THE SIKH TIMES
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Noteworthy News and Analysis from Around the World

In-Depth Coverage of Issues Concerning the Global Sikh Community Including Self-Determination, Democracy, Human Rights, Civil Liberties, Antiracism, Religion, and South Asian Geopolitics

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About The Sikh Times

History and Mission
Policy
Newsletter
Founder
Patron
Advisors-at-Large
Writers
Citations
Former Advisors-at-Large
Resources
Leisure

History and Mission

Established in 1999, The Sikh Times is an independent, progressive, Internet-based, voluntary, non-profit, media watchdog project directed at compiling noteworthy news and analysis from around the world on issues of concern to the global Sikh community.

Coverage topics include self-determination, democracy, human rights, civil liberties, antiracism, religion, and South Asian geopolitics.

Via reviews, biographical sketches, interviews, and media watch The Sikh Times undertakes to disseminate to the Sikh community a deep understanding of how various oppressed, peripheral and minority communities and peoples cope with challenges similar to those that confront the Sikhs.

It is hoped that a broadening of context and perspective thus achieved will empower Sikhs to make enlightened and informed decisions about their own affairs.

Policy

Barring the following exceptions, all news analysis items are reproduced verbatim with source.

  • Headlines
  • Short blurbs in gray immediately following the bylines
  • Abridgement
  • Corrections pertaining to grammatical errors
  • Edits aimed at achieving consistency of style
  • Clarifications, references and translations in [square brackets]

    The Sikh Times welcomes all serious feedback, enquiries, criticism, submissions, and contributions.

    Newsletter

    The Sikh Times publishes a quarterly newsletter containing highlights pertaining to news, analysis, editorials, opinion, biographies, reviews, events, links, and photographs.

    To receive the newsletter, email sikhtimes-newsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

    View the newsletter archives at sikhtimes-newsletter

    Founder

    Puneet Singh Lamba

    Puneet may be reached at the following email address: puneet AT sikhtimes DOT com

    Patron

    Rohan Oberoi, B.S. (Cornell)

  • Author, Welcome to the B.J.P. (Bharatiya Janata Pustakalaya) (Op-Ed, Outlook, May 23, 2001)
  • Author, Will You Be My Bal-entine? (Op-Ed, The Satya Circle, Mar. 4, 2001)
  • Author, Censored by a Press Freedom Hero and Other Musings on Arun Shourie (Op-Ed, Parabaas, Jun. 1, 2000)
  • Author, India's Hands Aren't Clean (Op-Ed, The Los Angeles Times, Jan. 9, 2000)

    Advisors-at-Large

    Jagpal Singh Tiwana

  • Former Instructor, Political Science, Khalsa College, Patiala, Punjab, India
  • Librarian and Cybrarian, Nova Scotia Teachers College, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Librarian and Cybrarian, The Maritime Sikh Society, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Author, The Maritime Sikh Society: Origin and Growth

    Norman Gerald (Jerry) Barrier, Ph.D. (Duke)
  • Professor and Middlebush Chair in the Social Sciences (2000-2005), University of Missouri-Columbia
  • Author, The Sikhs and Their Literature: A Guide to Books, Tracts & Periodicals (1849 - 1919)
  • Author, Banned: Controversial Literature and Political Control in British India (1907 - 1947)
  • Co-Editor, Sikh Diaspora: Migration and the Experience Beyond Punjab
  • Co-Editor, The Transmission of Sikh Heritage in the Diaspora
  • Co-Editor, Sikh Studies: Comparative Perspectives of a Changing Tradition
  • Co-Editor, Sikh Identity: Continuity and Change
  • Proprietor, South Asia Books

    Doris Jakobsh, M.T.S. (Harvard), Ph.D. (U.B.C.)
  • Instructor, Religious Studies, Renison College, University of Waterloo
  • Instructor, Religion and Culture, Wilfred Laurier University
  • Author, Relocating Gender in Sikh History: Transformation, Meaning and Identity
  • Co-Author, The Transmission of Sikh Heritage in the Diaspora

    Gurinder Singh Mann, M.T.S. (Harvard), Ph.D. (Columbia)
  • Kapany Professor of Sikh Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Co-Editor, Studying the Sikhs: Issues for North America
  • Author, The Goindval Pothis: The Earliest Extant Source of the Sikh Canon
  • Author, The Making of Sikh Scripture

