Name changes due to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

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Some organisations and people are, or were, named Isis after the Egyptian goddess

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is a militant Islamist terrorism group. It is also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham, abbreviated as "ISIS", which has caused name changes to distinguish other entities from the group.

Software

Version 0.3 of Linux distribution elementary OS, originally to be called Isis, was renamed Freya.[1]

A mobile banking app previously known as ISIS changed its name to Softcard in 2014, stating "We have no desire to share a name with [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] and our hearts go out to those affected by this violence".[2]

In 2015, the University of Arkansas decided to rename its course registration system from "Integrated Student Information System" to "UAConnect".[3]

Business

In 2013, a Belgian chocolate manufacturer previously known as Italo Suisse changed its name to Isis. But in 2014, it changed the name again to Libeert after a decline in sales, mainly in the Anglophone world. The company was founded in 1923, and had only been called Isis for a year.[4]

A British private equity firm changed its name from ISIS Equity Partners to Livingbridge to distance itself from the group.[5]

In Queens, New York, the owner of ISIS Nails renamed the salon Bess Nails and Spa because of harassment. The salon's revenue had declined by approximately 30 percent.[6]

The Danish dessert company ISIS changed their name to EASIS, citing the "political connotations"[7] their name would have on primarily export markets.[8]

An Australian fitout and refurbishment company changed its name to SHAPE, to coincide with the "best interests" of those involved with their business.[9]

Organisations

A language school in Oxford was named Isis after the stretch of the River Thames which runs through the city

In 2014, an organisation in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia aimed at assimilating immigrants, previously known as Immigrant Settlement & Integration Services (ISIS), changed its name to Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS). Its main concern about the former name was its appropriateness towards clients from Iraq and Syria, where ISIL are operative.[10]

A language school in Oxford, named Isis after the city's stretch of the River Thames, became the Oxford International Education Group in April 2015. Staff said that recruiting from the Middle East was made difficult by the name, and that people searching for their website may be put at risk.[11]

Entertainment

The FX animated series Archer, first aired in 2009, revolves around the fictional International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS). In 2014, the sixth season of the show began with the characters being told that they now work for the CIA. Merchandise based on the fictional ISIS was withdrawn.[12]

A French rock band changed their name from Isis Child to Angel's Whisper as the attention on ISIL had overshadowed them on search engines.[13] Meanwhile, an American band named Isis, which disbanded in 2010, changed their Facebook name to "Isis the band" to avoid confusion. Some fans threatened a boycott unless they changed their name completely.[14]

In December 2015, the name of the spaceship browser in online multiplayer video game EVE Online was changed from "Interbus Ship Identification System" (ISIS) to "Ship Tree".[15]

Given names

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. An Australian woman, who named her daughter Isis after the Egyptian goddess, says it has caused a rift in her family because the name is "now synonymous with terrorism and evil". An American woman named Isis initiated an online petition for the media to stop referring to ISIL as ISIS.[16]

In April 2015, the World Meteorological Organization removed Hurricane Isis from the list of names for hurricanes, replacing it with "Ivette".[17]

False attribution

The British television series Downton Abbey featured a dog named Isis after the goddess, who became ill in the show around the same time as other entities sought to distance themselves from ISIL. Actor Hugh Bonneville repudiated claims that the dog was being killed off due to its name, saying "Anyone who genuinely believes the series five storyline (1924) involving the animal was a reaction to recent world news is a complete berk."[18] ITV called the name an "unfortunate coincidence".[18]

References

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