Above and below: Facsimile of the original document.
Current Events
University of California Riverside Chancellor Clears Prof. Pashaura Singh of All Allegations of 'Wrongdoing'
CHANCELLOR'S OFFICE
University of California Office of the Chancellor
Riverside
900 University Avenue
Riverside, CA 92521
Tel 951.827.5201
January 22, 2009
Raminderjit Singh Sekhon
Spokesperson, Coalition of Gurdwaras of California
Sikh Temple Riverside
7940 Mission Boulevard
Riverside, CA 92509
Dear Mr. Sekhon:
This letter responds to your letter and request dated November 7, 2008 (received November 12th) along with associated documents regarding Professor Pashaura Singh's academic scholarship, in which you assert that "... Dr. Singh has published derogatory Sikh literature under the guise of academic research ... ".
Since receiving your letter, we have evaluated your allegations per University of California Riverside ("UCR") Policy & Procedures for Responding to Allegations of Research Misconduct (UCR Policy 529-900; copy attached). This policy directs the UCR Vice Chancellor for Research, Dr. Charles Louis, to review the allegations in his capacity as the Research Integrity Officer for UC Riverside. As such, he is charged with coordinating all procedures related to allegations of research misconduct by anyone performing research, broadly defined, under the campus' sponsorship.
UCR policy defines three increasingly formal stages of review: a. preliminary assessment; b. inquiry; and c. investigation. Each successive stage of review is initiated only if the outcome of the earlier stage(s) indicates, against exacting criteria, that a subsequent stage of review is warranted. In compliance with Policy 529-900,
Vice Chancellor Louis conducted a "preliminary assessment" of the allegations. The preliminary assessment determines whether the complaint falls within the definition of research misconduct, is under the purview of this policy, and whether the allegation is sufficiently credible and specific so that potential evidence of research misconduct may be identified.
Within the context of the University's policy I have set out Dr. Louis' analysis and conclusions below. The first test is comparing the allegation against the definition of research misconduct. Research misconduct means fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism, in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results.
a. Fabrication is making up data or results and recording or reporting them.
Evidence is not presented that the scriptures or texts were fabricated.
b. Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
Evidence is not presented that the texts were manipulated by changing or omitting data or results.
c. Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit.
Evidence is not presented that the academic publications of Professor Singh were copied or plagiarized from someone else.
d. Research misconduct does not include honest error or differences of opinion.
The allegations against Professor Singh appear as differences of opinion or of interpretation of the sacred scriptures. This is presented clearly in the opening line of the allegations that Prof. Singh's work consists of "sacrilegious publications" (page 1). In other places the allegations refer to some works as the ideas of "heretics" (page 5). The allegations place Professor Singh's work in a context of "schismatic manuscripts" (page 6).
The Coalition states in its allegations that Professor Singh is wrong in his conclusions, but the Coalition asserts its own beliefs in matters must be accepted on faith, and not on scholarship:
All of the allegations relate to issues of opinion, faith, and belief: as such, none of them is actionable within the purview of the UCR policies on research misconduct.
The second test is to identify if there is evidence that suggests or substantiates research misconduct. A finding of research misconduct requires that:
a. There be a significant departure from accepted practices of the relevant research community:
There is nothing in the allegations that indicate that Professor Singh's practices departed from standard academic practice. To the contrary, the complainants allege that their scriptures cannot be judged nor evaluated by the usual standards of western academic scholarship. The complaint seeks to "denounce" these methods (page 5). This complaint thereby implies that Professor Singh is, in fact, following standard western academic procedures of evaluation. The complainants fault Professor Singh for following standard western academic procedures.
b. The misconduct be committed intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly;
Evidence is not given of any misconduct.
c. The allegation be proven by a preponderance of the evidence. "Preponderance of the evidence" means proof by information that, compared with that opposing it, leads to the conclusion that the fact at issue is more probably true than not.
The allegation of misconduct is not proven. Disagreements are asserted, but no evidence of misconduct is given. Evidence of disagreement over interpretation of scripture is provided, but there is certainly no preponderance of evidence on any issue other than the fact that there are faith-based disagreements.