    Harbans Lal, Ph.D., D.Litt. (honoris causa, G.N.D.U.)
  • Emeritus Professor and Chairman, Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas, Fort Worth
  • Emeritus Professor, Guru Nanak Studies, Guru Nanak Dev University (G.N.D.U.)
  • Member, Editorial Advisory Board, The Sikh Review
  • Founder President, Academy of Guru Granth Studies
  • Co-Founder and President-Elect (1954), All India Sikh Students Federation (A.I.S.S.F.)
  • Siropa (Robe of Honor), Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (S.G.P.C.)
  • Siropa (Robe of Honor), Chief Khalsa Diwan (C.K.D.)
  • Siropa (Robe of Honor), Sikh Educational Conference
  • Order of Nishan-e-Khalsa, Anandpur Sahib Foundation
  • Member, Editorial Board, Understanding Sikhism
  • Trustee, Bhai Nand Lal Sikh Academy
  • Founder President, Sri Nankana Sahib Foundation
  • Advisor, American Project on Religion and the News Media
  • Member, Interfaith Council of the Center for World Thanksgiving

    Pritpal Singh Bindra
  • Author, Thus Sayeth Gurbani
  • Winner, Akali Phoola Singh Book Award, 1998

    Baldev Raj Nayar, Ph.D. (Chicago)
  • Emeritus Professor of Political Science, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • Author, Minority Politics in the Punjab

    I.J. Singh, Ph.D. (Oregon), D.D.S. (Columbia)
  • Professor and Coordinator, Anatomical Sciences, New York University
  • Adjunct Professor, Columbia University
  • Adjunct Professor, Cornell University
  • Author, Sikhs and Sikhism: A View With a Bias
  • Author, The Sikh Way: A Pilgrim's Progress
  • Member, Editorial Advisory Board, The Sikh Review
  • Member, Editorial Advisory Board, The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab, India

    Charn Jit Singh (C.J.S.) Wallia, Ph.D. (Stanford)
  • Publisher and Editor, IndiaStar Review of Books

    Eugene Correia
  • Freelance Journalist
  • Managing Editor, CanIndia News Weekly
  • Foreign Correspondent, India Today
  • Foreign Correspondent, Frontline

    Tarek Fatah
  • Host, The Muslim Chronicle, a weekly current affairs program on C.T.S. Television

    Inderjit Singh Jaijee
  • Former Member, Punjab Legislative Assembly
  • Former President, Indian Minority and Dalit Front
  • Co-Founder and Co-Convenor, Movement Against State Repression (M.A.S.R.)
  • Author, Politics of Genocide: Punjab 1984 - 1998

    Ram Narayan Kumar
  • Human Rights Activist
  • Co-Author, The Sikh Struggle: Origin, Evolution and Present Phase
  • Author, The Sikh Unrest and the Indian State: Politics, Personalities and Historical Retrospective

    Pashaura Singh, Ph.D. (Toronto)
  • Professor, Religious Studies, University of California, Riverside
  • Formerly, Senior Lecturer in Sikh Studies and Punjabi Language, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • Co-Editor, Sikh Identity: Continuity and Change
  • Co-Editor, Transmission of Sikh Heritage in the Diaspora
  • Author, The Guru Granth Sahib: Canon, Meaning and Authority

    Manmohan (Moni) Singh Minhas, P.Eng.
  • Founder, Minhas Training and Development Inc.
  • Author, The Sikh Canadians
  • President, O.K. Liquor Stores Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  • Philanthropist

    Joe R. Feagin, Ph.D. (Harvard)
  • Graduate Research Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Florida
  • Author, Racist America: Roots, Current Realities, & Future Reparations
  • Author, White Racism: The Basics, American Sociological Association Oliver C. Cox Book Award
  • Author, Ghetto Revolts, Nominated for the Pulitzer Prize
  • Author, Living with Racism, Gustavus Myers Center Outstanding Human Rights Book Award
  • Former President-Elect, American Sociological Association

    Howard Zinn, Ph.D. (Columbia)
  • Professor Emeritus of History and Political Science, Boston University
  • Author, A People's History of the United States, Nominated for the American Book Award
  • Author, Declarations of Independence, Olive Branch Award
  • Columnist, The Progressive
  • Recipient, Thomas Merton Award
  • Recipient, Eugene V. Debs Award
  • Recipient, Upton Sinclair Award
  • Recipient, Lannan Foundation Literary Award for Nonfiction
  • Recipient, Otis Social Justice Award

    Hardev Singh Shergill
  • Educator
  • Publisher, The Sikh Bulletin

    Gail M. Harley, Ph.D.
  • Department of Religious Studies, University of South Florida
  • Author, Emma Curtis Hopkins: Forgotten Founder of New Thought
  • Author, Hindu and Sikh Faiths in America

