Malik
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On this fine evening at Black Ghetto Baby Names I would like to share a name that hearkens back to a previous name we discussed; In Arabic, Malik means king, and, in addition to the African American community, the name is used throughout the world. Today I will focus on its usage in the Middle East, and close with a certain Malik held dear to the community.
In Afghanistan and Pakistan, Malik refers to the penultimate king of the religion shared by those ethnic groups - that is: Allah. The term Malik can also be used to denote the tribal leader or ruling monarch of a tribe or nation. Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, and Libya have all had rulers who bore the title of Malik. Today, several countries are still ruled by a Malik. Bahrainian, Jordanian, Moroccan, and Saudi Arabian citizens are all subject to the authority of their Malik. Given the state of unrest between Israel and most Islamic countries in the Middle East, one fact is quite interesting to note. The Hebrew word melech is a cognate of the Arabic word, and is used to refer to the evil god Moloch who demanded infant sacrifice of his followers. This anecdote demonstrates to us here at Black Ghetto Baby Names the animosity that has grown between those genetically and geographically close peoples.
Another similar word in Hebrew is malak, which means “angel.” The designation Malik is used to refer to human authority, such as subjects to their kings. It is used to describe the ultimate authority of Allah over each of his Muslim followers. One other context in which this name is used is in a military sense. In India, it is used to refer to a high-ranking Muslim army officer who commands ten thousand men and reports directly to his khan.
The name is rarely used as a first name, although it is occasionally adopted as a surname. In fact, one very well-known African American man, Malcolm Little, or Malcolm X, took the name Malik as part of his Islamic surname. His full Islamic name was El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. An American Muslim minister and one-time spokesman for the nation of Islam, he left the Nation in 1964 and embraced Orthodox Islam, joining the Sunni sect. He was assassinated in 1965 by two members of the Nation of Islam.
It always pains me to think of the gunning down of our people by ourselves. And in the case of Malcolm “El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz” X, we lost a particularly gifted and moderate voice that could have helped us in the years since. A name like Malik holds the power and energy of Malcolm himself, and, here at Black Ghetto Baby Names, we pray that his memory live on in you. Thank you, and don’t forget to check out our list of popular African American Names to continue our journey into the black nominative.
DeShawn.
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