Rehman's successful campaign has convinced the Government to officially adopt the term Daesh instead of using ISIS, ISIL or the Islamic State. On 2 December 2015, the Prime Minister made a statement in Parliament saying that after strong representation, it is "time to follow our key ally France, the Arab League and other members of the international community in using, as frequently as possible, the terminology Daesh."
Rehman has been campaigning for the UK to refer to the so called “Islamic State” (also referred to as ISIS or ISIL) as “Daesh” in line with other countries around the World.
On Tuesday 19 October 2015, the Prime Minister said that "in all our communication with Arab state and partners that use the terminology "Daesh", we also now use the terminology "Daesh". Clearly, that now involves the European Union as well."
In November, Rehman wrote to the Prime Minister asking him to officially adopt Daesh as part of the strategy on Syria.
He has launched a petition on the Change.org website and authored letters, which were signed by more than 120 MPs, calling on the BBC and the Government to make this change.
Rehman has also written to broadcasters to request they also refer to this group as "Daesh".
Articles
In an article for Conservative Home and Asharq Al-Awsat, Rehman explains the reasons why an alternative title should be adopted and suggest that Daesh or Faesh may be appropriate. Writing for the Independent, Rehman outlines why he is campaigning to get the BBC and the Government to make a change.
Media coverage
Rehman's campaign has been covered by the:
3 December 2015
Daily Politics
The Times
The Sun
Daily Mail
The Telegraph
2 December 2015
Daily Star
Telegraph
Independent
The Times
Asian Lite
ITV
Asian Image
BBC Five Live
BBC PM Programme
26 November 2015
Telegraph
21 November 2015
The Times
The Independent
23 September 2015
Asian Lite
6 August 2015
BBC Radio Kent
24 July 2015
Rehman is interviewed by IB Times
Rehman's article in the Eastern Eye
14 July 2015
BBC Radio Four, The World Tonight
Conservative Home
The Times
Daily Telegraph
Daily Mirror
13 July 2015
The Week
11 July 2015
The Sunday Guardian
9 July 2015
The Nation
7 July 2015
IB Times
6 July 2015
The Independent
5 July 2015
The Sunday Herald
4 July 2015
Repubblica
3 July 2015
The Daily Telegraph (front page)
The Times
Guardian
Daily Mail
Express
Mirror
The Sun
Huffington Post
2 July 2015
The Times(front page)
The Guardian
Telegraph
Mail
Express
Independent
Politics Home
IB Times
The Sun
1 July 2015
Guido Fawkes blog
GeoTV
BBC
30 June 2015
Mail Online
Press Gazette
Daily Mail
29 June 2015
Boris Johnson in the Telegraph
Guardian
Politics Home
27 June 2015
Eastern Eye
Asian Lite
Raised in Parliament
Rehman has also raised this matter in Parliament with the Prime Minister (23 February 2015),the Foreign Secretary (1 June 2015), at Prime Minister's Questions (1 July 2015) and with the Leader of the House (2 July 2015) calling on the Government and the BBC to use an alternative name.
Parliamentarians from across the House used the word "Daesh" during a Statement by the Prime Minister on Tunisia and European Council (29 June 2015)
During a debate on Britain and International Security (2 July 2015), Parliamentarians from all sides used the word "Daesh" when referring to this evil organisation, the so called "Islamic State" and used the term when putting questions to the Defence Secretary and Shadow Defence Secretary.
The Defence Secretary, during Defence Questions (13 July 2015), said that he uses Daesh when in the Middle East and that it is "worth reflecting on whether we should now seek to move on to using Daesh, which does not confer the sort of legitimacy that the title ISIL—involving the word “state”—does."
Giving evidence at the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on 21 July 2015, the Foreign Secretary repeated used the term "Daesh".
On Tuesday 19 October 2015, the Prime Minister said that "in all our communication with Arab state and partners that use the terminology "Daesh", we also now use the terminology "Daesh". Clearly, that now involves the European Union as well."
