US Woman Named 'Isis' Fights To Keep 'IAMISIS' License Plate

A US woman is facing pushback from the authorities, who have deemed her license plate to be in violation of the state rules. In a letter by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Isis Wharton, 26, of California, has been told to change the phrase “IAMISIS” on her white Kia, fearing that the acronym could be misunderstood for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

As per Ms Wharton, she has owned the license plate since 2022 and has paid to renew it every year without any issues, up until now.

"I was confused since I've had it for so long, and I was honestly super hurt," Ms Wharton was quoted as saying by ABC 7. "I just did my registration a couple months ago, and they didn't say anything then either."

The personalised license plate on her sedan reads "IAMISIS" in yellow letters against a black background and is framed by a barbed wire-like design. Ms Wharton says she plans to fight to keep her license plate, as her name is not connected to the terrorist group.

“My name was a name thousands of years before the terrorist group. It's a harmful thing to come after someone's name, and I think that things like this should be taken into more careful consideration," said Ms Wharton.

“I was named after the Egyptian goddess, and she's like the goddess of healing and motherhood, and so it's much more peaceful than they're putting it out to be."

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Ms Wharton has been ordered to appeal the request by September 25, or the DMV would issue her new plates. According to the DMV, plates may be rejected for several reasons, including if a configuration poses a risk of inciting violence or contains a criminal gang affiliation.

According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, ISIS's predecessor group, al-Qa‘ida in Iraq (AQI), was formed in 2004 before it changed its name to ISIS in 2013.