    Devinder Singh Chahal, Ph.D.
  • Editor-in-Chief, Understanding Sikhism
  • Author, Five Issued Patents on Processes for Bioconversion of Biomass into Useful Products (Canada, U.S.A. and India)
  • Professor Emeritus of Applied Microbiology, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
  • Professor Emeritus of Applied Microbiology, Institut Armand-Frappier, University of Quebec, Laval, Quebec, Canada
  • Former Visiting Scientist (Fulbright Fellow), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Founder, Department of Microbiology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India

    Nancy Murray, B.A. (Harvard), B.Phil., Ph.D. (Modern History, Oxford)
  • Founder Director, Bill of Rights Education Project, American Civil Liberties Union (A.C.L.U.)
  • Director, Civil Liberties Task Force, A.C.L.U.
  • Member, Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights
  • Member, The Progressive Media Project
  • Member, Editorial Board, Race & Class, Institute of Race Relations, London

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    Writers

    S. Gopikrishna, B.Tech. (I.I.T., Kharagpur, India), M.S. (University of Michigan)

  • Writer, The Progressive
  • Columnist, Rediff.com
  • Columnist, Desi News, a Toronto-based monthly magazine
  • Email: gopi AT sikhtimes DOT com

    Manjit Kaur
  • Educator
  • Presenter, Sikh Symposium, Singapore, 2000
  • Email: manjit AT sikhtimes DOT com

    Simar Kaur Goraya
  • Human Rights Activist
  • Writer, Reporter, and Television Commentator
  • Email: simar AT sikhtimes DOT com

    Angela Hamon
  • Veteran, U.S. Army
  • Graduate, Defense Language Institute
  • Contributor, Several Anthologies and Art Shows
  • Email: angela AT sikhtimes DOT com

    Francine Eisner
  • Reporter and Writer
  • Email: francine AT sikhtimes DOT com

    Betsy Ciaputra
  • Writer
  • Email: betsy AT sikhtimes DOT com

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    Citations

    Original works published by The Sikh Times (as well as archived articles) have been cited by many publications, including the following.

  • Books and Journals
    1. The Broken Middle; By DILIP SIMEON; The Economic and Political Weekly; Volume 49, Issue Number 43-44, November 1, 2014.
    2. International Bibliography of Sikh Studies; By RAJWANT SINGH CHILANA; Springer; January 1, 2005; p. 21.
    3. Fitter for Life: The Secrets of 25 Masters of Fitness; By ED MAYHEW; p. 267.
    4. Textures of the Sikh Past; By TONY BALLANTYNE (Editor); Oxford University Press; 2007; pp. 282-311.
    5. 3HO/Sikh Dharma of the Western Hemisphere: The 'Forgotten' New Religious Movement?; By DORIS JAKOBSH; Religion Compass; 2008.
    6. Government Actions in the Demise of the Thugs [1829-1835] and Sikh Terrorists [1980-1993] and Lessons for the United States; By JOHN A. COLOE; Master's Thesis, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California; September 2005.
    7. Talking to One and All: Discussing Sikh Issues in Real Time; By NIRMAL SINGH; Hemkunt Publishers Pvt. Ltd.; 2009; p. 55.
    8. Debating the Dasam Granth; By ROBIN RINEHART; Oxford University Press and American Academy of Religion; 2011; p. 189.
    9. The Materiality of the Past: History and Representation in Sikh Tradition; By ANNE MURPHY; Oxford University Press; 2012; p. 291.
    10. Five Centuries of Sikh Tradition; By REETA GREWAL et. al.; Manohar; 2005; p. 367.
    11. Trauma and Memory within the Sikh Diaspora: Internet Dialogue; By N. GERALD BARRIER; Sikh Formations; Volume 2, Issue 1; 2006.
    12. India: An Overview; Wikimedia Foundation; p. 128.
    13. Various Wikipedia Articles.
    14. Flirting with Disaster; By VIKRAM JIT SINGH; Tehelka; July 9, 2005.
    15. Sikhs Across Borders: Transnational Practices of European Sikhs; KNUT A. JACOBSEN and KRISTINA MYRVOLD (Editors); Bloomsbury Academic; March 27, 2014; pp. 158-160.
    16. Guru Granth - Guru Panth: Doctrine and Experiences; By NIRMAL SINGH; Institute of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh, India; 2009.
    17. Tantra im Westen; By THORSTEN LAUE; 2011; p. 276.
    18. Hindu and Sikh Faiths in America; By GAIL M. HARLEY; Facts on File; 2003; p. 107.
    19. Abstracts of Sikh Studies; Volume 8; Issues 1-3; 2006.
    20. The Sikh Review; Volume 55; 2007; p. 71.
    21. Law and Ethnic Plurality: Socio-legal Perspectives; By PRAKASH SHAH; Martinus Nijhoff; 2007, p. 120.
    22. Debating Sharia: Islam, Gender Politics, and Family Law Arbitration; By ANNA C. KORTEWEG and JENNIFER A. SELBY; University of Toronto; 2012, p. 304.
    23. Contesting and confirming religious authority in the diaspora: Transnational communication and the Dasam Granth controversy in the Nordic countries; By KNUT A. JACOBSEN, KRISTINA MYRVOLD, RAVINDER KAUR, and LAURA HIRVI; Sikhs Across Borders; 2006
    24. Selective Leviathans: Explaining State Strategies of Counterinsurgency and Consolidation; By SAMEER LALWANI; Doctorate Thesis, MIT, 2013
    25. A South-Asian History of Britain: Four Centuries of Peoples from the Indian Sub-continent; By MICHAEL HERBERT FISHER, SHOMPA LAHIRI, SHINDER S. THANDI, 2007
    26. Bringing Fairness to Extradition Hearings: Proposing A Revised Evidentiary Bar For Political Dissidents; By HANSDEEP SINGH, 2008
    27. Sikh Diaspora and its Impact on the Khalistan Movement; By JENNIFER GRECO, 2016
    28. Constructing a new nationalism from below: The Dalit movement, politics and transnational networking; By LISA DAILY, 2009
    29. Epistemo-patrimony: speaking and owning in the Indian diaspora; By CHRISTOPHER PINNEY, 2011
    30. Commemorating Hurt: Memorializing Operation Bluestar; By RADHIKA CHOPRA, 2010
    31. Offline Politics / Online Shaming: Honor Codes, Modes of Resistance, and Responses to Sikh Gurdwara Politics; By DORIS JAOKOBSH, Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies, Volume 17, Number 2, Summer 2008, pp. 220-238.
  • Online Articles
  • Wikipedia Articles

