# What's "Shaikh"ing **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 6, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-shaikh-ing/159565 "2003-03-06T20:36:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-shaikh-ing/159565/1 "2003-03-06T20:36:13Z")
I have a question about the use of the title (or perhaps name) _Shaikh_ (sometimes spelled _Sheikh_) in some Middle Eastern cultures. An example is Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the alleged 9/11 mastermind recently captured in Pakistan. Is the title of Shaikh hereditary? Earned? Bestowed by popular acclimation? Assumed? Is a Shaikh the head of a family group such as a clan or tribe, or meerly a person of esteem? In Khalid Shaikh Mohammed’s case, is it actually his name or a title? ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-shaikh-ing/159565/2 "2003-03-06T20:55:10Z")
It’s an Arabic term meaning “vererable old man” and is applied to the head of a family or village, or a high-ranking muslim religious official, or the chief magistrate of a town. Not sure about the rest. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-shaikh-ing/159565/3 "2003-03-07T11:47:12Z")
Here in the UAE it’s used for princes/male members the royal family. The females are “sheikhas”. It is usually written “sheikh” here, not “shaikh” (in the English press).