Prime Minister officially adopts Daesh (2 December 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkJSJ-t3dLg
Rehman thanks PM for adopting Daesh and calls on BBC to follow (2 December 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrcsZk2yjeE
Rehman asks the Prime Minister to adopt Daesh (26 November 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xc847Aw2Gc
Question to the Prime Minister on Daesh from Rehman (17 November 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKXX9WyIa_4
Rehman's question to the Prime Minister (19 October 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nyroeR19f8
Rehman raising the BBC's response with the Leader of the House (2 July 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mo0sgAEFUI
Rehman raises the campaign at Prime Minister's Questions (1 July 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQuhvEkmIWc
Rehman asking a question to the Foreign Secretary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNm_rPNhfYI
Parliament event
Previously, Rehman hosted a lecture in Parliament by HRH Prince Turki Al-Faisal on calling them "Faesh", which means "obscene" in Arabic. Pictured (left to right) are the Ambassador of Bahrain, Ambassador of Kuwait, Rehman Chishti MP, HRH Prince Turki Al-Faisal (former Ambassador to the United States and to the UK and former Director General of Saudi Arabia's General Intelligence Directorate), Alistair Burt MP (former FCO Minister), Prince Sultan of Saudi Embassy, Ambassador of Belgium, Ambassador of Jordan, Ambassador of Albania (and many other diplomatic representatives).
Arab League support
The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Nabil Elaraby, has given his support to the campaign after meeting Mr Rehman Chishti MP on 23 September 2015 on his visit to London.
Ambassadors supporting
The Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK, H.E. Syed Ibne Abbas, met with the Shadow Foreign Secretary, Hiliary Benn MP, to urge him to use "Daesh" instead of "Islamic State".
The Saudi Arabian Embassy said, in reply to a letter from Rehman Chishti MP, that they have long referred to them as Daesh and this will "contribute towards delegitimising this evil organisation".
The Turkish Ambassador to the UK has voiced his support for the campaign to get the media and the Government to call them by their true identity - Daesh.
In a letter, the Jordian Ambassador signalled his support for the campaign.
The Ambassador of Kuwait, who is the Dean of Arab Ambassadors, has confirmed that all Arab Ambassadors are united in using the term "Daesh".
The Bahrain Ambassador supports the campaign to de-legitimise this terrorist organisation as do her country.
The UAE Ambassador has said that he agrees that Daesh is neither Islamic nor a state and that people should be aware of this.
Military experts supporting
Former Chief of the General Staff, Lord Dannatt, has given his support to the campaign to call them Daesh.
Former Chief of the Defence Staff, Lord Richards, is supporting the campaign to use Daesh to defeat their propaganda which goes hand in hand to defeat them militarily.
Countries and World Leaders who use Daesh
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and the French Government.
Tony Abbott, Prime Minister of Australia
John Kerry, United States Secretary of State.
Lieutenant General James Terry, US Army, commander of the US Mission in Iraq and Syria.
MP's that have signed the letters
The following Members of Parliament have signed the two letters sent to the BBC and to the Prime Minister:
Boris Johnson MP
Member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip
Harriet Harman MP
Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham
Alex Salmond MP
Member of Parliament for Gordon
Julian Lewis MP
Member of Parliament for New Forest East
Keith Vaz MP
Member of Parliament for Leicester East
Nick Boles MP
Member of Parliament for Grantham and Stamford
Sadiq Khan MP
Member of Parliament for Tooting
Debbie Abrahams MP
Member of Parliament for Oldham East and Saddleworth
Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh MP
Member of Parliament for Ochil and South Perthshire
Heidi Allen MP
Member of Parliament for South Cambridgeshire
Sir David Amess MP
Member of Parliament for Southend West
Stuart Andrew MP
Member of Parliament for Pudsey
Richard Arkless MP
Member of Parliament for Dumfries and Galloway
Victoria Atkins MP
Member of Parliament for Louth and Horncastle
Ian Austin MP
Member of Parliament for Dudley North
Steve Baker MP
Member of Parliament for Wycombe
Hannah Bardell MP
Member of Parliament for Livingston
John Baron MP
Member of Parliament for Basildon and Billericay
