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- Pashaura Singh is a religious studies scholar and a professor at the University of California, Riverside where he currently holds the Dr. Jasbir Singh Saini Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies. He completed his Ph.D. at University of Toronto under the supervision of W. H. McLeod – an influential scholar and historian of Sikhism. Singh pursued an academic career and joined the University of Michigan, where he edited and co-published two collections of Sikh studies. Copies of Singh's thesis at University of Toronto, "The Text and Meaning of the Adi Granth", were circulated without permission. Some of these reached the conservative faction of the Sikh community, who with alarm, complained about it before the Akal Takht at the Golden Temple. Singh's academic studies were strongly criticized by the conservative Sikhs, he became a target of hostile attacks, and he was pressured to withdraw parts of his thesis. He refused, saying his thesis was based on "very sound underpinnings". Singh was summoned by Akal Takht. He missed the first summon, and stated "I have simply compared the manuscripts of the third Guru and of the fifth Guru (Arjan Dev) and tried to establish the editorial policy of Arjan Dev (who is credited with compiling the holy book)", according to India Today. He later appeared before the Akal Takht panel, apologized for any distress he may have caused, and offered to amend anything incorrect in his thesis, but nothing else. His apology and offer was accepted. In 2019, Sikh advocacy groups such as United Sikh Party objected to an invitation to Pashaura Singh by Punjabi University for an International History Conference. They accused Singh of questioning the "authenticity of Shri Guru Granth Sahib" and treating the "Travels of Guru Nanak" as fake. They threatened to protest if Singh is allowed to speak at the conference. Singh did not attend the conference, citing personal reasons. (en)
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