What are the traits of a Sheik?

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Clarification of Question by zachiscol-ga on 06 Jul 2006 17:53 PDT

I would like to know the desired traits and characterists of a sheik. 
I think two of them are generosity and courage...what are and how many
others are there?

Hi zachiscol,

Listed below are the character traits a Sheik needs to possess to be
an effective leader. Although this source explains the roles of Iraq
Sheiks, the role of a Sheik is virtually the same in any Arab country.

First, let's take a look at the role of a Sheik:

What is a sheik?
http://www.cfr.org/publication/7681/#5
..."In Arabic, sheik means leader, or simply a venerable male elder,
and each level of tribal organization--tribe, clan, and
house--generally has a sheik at its head, says Iraqi tribal expert
Amatzia Baram, a senior fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace in
Washington and a professor of Middle Eastern history at the University
of Haifa in Israel. Because there are so many sheiks, finding one with
a significant degree of authority can be a challenge for U.S.
occupiers. Another problem: Saddam subverted the traditional tribal
hierarchy and elevated many sheiks in return for their cooperation..."

What is a sheik's traditional role?
http://www.cfr.org/publication/7681/#5
..."Sheiks are traditionally responsible for protecting their people
from harm and guaranteeing them a basic level of economic well-being.
They also act as mediators and judges, settle disputes, resolve
property claims, and suggest marriages, among other roles. In
exchange, they have their people's allegiance, Baram says. For
centuries, sheiks were appointed by a council of elders within a
tribe, and a sheik's authority was not unlimited. The British? who
ruled Iraq between 1920 and 1932? eliminated some of these checks and
balances to exercise stricter control over Iraq's tribesmen. In
essence, this turned tribal sheiks into the sole source of law and
authority in wide stretches of Iraq's countryside..."

Since the role of a Sheik is mainly that of a Leader, I have found the
traits of good leaders, and added a few qualities that would be
necessary based on the commentary above.


Traits of a Good Leader
Compiled by the Santa Clara University and the Tom Peters Group
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadchr.html

Honesty
Competent
Visionary
Inspiring
Intelligent
Fair-minded
Broad-minded
Courageous
Straight-forward
Imaginative
Mediator
Knowledge of Law
Teacher
Diplomatic
Public-speaking skills
Good listener

I'm certain there are other qualities that could be added, however I
think the traits above are the minimum. For instance, I think it would
be nice if a Sheik was generous, but it is not as necessary as the
traits above.

I hope this is helpful!


~~Cynthia


Search terms:
Sheik traditional role traits

Not exactly what I was looking for, but I think it is due more to the
phrasing of my question than to Cynthia's response...

This is a free comment.

It is difficult to know what you want.  Considering the price you
offer, I expect that you want to know more than these definitions:
"the leader of an Arab village or family
dandy: a man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance"
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

or what Wikipedia says:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh

Can you explain a bit more about what you want?

zachiscol,

Wow, thank you so much for the gererous tip, very unusual for someone
that was not 100% satisified with the answer they received!

I would like to bring your attention to this page:

How to get a better answer to your question:
http://answers.google.com/answers/help.html

Also, one of the researchers wrote this:

What to do after you ask a question on Google Answers
http://www.christopherwu.net/google_answers/answer_guide.html

Please read the section about clarifications (and below that,
ratings). When an answer is posted, you still have an opportunity to
ask for more help from your researcher. We don't mind, it happens all
the time. Keep in mind though, we like to respond to customers
requests for more/better information BEFORE we are rated, that way we
have an opportunity to earn that coveted 5th star! Once a rating is
given, it cannot be changed.  :-(

Hope you come back and try again!  After you read the links about our
service, I'm sure you would be able to clearly phrase your question
and get a more satisfactory answer!

Best Regards,
~~Cynthia