British Prime Minister David Cameron and the U.K. Parliament will join other world leaders in using the term Daesh instead of Islamic State when referring to the terrorist organization.
Daesh is one of many terms used to refer to the Sunni militant group known as the Islamic State that also goes by IS, ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), ISIL (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant).
Cameron told lawmakers in the House of Commons that he was making the change “because frankly this evil death cult is neither a true representation of Islam nor is it a state.”
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The term Daesh, an acronym for the Arabic name of the Islamic State: Al-Dawla al-Islamiya fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham, can be a pejorative term translated to mean “a bigot who imposes his view on others” or “to trample down and crush,” according to The Boston Globe.
The Associated Press reported that the name Daesh was so hated by the Islamic State group those who used it in ISIS controlled territory could have their tongues cut out.
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Cameron – who joins French President Francois Hollande and U.S. President Barack Obama in using Daesh – began an all-day debate Wednesday about whether Britain should extend airstrikes against IS targets from Iraq into Syria.
On Tuesday, Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion spoke with NATO allies about Canada’s decision to withdraw its fighter jets U.S.-led bombing campaign. Dion said Canada will be more effective in a training role, as the country has participated in just over two per cent of the total 8,289 coalition raids.
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