Isis: Nike and Madonna banned by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria 'sex crackdown'

Islamic State (Isis) has banned Nike clothing and footwear in Syria and Iraq as part of a widespread crackdown on "sexual" words and terms.

The Islamist group has published a list of banned words, which include "bitch", "whore" and "hussy" as well as religious terms such as "vicar" and "cross".

IS distributed leaflets in Raqqa warning: "Beware guys, from serious foreign words," and listed Nike alongside a list of 20 other banned words, which included musician Madonna.

It is not clear whether the group objects to the veteran singer's name - which is religious - or her musical output but given IS's feelings about music generally, it is likely to be both.

The group has gone a step further than simply banning the term Nike, which it claims sounds like the Arabic word "Neikh" [نكح] , which translates as "sexual intercourse".

In leaflets distributed in Raqqa and published on 23 April by anti-IS Syrian activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, IS warns shopkeepers or market traders who sell Nike products could be fined, jailed or publicly flogged.

It is not the first time IS has moved to impose its draconian laws on fashion on the residents of the so-called Islamic caliphate. In April, it banned skinny jeans and activists say many young men have already been punished for flaunting the rule.

IS also banned table football and watching El Clasico, the football match between Spanish football giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.

In October 2014, Al-Qaeda called for a ban of McDonalds and Wal Mart, which it argued were "symbols of crusader globalisation".