Why

[Bigbad]

are these vile Islamic State people referred to as "so called"? Surely they are either called Islamic State, or they're not.
And what happened to them being referred to as ISIL? (Whatever that stood for)!

[Marshwarble]

Because Islamic State is not a state. Their plans seem to be to take over a number of countries and give them Islamic names. http://www.wnd.com/2014/07/islamic-state-puts-target-on-spain-rome/

[ichkeria]

IS ISIL ISIS are the same thing: "IL" means "in/of Iraq and the Levant" (and IS "of Iraq/Syria). I think they are "so-called" sometimes because they are not really a "state".

[bednobs]

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1408073.html

[youngmafbog]

The answers above are technically correct, however many right-on Friends of Jihad like to use the term to infer name calling and imply there is nothing wrong.

[ToraToraTora]

they are "so called" because it is self proclaimed. It doesn't help that the F0.J give them legitimacy by their support but essentially they are not recognized as an actual state.

[anotheoldgit]

It's all part of the continuous quest not to upset the Muslims.

/// The MPs made their demand in a letter following criticism of the BBC from David Cameron, who used an appearance on the Today programme on Monday to suggest that Muslim listeners would “recoil every time they hear the words Islamic State” to refer to its “appalling, barbarous regime”. ///

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/02/bbc-rejects-mps-calls-to-refer-to-islamic-state-as-daesh

[Ric.ror]

Well if the state has nothing to do with Islam it should be called the 'so called' and it would appear that more muslims are against than in favour