The Coalition's allegations state that there are several points on which Professor Pashaura Singh is wrong. The Coalition alleges that it so firmly believes its interpretation that it believes that the truth of its interpretation is self-evident to anyone with the knowledge to evaluate it. The Coalition also argues that anyone who does not agree with its interpretation obviously lacks the knowledge needed to evaluate its allegations. This cyclical reasoning makes it impossible to disagree with the Coalition's views without being wrong in the Coalition's perspective.
The Coalition's letter alleges research problems with Professor Singh's Ph.D. dissertation, with the members of that committee, and the standards of the granting university. Since these allegations relate to matters that took place in Canada they are neither under the purview nor authority of the University of California, Riverside.
The complaint places Professor Singh's scholarship in a tradition of anti-Sikh scholars. Professor Singh, however, cannot be judged by the scholarship of other people with whom he is alleged to have similarities. The complaint when based upon Professor Singh's precise deeds, works, actions, teachings and publication in scholarship does not meet the standard required.
In conclusion, evidence is not presented that meets the criteria specified by the University as misconduct in research.
The heart of the complaint is stated on page 7 where Professor Singh is represented to have already "accepted his guilt in totality ... and apologized to the Sikh community." The complainant perceives, however, that Professor Singh has "again defied the Sikh community." On this basis, the complaint alleges that his remarks "should not be tolerated."
The University's policies promote the toleration of ideas. University policies do not provide a framework for assigning guilt for "wrong" ideas, nor procedures for apologizing to people whose authority has been "defied." The focus of this complaint is on limiting toleration of ideas, and the remedies requested are not within the authority of the University.
After careful review, I concur with Dr. Louis that the allegations asserted by the Coalition fail to fall within the definition of research misconduct established by UCR policy, and that these allegations are not sufficiently credible and specific to warrant further investigation.
Sincerely,
Sd/-
Timothy P. White
Chancellor
cc: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Lt. Governor John Garamendi
President Mark Yudof
Regent Sherry Lansing
Regent Eddie Island
Attachments: University of California, Riverside Policy & Procedures for
Responding to Allegations of Research Misconduct (UCR Policy 529-900)
[March 16, 2009]
Conversation about this article
1: Amarjit Singh (Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.), March 16, 2009, 10:51 AM.
Whew! I hope this closes the chapter and Prof. Pashaura Singh can move on with his important work at the University. I should add that, inevitably, there are a number of things in his writings that I disagree with, or have differing opinions on. But the behaviour of a handful of chaps spearheading opposition to his work - and believe me, no one is following them - has been most disgraceful and un-Sikh-like. There is a proper way of expressing dissent; theirs hasn't been proper or acceptable by any stretch of the definition of the words. I apologize to the Professor and the University, on behalf of the Sikh community at large, for the shenaningans of these handful few ... their views and methods are certainly not shared by even a small fraction of the community.
2: Kulbir Kaur (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), March 16, 2009, 10:56 AM.
Prof. Pashaura Singh is a good man. He may not be a perfect scholar - no one is! But he would never do anything intentional to harm or denigrate Sikhi. He deserves better than these yahoos who have been hounding him. Hope this will give them permission to fade away into the dusk.
3: Surjit Singh (Chino Hills, Califonia, U.S.A.), March 16, 2009, 11:16 AM.
Never heard of this so-called "Coalition"! This motley crew is always behind some mischief or the other - hiding behind high-falutin' names concocted for their short-sighted, narrow-minded, nefarious goals. The majority in our community needs to be more vocal in making sure that our projects don't get side-tracked by such good-for-nothings!
4: Jagpal Singh Tiwana ( Dartmouth, Canada ), March 16, 2009, 5:31 PM.
Heartiest Congratulations to Dr. Pashura Singh ji. He is a devout Sikh and a scholar of a high calibre. His works are a testament to this. I was deeply moved when I read his article, "My Guru & I", on Sikhchic.com. He has been accused of blasphemy by those who know nothing about Sikh values. What a tragedy! Finally a University has recognized his worth and removed all doubts created by a bunch of bullies. I wish him all the best! Now that this chapter is over, we look forward to more books from you, Sardar Sahib.
5: Bakshish Singh (Birmingham, United Kingdom), March 16, 2009, 5:39 PM.