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    Former Advisors-at-Large

    Gurcharanjit Singh Lamba

  • Advocate, Jalandhar, Punjab, India
  • Representative and Frequent Contributor, The Sikh Review

    It is with tremendous sadness and shock that The Sikh Times is obliged to report that on Feb. 23, 2003 G.S. Lamba requested that his name be removed from our list of advisors-at-large.

    In a letter addressed to Puneet Singh Lamba, founder, The Sikh Times, G.S. Lamba wrote, "I had consented to be on your advisory panel under the impression that The Sikh Times will project Sikh ideology. But, I am sorry to note that since you [Puneet Singh Lamba] have not even heeded the advise of the great Gurus to keep unshorn hair, there is no scope for any other advise. I do not wish to be associated with The Sikh Times. Please remove my name from your panel."

    If indeed orthodoxy is of such critical importance to G.S. Lamba, we are at a loss to comprehend why he made no attempt to verify our founder's orthodoxy prior to offering his support as an advisor-at-large.

    In view of the above, it is important to expose the hypocrisy of G.S. Lamba serving as a representative for The Sikh Review which has several unorthodox Sikhs and non-Sikhs serving on its Editorial Advisory Board.

    Given the internal hemorrhaging within Sikhism resulting from this sort of narrow-mindedness and sheer opportunism exhibited by educated and prominent Sikhs like G.S. Lamba, it seems futile for Sikhs to worry about the negative impact of both real and imaginary anti-Sikh forces external to Sikhism.

    Also, it is regrettable that G.S. Lamba does not possess the integrity to cite the actual catalyst behind his decision to withdraw support, i.e. a current discussion pertaining to the writings of Gurbakhsh Singh Kala Afghana on SikhNet's Internet discussion forum.

    Would Guru Nanak have approved of G.S. Lamba's holier-than-thou judgmental stance?

    G.S. Lamba would do well to recall from the pages of Sikh history that orthodox Sikhs do not have a monopoly on projecting Sikh ideology.

    In fact, it is possible to name numerous orthodox Sikhs who have committed grave acts of treason against humanity and the Sikh Panth (e.g. former president of India, 'Giani' Zail Singh and former director general of Punjab police, K.P.S. Gill).

    Equally, it is also possible to name numerous unorthodox Sikhs and non-Sikhs who have ably served humanity and the Sikh Panth (e.g. former premier of British Columbia, Ujjal Singh Dosanjh, and scholar of Sikh studies, Himadri Banerjee).

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