Woman Named ‘Isis’ Wants News Media to Stop Using ‘ISIS’

ISIS is a growing threat to the world’s democracy, but a woman in America whose first name is “Isis” wants the media to stop calling the Islamic terrorist group by her first name.

According to Houston CBS affiliate KHOU, Isis Martinez is starting an online petition to urge news outlets to stop calling the Islamic group by the name “ISIS” and instead call them by their real name “ISIL.”

According to Egyptian lore, Isis was the name of an Egyptian goddess, and in 2013, Isis was the 575th most popular baby name in 2013, according to the Social Security Administration. But as the ISIL militant group has gained a ruthless reputation, the name “Isis” is become a scarlet word in America, and the Miami mother is witnessing the backlash first hand.

In August, Martinez was in a Miami-Dade emergency room for a throat infection. Martinez gave her first name to the nurse, Isis, but the nurse recommended that Martinez start using her middle name, Teresa. Martinez told USA Today:

“I know she didn’t mean any harm, but its clear that that’s what the public’s view is at this point.”

Martinez also said that she has heard news reports of girls with the name Isis being bullied at schools across the country. One of those children was the 12-year old daughter of Kat Lesko, who told USA Today that her daughter is constantly bullied and teased by classmates. Lesko said:

“They’ll joke, ‘Oh, I heard you beheaded somebody yesterday.’ People aren’t trying to be really mean. They think it’s a joke, but she doesn’t think it’s very funny.”

The Islamic terrorist group’s real name is ISIL, which is short for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, but since the terrorist group has so far been limited to the countries of Iraq and Syria, the group has been incorrectly called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, otherwise known as ISIS.

[Photo Credit: Photopin]