The Sikhs contributed money for founding Sikh chairs in Canada and USA. These chairs were expected to teach western people the great value of the Sikh faith, the Sacrifices made by Sikhs for human rights and their contributions to society. The truth Spread by the chairs was hoped to raise the image of the Sikh community.

Sikhs were surprised when Dr, H. McLeod, a former Christian preacher at Batala, Punjab, joined at Toronto for teaching Sikhism, Many Sikhs, who know him and his writings, were wormed about the outcome of the chairs in the making. Their fears have turned out to be true.

To imagine what is being taught by these Chairs, let the Sikhs read a sample of the Observation made by McLeod in his book “The Evolution of the Sikh Community.” Guru Nanak is not the founder of Sikhism. What he offers us is merely Nirgun Sampradaya of Sant tradition and Nath Panth integrated with compelling beauty. Pages 67 Guru Arjan displeased the Mughals, was jailed and died there. Later the Sikhs preached him to be a great martyr which he is not, Page 3

At the death of the tenth Guru, no qualified person was left to lead the Sikhs. To get out of this dilemma, the Sikhs invented Guru Granth and Guru Khalsa Panth (that is, the Guru did not give this philosophy). Pages 4445

Gurus violated their own anti caste commandments by marrying in their own caste, a true measure of their sincerity; what they preached, they did not practice, (In other words Gurus were insincere), Page $7

This is why the Sikhs feel that the Sikh Chairs have turned out to be sour and bitter. At all the three places, Vancouver, Ann Arbor, and Columbia, where the Sikhs contributed money, only students taught by McLeod have been appointed, It cannot be by chance, maybe a design, It can easily be imagined what these professors teach to their students.

All this and other writings may have been made out of ignorance, but some of them are malicious disinformation, whenever such misleading observations are contested by the Sikh scholars, a strong cry of academic freedom is shouted aloud. Agreed, everyone has academic freedom but it cannot be converted into a license for malicious disinformation.

People fighting against the rulers consider themselves freedom fighters while they are called terrorists by the government. Everyone has the academic freedom 19 label such persons as terrorists or freedom fighters. A large number of cars and electronic gadgets of Japan are sold both in North America and Europe which are situated respectively on the west and east coast of Atlantic Ocean, On this basis, if someone states that Japan is the largest continent in the world situated in the middle of the Atlantic and connected with a bridge to the other {continents it is disinformation. Not the academic freedom but this kind of disinformation regarding Sikh faith and the Guru Granth is what is objected to by the Sikhs.

However, some naive persons, without knowing the facts being discussed or because of their bias get misled by the cry of academic freedom. Sikhs endorse academic freedom and that is why they requested a dialogue with McLeod and his associates to which they have never agreed. Dr.Pashaura Singh, at An Arbor, is avoiding appearing before the Akal Takhat to answer the question about his thesis, while Dr.Gurinder Singh Mann, at Columbia, has got his thesis locked for two years to keep it away from the eyes of the Sikhs till he is collecting the remaining money for his chair from the Sikhs. Sikh scholars may like to discuss this situation with the

University authorities before proceeding further with these Chairs, Gurbakhsh Singh Fredericksburg, and VA.

Article extracted from this publication >>  December 24, 1993