Decoding Daesh: Why is the new name for ISIS so hard to understand?
'Da'ish' becomes 'Ja'hish' - "The state of donkeys in Iraq and Syria". By Alice Guthrie on 19/2/15
Arabic translator Alice Guthrie investigates 'Daesh', the new name for ISIS recently adopted by several world leaders because it delegitimises the group's activities. But how can a new name undermine a terrorist organisation? And why do the English-speaking media find the name so difficult to understand?
Over the last few months, there has been a concerted effort by several senior global politicians to give a new name to the group known as ISIS, or Islamic State, IS or ISIL.