A Florida woman named Isis wants the world to stop associating her name with violent jihadists from ISIS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
Isis Martinez, from Miami-Dade, is sick and tired of the negative connotation that has besmeared her name ever since the Islamic State declared a holy war earlier this year and terrorized thousands across northern Iraq.
So the 38-year-old started an online petition for "every media outlet in the United States" to call them "ISIL" instead, allowing her and thousands of other women to again enjoy their once-beautiful name.
"Whenever I was at a public restaurant, there would be TV monitors with tickers at the bottom: 'ISIS warns,' 'ISIS kills,' 'ISIS threat,' " she told the Miami Herald.
ISIL, which stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, has been used by other government leaders when referring to the militants, including U.S. President Barack Obama.
Martinez, who was named after her mother, said at first she tried to ignore the horrific tales surrounding ISIS. But she broke down when a nurse asked how to pronounce her name during a recent visit to the hospital.
"When I answered, her phrase showed such incredible sadness for me and she said she felt bad for me," reads her petition, which has received over 7,000 signatures since it was launched in late August.
Experts have pointed out that ISIL would be a more accurate translation from the group's Arabic name to English.
In the Arabic name, al-Dawla al-Islamiya fi Iraq wa al-Sham, "Sham" can be translated to the Levant, which refers to Syria and its surrounding countries including Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and Turkey, Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi told CNN.
But by calling the militants ISIL, "you're legitimizing this organization's claim not only to Iraq and Syria, but to the whole Middle East," Marsha Cohen, a Miami-based foreign policy analyst, told the Miami Herald.
Before the Islamic State, Isis was known as the Greek name for a prominent Egyptian goddess, also known as "Aset."
Many have asked Martinez why she doesn't just use her middle name, Teresa. But she told the newspaper if she does that, then the terrorists win.
"I can't rebrand myself. This is my heritage."