Academia needs to learn to be respectful of the community(ies) it serves ... just as it has already learnt to be cognizant of power structures (such as major corporate funders, or governmental funding agencies). Academics need to be respectful of the communities that finance their ivory towers. And, communities need to learn to give academics leeway; all work emanating from the latter cannot be guaranteed to be flawless or error-free. What we CAN demand of them, however - in all fairness - is for them to be bias-free (as far as humanly possible), honest and diligent. The small pocket of do-gooders hounding Prof. Pashaura Singh (the same clowns who have been harassing Hew McLeod and anybody else that doesn't fit into their pea-brained world) have certainly dropped the ball once again. We need to be vigilant and not allow ourselves to be hijacked by those who have personal or vested agendas.
6: Raj Kumar Hans (Baroda, India), March 17, 2009, 8:57 AM.
Good and great! The verdict/judgement is on expected lines as fairplay and justice are hugely possible in the 'standard western academic procedures' which, ironically, Prof. Singh was accused of contravening by his differently driven compatriots. It must not only be a sigh of relief to him but indeed is to the academic fraternity and 'gurmukh' Sikhs at large who would have been pained by such canards by a few self-appointed 'thekedaars' of Sikh affairs. The Gurus preached against intolerance, and always emphasized 'vichaar' (reflection) and 'vivek' (wisdom). Difference of opinion is not necessarily difference of faith. Interpretations, covering even the so-called 'universal ideas and values' are bound to be diverse and different, depending on time and space. Let Sikhi be a faith equally of believers, interpreters and researchers. No one has a monopoly over 'Truth'. 'Truth' is as much a construction as is faith itself.
7: Tejwant (U.S.A.), March 17, 2009, 1:42 PM.
Many of the people who criticised Prof. Pashaura Singh call themselves scholars in Sikhi because they hold a couple of books under their arms after having penned them for some reason, but sadly fail to understand what the word Sikh really means. If we cannot learn and hence improve and accept our past mistakes, then we belong to some kind of "-ism" rather than this way of life called Sikhi. I remember having email interaction with Dr. Hakam Singh, another "scholar" who has penned a couple of books regarding Prof. Sahib. He showed his ire shamelessly towards Prof. Sahib and did not give a hoot when reminded that Prof. Pashaura Singh had recognised his failings publicly. Dr. Hakam Singh's main reason of this anger and dissatifaction of Prof. Pashaura Singh being less of a Sikh was that he - Dr. Sahib - did not like the thesis of Prof. Pashaura Singh that was sent to him for evaluation. I hope Dr. Singh can write his fresh views about the decision taken in favour of Prof Sahib by the University in this forum. It is sad to notice that we want to find faults in other Sikhs, perhaps as a trick to camouflage our own. We forget the true meaning of Sikhi which means that learning never ends. If one's learning has ended, then one has ceased practicing Sikhi despite exibihiting full fledged baana with great pride. I hope, one day, Prof. Pashaura Singh would write about his trials and tribulations in this affair and how he has learnt as a Sikh from all this. And, let us all appreciate this learning process and become better Sikhs through this. Isn't this what the true essence of being a Sikh is all about?
8: Chintan Singh (San Jose, California, U.S.A.), March 17, 2009, 7:09 PM.
I completely agree with what all you have said, so no need for me to repeat. Except that I would also someday like to read Prof. Pashaura Singh's autobiography with his account of how all this started and what he has gone through. May God be with you, always, Prof. Sahib.
9: Irvinderpal Singh Babra (Brantford, Ontario, Canada), March 17, 2009, 9:17 PM.
I have known Professor Pashaura Singh as a student in Toronto and as a scholar thereafter. He is a clear winner now. His scholarly works deserve to be promoted and translated in this 540th year of Guru Nanak's birth anniversary, and I hugely admire his University for having come to his aid, side and defence. Hope this marks a new beginning in Sikh Studies. My congratulations to him and the University. Great service done.
10: Ajeet Singh Nahal (New York, U.S.A.), March 18, 2009, 9:17 AM.
Thanks to University of California Riverside Chancellor Timothy White for a judicious finding. Despite the braying of a few nondescripts, the caravan of good work by Dr. Pashaura Singh shall now go on. Chardi Kalaa!
11: Chintan Singh (San Jose, Calfornia, U.S.A.), March 18, 2009, 4:02 PM.
Is there a list of Dr. Pashaura Singh's publications, including the so called controversial ones? Where can we get his books?
12: Dr Dln (U.S.A.), March 18, 2009, 9:38 PM.