Guto Bebb MP
Member of Parliament for Aberconwy
Henry Bellingham MP
Member of Parliament for North West Norfolk
Richard Benyon MP
Member of Parliament for Newbury
Mhairi Black MP
Member of Parliament for Paisley and Renfrewshire South
Ian Blackford MP
Member of Parliament for Ross, Skye and Lochaber
Kirsty Blackman MP
Member of Parliament for Aberdeen North
Phil Boswell MP
Member of Parliament for Coatbridge, Chryston & Bellshill
Tom Brake MP
Member of Parliament for Carshalton and Wallington
Andrew Bridgen MP
Member of Parliament for North West Leicestershire
Deidre Brock MP
Member of Parliament for Edinburgh North and Leith
Alan Brown MP
Member of Parliament for Kilmarnock and Loudoun
Liam Byrne MP
Member of Parliament for Birmingham, Hodge Hill
Richard Burden MP
Member of Parliament for Birmingham, Northfield
Lisa Cameron MP
Member of Parliament for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
Neil Carmichael MP
Member of Parliament for Stroud
James Cartlidge MP
Member of Parliament for South Suffolk
Maria Caulfield MP
Member of Parliament for Lewes
Douglas Chapman MP
Member of Parliament for Dumfermline and West Fife
Joanna Cherry MP
Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South West
Jo Churchill MP
Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP
Member of Parliament for the Cotswolds
Julie Cooper MP
Member of Parliament for Burnley
Ronnie Cowan MP
Member of Parliament for Inverclyde
Angela Crawley MP
Member of Parliament for Lanark and Hamilton East
Mims Davies MP
Member of Parliament for Eastleigh
Martyn Day MP
Member of Parliament for Linlithgow and East Falkirk
Jonathan Djanogly MP
Member of Parliament for Huntingdon
Martin Docherty MP
Member of Parliament for West Dunbartonshire
Nigel Dodds MP
Member of Parliament for Belfast North
Jeffrey Donaldson MP
Member of Parliament for Lagan Valley
Stuart Donaldson MP
Member of Parliament for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
Stephen Doughty MP
Member of Parliament for Cardiff South and Penarth
Marion Fellows MP
Member of Parliament for Motherwell and Wishaw
Suella Fernandes MP
Member of Parliament for Fareham
Margaret Ferrier MP
Member of Parliament for Rutherglen and Hamilton West
Jim Fitzpatrick MP
Member of Parliament for Poplar and Limehouse
Rob Flello MP
Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent South
Paul Flynn MP
Member of Parliament for Newport West
Mike Gapes MP
Member of Parliament for Ilford South
Stephen Gethins MP
Member of Parliament for North East Fife
Nusrat Ghani MP
Member of Parliament for Wealden
Patricia Gibson MP
Member of Parliament for North Ayrshire and Arran
Mary Glindon MP
Member of Parliament for North Tyneside
Zac Goldsmith MP
Member of Parliament for Richmond Park
Helen Goodman MP
Member of Parliament for Bishop Auckland
Patrick Grady MP
Member of Parliament for Glasgow North
Peter Grant MP
Member of Parliament for Glenrothes
James Gray MP
Member of Parliament for North Wiltshire
Neil Gray MP
Member of Parliament for Airdrie and Shotts
Nia Griffith MP
Member of Parliament for Llanelli
Kate Green MP
Member of Parliament for Stretford and Urmston
Stephen Hammond MP
Member of Parliament for Wimbledon
Rupa Haq MP
Member of Parliament for Ealing Central and Acton
Harry Harpham MP
Member of Parliament for Sheffield, Brightside and Hilsborough
Carolyn Harris MP
Member of Parliament for Swansea East
Simon Hart MP
Member of Parliament for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire
Gordon Henderson MP
Member of Parliament for Sittingbourne and Sheppey
Drew Hendry MP
Member of Parliament for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
Kevin Hollinrake MP
Member of Parliament for Thirsk and Malton
Adam Holloway MP
Member of Parliament for Gravesend
Kelvin Hopkins MP
Member of Parliament for Luton North
Stewart Hosie MP
Member of Parliament for Dundee East
Ben Howlett MP
Member of Parliament for Bath
Imran Hussain MP
Member of Parliament for Bradford East
Daniel Kawczynski MP
Member of Parliament for Shrewsbury and Atcham
George Kerevan MP
Member of Parliament for East Lothian
Calum Kerr MP
Member of Parliament for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
Stephen Kinnock MP
Member of Parliament for Averavon
Julian Knight MP
Member of Parliament for Solihull
Chris Law MP
Member of Parliament for Dundee West
Jeremy Lefroy MP
Member of Parliament for Stafford
Sir Edward Leigh MP
Member of Parliament for Gainsborough
Charlotte Leslie MP
Member of Parliament for Bristol North West
Tim Loughton MP
Member of Parliament for East Worthing and Shoreham
Caroline Lucas MP
Member of Parliament for Brighton, Pavilion
Holly Lynch MP
