NEW YORK—A US based Sikh organization has has given a call to boycott a conference called by Dr. Pashaura Singh due to his anti-Sikh activities in the past. It is notable that Dr. Pashaura Singh has allegedly written an anti-Sikh research paper which was condemned by a number of US and Punjab based Sikh organization. Dr Pishuara Singh is scheduled to speak at “Living and Making Sikhi in the Diaspora: The Millennial Generation Comes of Age”. The conference will take place from May 8-10, 2015 in Riverside, California.
In 1991, Pashaura Singh had completed his research paper named ‘Bani of Aad Granth’ in which he tried to prove that Guru Arjan Dev Ji took help from scriptures of Harsahai and Goindwal in 1604 BC. It has been alleged that the intention behind this research was to challenge the existence of spiritual Gurbani, leaving Gurbani to be analyzed as a mere literary work. Dr. Pashaura Singh is a student W. Hew McLeod, who was instrumental in the attempt to establish the “Bannu Bir” as an early draft of Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
Sikh intellectuals have challenged his thesis, but Pashaura Singh has apparently not replied to any questions posed before him. In 1994, he was summoned to Sri Akal Takht Sahib and was punished by the then Jathedar. He admitted his fault at Sri Akal Takht Sahib and promised to avoid such mistakes in the future. Despite this, he allegedly published the same research in 2013-14.
In light of these activities of Pashaura Singh , Sikh Youth of America has called for the boycott of this conference.
A few other websites are also covering this issue of WH McLeod and Dr. Pashaura Ji’s thesis. I have also heard that Dr. Gurmohan S Walia is now not attending. To know more about this conference we can also go to http://controversialwhmcleod.wordpress.com
one of the traitors and those trying to divide Sikhs in our panth