I wonder how many of these self-appointed gate-keepers of Sikhi have worked in a university academic environment or have done any research. Very professional, fair and just decision by the university! Thanks.
13: Dr. Gurcharan.Singh Attariwala (Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada), March 24, 2009, 4:47 PM.
I commend the Univ. Of California Riverdale for their outstanding support of Dr Pashaura Singh. I have known Dr Pashaura Singh since he came to North America - at first, as a Granthi in Calgary. He's a devout Sikh with great moral values and principles. Realizing his potential, the Guru Nanak Sikh Soceity encouraged him to go for higher studies so that he may bring credit to the Sikh Religion in the community of Religious Academia. Regrettibly, our pseudo-scholars and politically motivated, egotistical 'religious' 'leaders' have been unfairly denigrating and hounding him, basically for two reasons. Firstly, jealousy, because he does not belong to their village bacground, and secondly, that his teacher was Dr. Hew McLeod. Regarding his teacher Dr McLeod, the same so-called 'leaders' have been very unfair. I went to New Zealand a couple years ago and visited Dr McLeod. I found him to be a very humble scholar and completely devoted to Sikh studies. His whole house is nothing but a Sikh Library. I had frank discussions about his initial writings and his 'motives'. He accepted that he had made a few innocent mistakes because he came from a different social and cultural background, and because of unfamiliarity with the language. He had to rely on the writings of previous scholars and old literature. He rectified the mistakes once he was made aware of them. He had no motive of converting since he did not practice his own religion. Realistically, he should be praised and given honour as a great scholar who exposed the Sikh Religion to the Western world. I would suggest that all Sikhs read his recent book, "Discovering the Sikhs", which will, I'm sure, clarify their misunderstandings. I ask Dr Pashaura Singh to continue the good work and not get intimidated by these petty so-called 'leaders'. Chardi Kala!
14: Dr. Visho Sharma, Emeritus Professor of Social Science, Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, MI, U.S.A.), March 26, 2009, 11:16 AM.
Earlier, I had sent a long letter to Chancellor White. In it, I had not only controverted the ludicrous allegations made by a self-appointed rabble, but also gave an account of the Akaal Takht hearings many, many years ago. I had denigrated the political motives then and the rabble-rousing now by a bunch of fanatics from those earlier horrible times in Indian history. The earlier allegation of blasphemy and its new avatar, heresy, are alien to Sikh vichaar parnaali and vichaar dhaaraa. The allegations got worse from that point on. The pulpit, or its laughable representatives, were trying to dictate to the podium; the street was invading the academic sanctum; nothing less than terror stalked the beleaguered family at the hands of those with dubious backgrounds. Scholars were being disparaged, while parvenus from questionable colleges were being quoted (with all their bad English - and incredible untruths and half-truths left intact by others, equally ungrammared.) A most devoted Sikh, a distinguished scholar, and a most humble man at that, with a very wide following wherever he had served, was being maligned and traduced. The University's findings, suitably written in decorous language, it is clear, condemn the accusers and expose them to the howling ridicule of town as well as gown that they have so churlishly elicited. May Dr. Pashaura Singh keep teaching us more and more the profundity of the Sikh Panth, as he has so nobly done for three decades; may his family at last find the peace and quiet they need and deserve so much. And may all right-thinking people draw the right conclusion from what scholars have written in his behalf, endorsing the very wise conclusions arrived at the University of California Riverside.
15: Kundhan Singh (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), April 23, 2009, 1:27 PM.
I have personally known Prof. Pashaura Singh since 1979 when he was a teacher at Guru Harkrishan Khalsa School in New Delhi. He is a true and dedicated Sikh and a human being with remarkable integrity. His lifelong commitment to furthering our knowledge of Sikhism has enabled us to gain a better understanding of our faith and its teachings. The conduct of those who have openly opposed and demeaned Prof. Pashaura Singh is in stark contrast with the very teachings they purport to stand for. "Fareed, if you have a keen understanding, then do not draw black marks against anyone else. Look underneath your own collar instead." [GGS:1378.] I commend and congratulate the University of California for its response to the baseless allegations of misconduct and for vindicating Prof. Pashaura Singh once and for all. It is now time to let Prof. Pashaura Singh continue his work in peace, and turn our focus to addressing the more pressing issues we are facing today.