10 AM with the headline "ISIL or ISIS? Take your pick."