Source: BBC

Originally the name of an ancient Egyptian goddess, in Oxford “Isis” is merely the name for the River Thames within the city’s boundaries. And the name’s been very popular in marketing, with businesses and organisations wanting to subtly vaunt their Oxford links.

But since the growth of the militant group known by some as Isis – an acronym for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – has the word become too toxic for everyday use?

After all, there appears to be no way back for the swastika – originally a symbol meaning “good fortune” or “well-being” until it was purloined by the Nazis.

So who’s rebranding and who’s sticking with the name?

Isis Business Brokers

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Dominic Marlow says his company, which sells businesses, is going to keep the name, although it triggered “an ongoing conversation that comes up on a daily basis”.

However, he believes the positives associated with the name outweigh the negatives.

“I had a payment held up from the US, probably due to the name, and I had to go through quite a lot of extra money-laundering checks just to get registered as a payee by the US bank concerned.”

He says the majority of feedback about the issue is positive and has been praised for not changing the name.

Isis Education

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Isis Education, an Oxford-based chain of language schools, was rebranded in 2015 as the Oxford International Education Group.

Because its students are usually non-English speakers from overseas, the group had concerns about international perceptions of the Isis name, as well as issues about internet search engines and the results that might follow from someone looking for Isis training centres.

There were also a few “negative comments” for staff wearing their branded Isis T-shirts.

Oxford Isis Korfball

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Annaliese Taylor from the club says it plans to keep its name, despite a “healthy debate at our AGM last week” about the issue.

She says the club, which was established in 2007, “is proud of its local heritage” and “is determined to have a laugh about it and keep it light-hearted”.

“As a relatively unknown sport, we’d had a couple of comments that people would be less likely to come along and try out Oxford Isis Korfball Club due to the name.

“On top of that, walking around in our Oxford Isis Korfball kit and playing at tournaments outside of Oxfordshire can raise a few eyebrows.”

For those more puzzled about the “korfball” than the “Isis”, it’s a game with similarities to netball and basketball.

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