What is the difference between ISIS, ISIL and DAESH?

The terrorists are known variously as ISIS, ISIL, the Islamic State and Daesh — so what’s the difference?

(IBTimes)- Islamic State: This is the English version of what the terror group calls itself. It also claims to be a caliphate, which is a state ruled by a caliph, which is Arabic for “successor,” meaning successor to the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. The last generally acknowledged Muslim caliphate was the Ottoman Empire, which ended in 1923. Many governments and media refuse to use this name because it gives the group legitimacy as a state and a representative of Islam.

ISIS: The militant group, which began as the Iraqi branch of al Qaeda during the U.S. occupation, gained this name after it invaded Syria in 2013. ISIS is short for “Islamic State in Iraq and Syria,” or “Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham,” which is an old Arabic term for the area.

ISIL: ISIL translates to “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.” The Levant is a geographical term that refers to the eastern shore of the Mediterranean — Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel and Jordan. It’s the term the U.S. government uses since the “Levant” is apparently a better translation for al-Sham, the Arabic name for the region.

Daesh: This is a term the militant group hates. French President François Hollande has used it since the attacks Friday, and first used it in September 2014. It’s an Arabic acronym for “al-Dawla al-Islamiya fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham.” It can sometimes be spelled DAIISH, Da’esh or Daech, a popular French version. The hacktivist group Anonymous and President Barack Obama have used the term since the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris. (Read More)

What Does Daesh mean?

(NBC)- According to Arabic translator Alice Guthrie, “D.A.E.SH is a transliteration of the Arabic acronym formed of the same words that make up I.S.I.S in English: ‘Islamic State in Iraq and Syria’, or ‘al-dowla al-islaamiyya fii-il-i’raaq wa-ash-shaam’.”

It is a term that most Arab states and many European governments use to refer to the Islamic State or ISIS. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry often uses the term, too.

Depending on how it is conjugated in Arabic, the word can mean “to trample down and crush.” But it can also mean “a bigot.” ISIS has reportedly threatened to cut out the tongues of anyone it hears using the term.

“It’s a derogatory term and not someting people should use even if you dislike them,” said Evan Kohlmann, a national security analyst at Flashpoint and a contributor to NBC News. “It would be like referring to Germans as ‘Huns.'”

Kohlmann said government officials choose the term to avoid using other, more common, names for the group because of the loaded words in those popular references. Using “Islamic” and “State” together offers legitimacy to the group, some believe, and referring to it as ISIS — short for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria — brings Syria into play.

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