California: A US woman named Isis Wharton is fighting to keep her personalized license plate, which reads “IAMISIS,” after the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) ordered her to change it. The DMV’s letter stated that the plate is in violation of state rules, citing concerns that the acronym could be misunderstood for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Wharton, 26, says she has had the plate on her white Kia sedan since 2022 and has paid to renew it annually without any issues—until now. “I was confused since I’ve had it for so long, and I was honestly super hurt,” Wharton told ABC 7. “I just did my registration a couple months ago, and they didn’t say anything then either.”
Her license plate features yellow letters against a black background and is framed by a barbed wire-like design. Wharton is firm in her resolve to appeal the DMV’s request, arguing that her name predates the terrorist group by thousands of years. “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,” she said.
Wharton explained that she was named after the ancient Egyptian goddess of healing and motherhood. “It’s much more peaceful than they’re putting it out to be,” she added.
The DMV has given Wharton until September 25 to appeal the order, after which it will issue her new plates. According to the DMV, personalized license plates can be rejected if their configurations are deemed to incite violence or suggest a criminal gang affiliation. The Islamic State’s predecessor group, al-Qa‘ida in Iraq (AQI), was formed in 2004 and changed its name to ISIS in 2013.
Woman Named Isis Fights To Keep Her “IAMISIS” License Plate After DMV Cites Terrorism Concerns
