# Denver bookstore vandalized because it's called "ISIS" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 22, 2015, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318 "2015-11-22T23:38:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/21 "2015-11-23T04:44:13Z")
There’s a tremendously sexy porn actress named Isis Love. I wonder if she’s getting grief over her name. I used to live on a street called Isis Avenue. Some of my neighbors were from the Middle East. I’m pretty sure they weren’t terrorists, though. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/22 "2015-11-23T04:44:40Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > [ISIS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant), a very recently formed organisation Per your own Wiki link, they aren’t recently formed at all, but started in 1999. Except they were under a different name then: > [@Wiki](#): > > The group originated as Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad in 1999, which pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda in 2004. The group participated in the Iraqi insurgency that followed the March 2003 invasion of Iraq by Western forces. In January 2006, it joined other Sunni insurgent groups to form the Mujahideen Shura Council, which proclaimed the formation of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) in October 2006. (It goes on to describe the further name changes and corporate mergers) They should just pick a name and stick with it, IMO. Don’t they understand the importance of brand recognition? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/23 "2015-11-23T04:53:26Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > So that makes sense if they’ve had that name, but speaking in ‘easier said than done’/‘armchair quarterback’ mode, it might make sense to change their name. In this attack they’ve had a brick thrown through their window. They’ve had a few earlier unspecified instances. Fixing such damage is a nuisance, but probably far less expensive than changing all their stationary, business forms, ads, publicity, etc. From the news article: > [@](#): > > The store is also lobbying on its Facebook page to get the world to refer to the terrorist group by its Arab acronym: al-Dawla al-Islamiya fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham or Daesh. Not only is it an accurate name for the group, it’s similar to an Arabic word that means to crush under your foot. > > And frankly, ISIS hates the term. It’s threatened to cut out the tongue of anyone who utters it. > > The Pentagon started using Daesh last year. The French government is on the bandwagon. President Obama has used it, too, since last week’s attacks. > > “Do not legitimize them and their aspirations by calling them a STATE, as in the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, or the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, or just Islamic State,” the bookstore wrote on its Facebook post. “These names only support their delusions of power.” > > “We deliberately named ourselves ‘Isis’ to honor the goddess and to have the protection of that goddess,” said Charboneau-Harrison. “So, we’re not changing our name.” I think it would be far better to start using a different name for IS/ISIL/ISIS - especially one they hate - than for businesses that happen to share one of the names to change them. “Daesh” has a nice ring of evil to it as well. It rolls off the tongue with contempt very well. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/24 "2015-11-23T05:24:37Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I think it would be far better to start using a different name for IS/ISIL/ISIS - especially one they hate - than for businesses that happen to share one of the names to change them. > > “Daesh” has a nice ring of evil to it as well. It rolls off the tongue with contempt very well. I don’t even know how one is supposed to pronounce “Daesh”, as I’ve already heard 4 different pronunciations of it in news media. A: One syllable, same as the word “dash” B: One syllable, rhymes with “posh” C: Two syllables, “da-eesh” D: Two syllables, “da-esh” (basically a little more drawn out version of B) E: Other? ---
**Author:** ![yawuntz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@yawuntz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawuntz)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/25 "2015-11-23T05:58:58Z")
Next they’ll change their name to Walmart, or Washington - just to fuck with our heads. ---
**Author:** ![yawuntz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@yawuntz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawuntz)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/26 "2015-11-23T06:01:20Z")
“Our mission: to degrade and destroy Walmart.” ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/27 "2015-11-23T06:03:11Z")
[I feel like this is tangentially relevant](http://comeheretome.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/swastikalaundryvan2.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/28 "2015-11-23T06:51:49Z")
