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British Muslims Propose New Name For ISIS: The ‘UnIslamic State’

ISIS in Beiji, Iraq. CREDIT: AP
ISIS in Beiji, Iraq. CREDIT: AP

An alliance of prominent British Muslims is urging United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron to stop calling the terrorist group currently ravaging the Middle East “the Islamic State,” saying that doing so gives the militants credibility they do not deserve.

The black-clad group known for beheading Westerners and enacting horrific atrocities upon the people of Iraq and Syria has gone by many names during the past few months. Political leaders and journalists often call them “ISIS” or “ISIL” in reference to older titles for the organization, such as “the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria” or “the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.” However, the group officially renamed itself “the Islamic State” in late August and declared that it had established a new caliphate for all of Islam, a title which some outlets have adopted and that the New York Times will reportedly begin using this Wednesday.

Yet ISIS’s claim to the “Islamic State” has been widely rejected by Muslims all over the world, with multiple groups condemning it as inaccurate and heretical. This international backlash reached the desk of Britain’s Prime Minister this past weekend, when a coalition of prominent imams and Muslim organizations in the United Kingdom sent a letter to David Cameron encouraging him to stop calling the group the “Islamic State” in his speeches and public appearances.

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“We do not believe the terror group responsible should be given the credence and standing they seek by styling themselves Islamic State,” the letter read, according to The Guardian. “It is neither Islamic, nor is it a state.”

The group’s language appeared to echo a recent speech by President Barack Obama, who declared in a speech last week that ISIS “is not ‘Islamic’” and “certainly not a state.” The letter then went on to suggest a new name for ISIS: “We propose that ‘UnIslamic State’ (UIS) could be an accurate and fair alternative name to describe this group and its agenda — and we will begin to call it that. We are sure that most British Muslims would agree that ‘UnIslamic State’ is a considerably more fitting label for this poisonous group — and hope that our fellow citizens will join us in that.”

The signers are part of a global chorus of Muslims who have vehemently condemned ISIS in recent weeks — including groups who want elected officials and the media to refer to the militant organization by a different name. The Egyptian school Dar al-Ifta, one of the most influential centers for Islamic studies, launched a global campaign earlier this year to encourage journalists to strike the word “Islamic” from ISIS’s title. Instead, they suggested the new name of “al-Qaeda Separatists in Iraq and Syria,” or QSIS, arguing the organization has “tarnished image of Islam across the globe.”

Non-Muslims are also rejecting ISIS’s religious claims. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), a Christian, said last week that the group is “not a true form of Islam,” and Cameron, for his part, said on Sunday that ISIS members “…are not Muslims, they are monsters.” And after a video was released this weekend allegedly depicting the beheading of British aid worker David Haines, the victim’s brother, Mike Haines, released a statement rejecting attempts to conflate ISIS’s actions with the whole of Islam.

“The Muslim faith is not to blame for ISIL [ISIS], nor is it the fault or people of Middle Eastern descent,” Haines said. “To my limited knowledge, Islam is about peace, it’s about love.”