What's it like to live under the rule of the extremist group known as the Islamic State, or ISIS? WSJ looks at the situation in Raqqa, Syria, through the eyes of two activists and through the lens of ISIS propaganda videos.
Not terrorists — an ISIS Group Australia sign on a building site at Waymouth St, Adelaide. Picture: Stephen Laffer Source: News Limited
Yes, terrorists — Islamic State fighters in a documentary. Source: No Source
A NATIONAL construction company could be forced to change its name of 25 years because staff members are being abused as "terrorists".
ISIS Group Australia — an Australian company that has specialised in commercial office fit-outs and refurbishments since 1989 — has been forced to scale back signage on worksites and asked workers to not wear uniforms branded with the company name.
It comes as a Sydney family has been urged to change the name of their eight-year-old girl, whose name is Isis.
In recent weeks, site workers have been abused as "terrorists" by passers-by and angry messages have been left on the company's office line.
"Hey you terrorist bastards, I hope you bastards all die in Iraq, you terrorist al-Qaeda bastards, you ISIS pieces of s**t," one message said.
ISIS chief executive Michael Barnes said he was upset that "ill-informed members of the public" had mistaken the company for the terrorist group wreaking havoc in the Middle East.
The terrorist group previously went by the acronym ISIS — or Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham — but is also variously known as ISIL and IS.
Mr Barnes said the company took the safety of its workers and subcontractors "very seriously".
"In recent weeks we have instructed our workers to stop wearing ISIS-branded clothing and are also in the process of scaling back on-site branding to limit attention from misinformed people and ensure the safety of our employees," Mr Barnes said.
"We are upset that what we stand for is becoming eroded by the Islamic State."
Mr Barnes said it was possible the company may be forced to change its name if the abuse did not stop.
"We will continue to monitor how our clients, staff, consultants and subcontractors feel about perceptions around our name and react accordingly," he said.
Marketing specialist and associate director of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, Associate Professor Rachel Kennedy, said the confusion could ironically present an opportunity for the company.
"Use it as a talking point — it's really hard for companies to get their brands noticed at all, so they could say 'yeah, it's crazy isn't it, but we're just furniture fitout specialists'," Prof Kennedy said.
"It's not a situation that you would ever intentionally put yourself in, but getting your brand noticed at all is a hard task, so build up the link between the brand and the work you do."
Prof Kennedy said she believed very few people would form the link between the terror group and company, and urged its chiefs to hold firm against a name change.
"Some people don't think that much and it would be a tiny few that are making that connection out of context," she said.
The terrorist group once known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is now seen as the most dangerous extremist group in the world.
"Their buyers are likely to be able to differentiate in the context of when they're looking for someone to do a fitout versus the terrorist organisation."
The ISIS Group employs more than 300 staff, with offices in every state and territory and a turnover of more than $500 million a year.
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