It’s time to stop dumbing down things that might confuse morons. They’ve become too bold and demanding. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/29 "2015-11-23T07:08:44Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Per your own Wiki link, they aren’t recently formed at all, but started in 1999. Except they were under a different name then: I think of 1999 as being recent. Certainly a lot more recent than ancient Egypt. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/30 "2015-11-23T08:08:58Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > [I feel like this is tangentially relevant](http://comeheretome.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/swastikalaundryvan2.jpg) This also: > **[Doctor driven out of home by vigilantes](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/aug/30/childprotection.society)** > > Self-styled vigilantes attacked the home of a hospital paediatrician after apparently confusing her professional title with the word “paedophile”, it emerged yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/31 "2015-11-23T10:30:31Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > So that makes sense if they’ve had that name, but speaking in ‘easier said than done’/‘armchair quarterback’ mode, it might make sense to change their name. It’s the ignorant yahoos they’d prefer stopped vandalizing the place. As my dad would say ‘who are you spiting’. Yes, they might want to keep the name because it has to do with a goddess and nothing to do with a terrorist group, but changing the name may (and I emphasize may) stop the attacks on their business and help this blow over sooner rather than later. > OTOH, some local news pieces explaining it may help as well. A small business only needs to worry about what the locals think/know, not the internet. In fact, the internet being up in arms over their name may help drive some new business. The news did it explain it well. The name predates the terrorist group. The people involved with the store have nothing to do with terrorism. Only morons connect the two. By the way, do you happen to know what’s involved in a business changing its name? It’s certainly not something that’s done on the fly. Even if it were, how often should one business have to change names because of the actions of other people? ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/32 "2015-11-23T11:26:37Z")
Happens all over. There was an unfortunate paediatrician somewhere in Britain whose brass plate had all sorts of torchburners outside her front door shouting for her head at the height of public concern over child abuse stories in the press. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/33 "2015-11-23T11:28:31Z")
Post 30, Patrick. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/34 "2015-11-23T11:37:30Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > The dog in “Downton Abbey” was named Isis too, and last season, I did a double-take any time someone called her by name. The Downton Abby people were getting grief all last season on Twitter from morons who thought they named the dog after the terrorist groups. > **[Julian Fellowes reveals real reason behind Downton dog's 'awkward' name](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/downton-abbey-dog-isis-named-after-injoke-with-real-grantham-family-says-julian-fellowes-9822529.html)** > > The Labrador is named after Lord Carnarvon's interest in Egyptology and has no connection whatsoever to the extremist jihadi group Isis the Dog eventually got cancer and died. She was pretty old, in the show, in terms of dog years.. Hugh Bonneville called people unkind names for suggesting it was because of Daesh. [http://www.avclub.com/article/downton-abbeys-isis-will-die-not-because-terrorism-211567](http://www.avclub.com/article/downton-abbeys-isis-will-die-not-because-terrorism-211567) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/35 "2015-11-23T12:29:58Z")
We can all be thankful they aren’t called the **S** yrian **D** ivision of **M** ilitant **B** ombings. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/36 "2015-11-23T13:39:00Z")
According to the Social Security Admin., “Isis” is the 706th most popular female name in the US, with 396 children being named that in 2014. Unless I’m reading this wrong, the first time the name was big enough to track was 2000. It has been trending down the past few years, however. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/37 "2015-11-23T13:43:37Z")
Correction: the trend report I was looking at only goes back to 2000, regardless of name. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/38 "2015-11-23T14:42:57Z")
It’s not a new phenomenon. Wasn’t there a character in **Julius Caesar** who was attacked due to his name being similar to another’s? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/39 "2015-11-23T14:48:47Z")
> [@yawuntz](#): > > Next they’ll change their name to Walmart, or Washington - just to fuck with our heads. > [@GuanoLad](#): > > We can all be thankful they aren’t called the **S** yrian **D** ivision of **M** ilitant **B** ombings. Considering the proposals of several Republican candidates regarding Muslims, they might consider **G** reat **O** rganization of the **P** rophet. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318/40 "2015-11-23T18:53:54Z")
It’s unconscionable that this bookstore be vandalized for being named after the Egyptian goddess. The poor owner does not deserve the hassle and expense. [QUOTE=Karen Charbonneau-Harrison, owner of Isis Bookstore] “We get calls from people who say I’ve never shopped there but I’m 100% supporting you, and they’re all sending us love and light and I know that is creating protection around us.” [/QUOTE] Mockery seems to be in order, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/denver-bookstore-vandalized-because-its-called-isis/738318.md?page=3)