BY: Gurbachan Singh Mann

 Ann Arbor MI: The Sikhs of Michigan belonging to the Sikh society of Michigan as well as the Sikh Gurdwara of Michigan gathered in front of the Rackham Building of the University of Michigan on Feb5,1994 at 12:30 p.m. to protest against the closed door policy of the University with respect to the Sikh studies program. The Organizers of the protest distributed pamphlets to explain their position to the participants

The Sikh Community of Michigan who pioneered the project of collecting funds to endow a chair in Sikh Studies at the University of Michigan and have so far collected close to $400000 were not informed about this conference. This conference was secretly planned about four months ago. The University violated their promise to consult the Sikh Community in all matters pertaining to Sikh Studies as per the letter of understanding issued on July 23,1986 by Dr Peter  Steiner the then Dean College of Literature Science and the arts. Instead of consulting the official representatives of the Sikh Societies of Michigan they handpicked a few of their friends to seek their advice in the matter of Sikh Studies. According to the Program officer of CSSEA   Lee Schlesinger the doors to the conference are closed to all unless they have academic credentials. About half of the speakers of this so-called academic conference are not connected with the Sikh Studies at all. Their only credentials are that they themselves have either misinterpreted the Sikh Scriptures and history to malign the Sikhs or joined hands with those who have been involved   unethical motivated and spurious research about us.

Toronto Group of Scholars; Toronto University produced a P h d with the assistance of a New Zealand based Christian missionary turned scholar H. McLeod. This new PhD scholar is al present occupying the position in Sikh Studies at University of Michigan In his PhD thesis most of the guidelines of research that were set by the Social Science Humanities Research Council of Canada were violated by him as well as his Supervisors According to clause #22 of these guidelines Greater consideration must be given to the risks to physical psychological humane proprietary and cultural values than to the potential contribution of the research to knowledge. At this conference all the violators of these rules are speaking.

Main stream Sikh scholars are Left out Heads and faculty members of the Sikh Studies Departments of all the three: Universities of Punjab with hub of Sikhs Studies and the birth place of the Sikh Nation were not invited to Speak at this conference. The two Speakers selected from India are officials of the National Institute of Punjab Studies a institute politically motivated and established by the government of India to undermine the aspirations of the Sikhs.

A Politically motivated un academic conference in the campus of a University which is famous for its academics The 11th Guru of the Sikhs Guru Gobind Singh gave shelter to the discarded Scholars of his times and encouraged them to do research and waited. As Such Sikhs are firm believers of Academic freedom and do not require a lesson on this subject from anybody. Dr. H. McLeod and his associates however have the tendency of ignoring or disregarding available evidences and arriving’s at the predetermined conclusions by building up their own hypothetical evidences Dr.John Spellman who recently joined this new breed of hypothetical scholars ignored the recently Supplied historical evidence which clearly prove the necessity of the turban for a Sikh and went ahead to write an extensive article against the importance of turban.

This conference is politically motivated to malign the image of the Sikhs as all the participating Scholars belong to the same school of thought. Not a single academician was invited to participate in this conference whose research and scholarship had the blessings and goodwill of the majority of the Sikh Community.

The University authorities said that they would like a good academic debate to decide the future of Sikh Studies Is this the way to arrive at such a vital decision? If indeed they wish to achieve this objective it would be even more crucial to have a dialogue with those main stream Scholars who do not subscribe to the McLeod Ian school of thought.

Article extracted from this publication >> February 11, 1994