Why does he even need to be worthy of hatred? Isn't the path to hell paved with good intentions? He doesn't need to be inept or mistaken, just very certain that his way is the right way. Think Javert in Les Miserables. He's not a villain, per se, he's an antagonist. He sees the Law as being above Justice. Is he wrong? That's debatable. Eventually his conflict between what is essentially a good nature and his strict adherence to the law drive him to suicide (sorry if this is a spoiler, but really guys, it's an old story), but he is one of literature's great antagonists because of his conflicted nature. This song is really telling of his character.
And then his suicide reveals his conflict when shown the difference between Law and Justice...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRzvdQh8D2Q
Malak doesn't need to be inept or mistaken - he can simply be so certain that what he is doing is the right thing for his people, for his birth right (and I admit I'm taken with my own idea of him having a child with Sitara and so the birthright of his child), that Reuben would stand in direct conflict of that. This makes him not only sympathetic, it makes him extremely unlikely to back down from his position.
But, like I said before, I love ripping reader's guts out.
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