Member of Parliament for Halifax
Steve McCabe MP
Member of Parliament for Selly Oak, Birmingham
Callum McCaig MP
Member of Parliament for Aberdeen South
Andy McDonald MP
Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough
Stewart McDonald MP
Member of Parliament for Glasgow South
Stuart McDonald MP
Member of Parliament for Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
Alasdair McDonnell MP
Member of Parliament for Belfast South
Natalie McGarry MP
Member of Parliament for Glasgow East
Anne McLaughlin MP
Member of Parliament for Glasgow North East
John McNally MP
Member of Parliament for Falkirk
Craig MacKinlay MP
Member of Parliament for South Thanet
David Mackintosh MP
Member of Parliament for Northampton South
Angus MacNeil MP
Member of Parliament for Na h-Eileanan an Iar
Stephen McPartland MP
Member of Parliament for Stevenage
Khalid Mahmood MP
Member of Parliament for Birmingham, Perry Barr
Shabana Mahmood MP
Member of Parliament for Birmingham, Ladywood
Anne Main MP
Member of Parliament for St Albans
Seema Malhotra MP
Member of Parliament for Feltham and Heston
Rob Marris MP
Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton South West
Rachael Maskell
Member of Parliament for York Central
Johnny Mercer MP
Member of Parliament for Plymouth, Moor View
Carol Monaghan MP
Member of Parliament for Glasgow North West
Paul Monaghan MP
Member of Parliament for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Madeleine Moon MP
Member of Parliament for Bridgend
Roger Mullin MP
Member of Parliament for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath
Gavin Newlands MP
Member of Parliament for Paisley and Renfrewshire North
John Nicolson MP
Member of Parliament for East Dunbartonshire
David Nuttall MP
Member of Parliament for Bury North
Matthew Offord MP
Member of Parliament for Hendon
Brendan O’Hara MP
Member of Parliament for Argyll and Bute
Kirsten Oswald MP
Member of Parliament for East Renfrewshire
Steven Paterson MP
Member of Parliament for Stirling
Matthew Pennycock MP
Member of Parliament for Greenwich and Woolwich
Chris Philp MP
Member of Parliament for Croydon South
Victoria Prentis MP
Member of Parliament for Banbury
Mark Prisk MP
Member of Parliament for Hertford and Stortford
Yasmin Qureshi MP
Member of Parliament for Bolton South East
Jamie Reed MP
Member of Parliament for Copeland
Jacob Rees-Mogg MP
Member of Parliament for North East Somerset
Angus Robertson MP
Member of Parliament for Moray
Geoffrey Robinson MP
Member of Parliament for Coventry North West
Mary Robinson MP
Member of Parliament for Cheadle
Liz Saville-Roberts MP
Member of Parliament for Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Paul Scully MP
Member of Parliament for Sutton and Cheam
Virendra Sharma MP
Member of Parliament for Ealing Southall
Barry Sheerman MP
Member of Parliament for Huddersfield
Tommy Sheppard MP
Member of Parliament for Edinburgh East
Jim Shannon MP
Member of Parliament for Strangford
Tulip Siddiq MP
Member of Parliament for Hampstead and Kilburn
Ruth Smeeth MP
Member of Parliament for Stoke-On-Trent North
Sir Nicholas Soames MP
Member of Parliament for Mid Sussex
Royston Smith MP
Member of Parliament for Southampton, Itchen
Christopher Stephens MP
Member of Parliament for Glasgow South West
Andrew Stephenson MP
Member of Parliament for Pendle
Bob Stewart MP
Member of Parliament for Beckenham
Wes Streeting MP
Member of Parliament for Ilford North
Graham Stuart MP
Member of Parliament for Beverley and Holderness
Alison Thewliss MP
Member of Parliament for Glasgow Central
Owen Thompson MP
Member of Parliament for Midlothian
Gareth Thomas MP
Member of Parliament for Harrow West
Michelle Thomson MP
Member of Parliament for Edinburgh West
Kelly Tolhurst MP
Member of Parliament for Rochester and Strood
Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP
Member of Parliament for Berwick-upon-Tweed
Tom Tugendhat MP
Member of Parliament for Tonbridge and Malling
Valerie Vaz MP
Member of Parliament for Walsall South
Robin Walker MP
Member of Parliament for Worcester
Angela Watkinson MP
Member of Parliament for Hornchurch and Upminister
Mike Weir MP
Member of Parliament for Angus
Eilidh Whiteford MP
Member of Parliament for Banff and Buchan
Philippa Whitford MP
Member of Parliament for Central Ayrshire
Corri Wilson MP
Member of Parliament for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
Sammy Wilson MP
Member of Parliament for East Antrim
Pete Wishart MP
Member of Parliament for Perth and North Perthshire
Dr Sarah Wollaston MP
Member of Parliament for Totnes
John Woodcock MP
Member of Parliament for Barrow and Furness
Nadhim Zahawi MP
Member of Parliament for Stratford-on-Avon