Military Review English Edition March-April 2016 | Page 19

DAESH

T

his article examines the religious words and
ideas the terrorist group Daesh, sometimes
called Islamic State, uses to attract recruits.
These words and ideas—from the name of its organization, its leader, and its online propaganda magazine,
to key figures and ideas of Islam, including the prophet Mohammad, the end-of-days prophecy, and the
caliphate—are components of the domain of deen, an
Arabic word that means faith or religion.1 We must understand the complexity of the domain of deen, where
Daesh operates, before we can “degrade and ultimately
defeat” it.2 This article will demonstrate that words are
the weapons of Daesh, and it will show how words can
help defeat it.

currently do.5 Why then, would we in the United States
continue to call the enemy ISIS or ISIL, with our own
choice of words giving legitimacy to a terrorist group
we seek to destroy? Perhaps it is because we do not
understand how much words matter to Daesh.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Quraishi,
Leader of Daesh
Verily the chiefest among you all for love and devotion
to me is Abu Bekr. If I were to choose a bosom friend it
would be he.6
—Mohammad

The Daesh leader uses the name Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Quraishi for its religious significance. While
not his real name, it conveys themes that resonate
with his followers. Abu Bakr, “father of the virgin” in
Militants threatened to cut the tongue of anyone who public- Arabic, was the name of the prophet Mohammad’s best
ly used the acronym Daesh, instead of referring to the group
friend.7 This friend was the father of Aishah, the only
by its full name, saying it shows defiance and disrespect.3
virgin bride of Mohammad. When Mohammad died,
—Associated Press news story Abu Bakr (sometimes spelled Bekr) became the first
successor, or caliph. The Daesh leader’s middle name,
What we call the enemy is important. The fact that
al-Baghdadi, refers to someone from Baghdad, and
we and our friends and allies have yet to definitively
his last name, al-Quraishi, refers to someone from the
agree on a name for this enemy speaks volumes about
Quraish family.
our lack of understanding. We use acronyms interThe Daesh leader wants to associate himself in the
changeably, such as ISIS for Islamic State of Iraq and
minds of his followers with the first caliph of Islam.
Syria, or ISIL for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
He wants to recapture the fervor and spirit of the first
Using those names and their acronyms,
“rightly guided caliph,” and, supposedly,
however, gives these terrorists the
to put the Islamic community, or umreligious and political veneer they
mah, back on the straight path of early
seek. Those names acknowledge that
Islam. The Daesh leader is the father
the group is Islamic, and that it is a
of a young daughter and can use the
state. Neither premise, however, is
name Abu Bakr in a literal sense.
legitimate. Therefore, this article uses
In fact, his middle name is used to
the name Daesh, which is based on
mislead, as he is not from Baghdad.
the Arabic acronym for the Islamic
He hails from the town of Samarra,
State in Iraq and Syria. Daesh sounds
revered by the Shia because it consimilar to an Arabic word that means
tains the tombs of the tenth and elevto bruise or crush; the group’s leaders
(Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
enth imams. Samarra is thought to be
The calligraphic representation of
consider the word insulting. This artithe birthplace of the Mahdi, a relithe first Rashidun caliph, Abu Bakr,
cle uses it with the intent to strip away
gious figure that Muslims believe will
which is prominent in the Hagia
any religious or political legitimacy that Sofia museum in Istanbul, Turkey.
appear at the end of days.8 The Daesh
other acronyms suggest.4
leader uses the name al-Baghdadi
Our friends and allies are encouraging others to use
because, according to former Daesh member Abu
the name Daesh, just as the Arab League and France
Omar, he wants to “revive the glory of the Abbasid

Which Is It: Islamic State, ISIS, ISIL,
or Daesh?

MILITARY REVIEW  March-April 2016

17