Mission

Sheikh Heritage Foundation's mission of changing worlds, one at a time is based on the multi year strategy of the UN Global Compact mission that aims to mobilise a global movement of sustainable companies and stakeholders to create the world we want.

Sheikh Heritage Foundation honours the lineage (Shajra-e-Nasab) to the Royal Mughal Empire founded in 1526.

The Word

Sheikh (pronounced SHAYK or SHEEK; Arabic: شيخ‎‎ šayḫ, plural شيوخ šuyūḫ)—also transliterated Sheik, Shaik, Shayk, Shaykh, Shaikh, Cheikh, Shekh, and Shaikh—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates the ruler of a tribe, who inherited the title from his father. "Sheikh" is given to a royal male at birth, whereas the related title "Sheikha" is given to a royal female at birth.

HISTORY

The word in Arabic stems from a triliteral root connected with age and aging: ش-ي-خ, shīn-yā'-khā'. The term literally means a man of vast power, and nobility, and it is used strictly for the royal families of the Middle East. The title carries the meaning leader, elder, or noble, especially in the Arabian Peninsula within the Tribes of Arabia, where Shaikh became a traditional title of a Bedouin tribal leader in recent centuries.

ETYMOLOGY

Due to the cultural impact of Arab civilisation, and especially through the spread of Islam, the word has gained currency as a religious term or general honorific in many other parts of the world as well, notably in Muslim cultures in Africa and Asia. While the title can be used religiously by Muslims to designate a learned person, as an Arabic word it is essentially independent of religion.

MEANING

It is notably used by Druze for their religious men, but also by Arab Christians for elder men of stature. Its usage and meaning is similar to the Latin senex meaning "old [man]", from which the Latin (and English) "senator" is derived. Accordingly, the Arabic term for most legislative bodies termed Senate (e.g. the United States Senate) is majlis al-shuyūkh, literally meaning "Council of Senators”.

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The Sheikh Heritage

Sheikh (pronounced SHAYK or SHEEK; Arabic: شيخ‎‎ šayḫ, plural شيوخ šuyūḫ)—also transliterated Sheik, Shaik, Shayk, Shaykh, Shaikh, Cheikh, Shekh, and Shaikh—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates the ruler of a tribe, who inherited the title from his father. "Sheikh" is given to a royal male at birth, whereas the related title "Sheikha" is given to a royal female at birth.

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Sheikh Heritage Foundation -
“Changing Worlds, One at a Time”.

Mavis Chirandu, who grew up in an SOS Family in Bindura, Zimbabwe, will be suiting up for the Zimbabwean women’s national soccer team.

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