ISIL: What's In A Name

What’s in a name? Everything, especially when it comes to politics in the Middle East. Currently, a lot of chatter is taking place around the conspiracy table regarding our president’s use of the acronym ISIL. Many are concerned that he is sending a coded message to Israel and the terrorist group. President Obama routinely calls the terrorist group currently plaguing Iraq and parts of Syria, ISIL, the acronym for “The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant”, while the majority of American news agencies use ISIS or “Islamic State in Iraq and Syria”. By choosing ISIL President Obama seems to be legitimizing their scope of influence.

At the heart of the controversy is the word Levant, an old name given to a region that encompasses The Island of Cyprus, Israel, Jordon, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and part of southern Turkey. It seems to communicate the scope of influence that the Muslim terror super- group has. It would suggest that they have a legitimate claim over the whole of the Middle East, including Israel.

According to Wikipedia, the term Levant, appeared in English in 1497. Originally it meant the east in general or "Mediterranean lands east of Italy".It is borrowed from the French word levant meaning 'rising', referring to the rising of the sun in the east, or the point where the sun rises. The term became current in English in the 16th century, along with the first English merchant adventurers in the region; English ships appeared in the Mediterranean in the 1570s. The English Levant Company was founded in 1581 to trade with the Ottoman Empire, and in 1670 the French Compagnie du Levant was founded for the same purpose. At this time, the Far East was known as the "Upper Levant".

Setting the historical use of the name aside, the question on the table is, why does President Obama prefer the broader and less specific name ISIL? Clearly it is not just matter of preference. According tooFox-Nation, he specifically took the time to spell out the acronym and used the term 5 times is a June13 speech on the White House lawn, and 16 times in his commencement speech at West Point on June 19^th. It seems pretty clear that he is sending a message to someone. Who?

The name ISIS is what the murderous organization originally called them selves. At some point, they changed their name to ISIL, and now they insist on the all encompassing name of IS or Islamic State. The president's acceptance of the first name change ISIL, and his rejection of the third IS, is surprising. Why is he willing to legitimize a name change that claims all of the Middle East including allied countries like Israel, Syria, and Iraq but rejects a name that allows them to claim all of Islam? If he is going to use their name to draw a line in the desert sands, why did he accept ISIL? Why not keep them contained in Iraq and Syria? More importantly, why give them any legitimacy at all? Why not simply make up an appropriate politically accurate generic name?

Sadly I do not have a hotline to the president, so I am left to pure speculation.

The first thing I noticed is that Israel, Iraq and Syria don’t seem to care one way of the other. They have not made any public statements that would indicate offence or objection. It is worth noting that the Arab states and Israel use the acronym DAESH, the Arabic equivalent to ISIS.

The only folks who are crying foul are those folks who are sure President Obama hates Israel, but when you consider that the Levant includes other important allies besides Israel, all of whom have something to loose if ISIS manages to gain control over Iraq, this argument becomes invalid.

Another possible reason is that Obama does not like to be reminded of his failures in Iraq and Syria. There can be no question that the current state of the region is the result of him pulling American troops out to soon. Despite the warning of his predecessor GW Bush and his military advisers, Obama pulled American troops out before the region was ready; leaving a void that ISIS couldn’t wait to fill. Perhaps hearing the Name Syria and Iraq in the same acronym is simply to much for the presidents pride.

But if I had to guess, and I do, I suspect it is all about reminding those countries inside the Levant that they need to participate in the fight. We know that President Obama has been slow in coming up with a strategy. He insists that ground troops are not an option, a move that has been controversial to say the least. I suspect the folks within the Levant, including Israel, would love it if we handled this for them. By calling the terrorist group "ISIL" he is subtly reminding them of their demise if they don't participate. A codded message has indeed been sent to Israel and all the nations in the area. They are all at risk and they must participate in the fight. America will not get them out of this mess alone.

Sounds reasonable, however, if I'm right, those countries will have to set aside their mutual disdain for each other and work together for a common cause. President Obama is asking them all to do something they have never done and in truth, they may not be willing.With this in mind, The name ISIL takes on a strategic importance that may indeed pay off huge for President Obama

To be fair, we must acknowledge there are powers and pressures at work here that remain unseen. There can be no doubt the acronym ISIL gains President Obama some kind political dividend. To the suspicious and uninformed, it is all part of some dark Islamic plot aimed at taking over the world? But to those of us willing to look it over objectively; it is one the many ways President Obama is forced to dance with the Devil in order to appease his minions. In this matter, I am willing to trust him to do his Job and acknowledge that he knows things that I don’t. If calling this group ISIL aids in their demise by getting the nations of the Levant into the fight great! If it simply makes it easier for him to deal with his conscience, then who cares, whatever it takes to move forward? If it is part of some Islamic covert master plan, then rest assured, his evil deeds will find him out. In the mean time, come away from the conspiracy table, and pray for our president, pray for our country, and pray for our enemy. In this way we will honor the only name the matters, the Lord Jesus Christ.