Muslim Religious Militancy: Causes and Cure

Islamic religious militancy is a matter of great concern for the Muslim and the non-Muslim world today. The analysis of the ideology of the militants reveals that they find the legitimacy of their military activities in the ideal of the establishment of an Islamic state to establish the universal rule of Islām, and in the specific interpretations of some Qur’ānic verses, Aḥādīth of the Prophet (r), and also from the establishment of the Islamic state in Madīnah by the Prophet (r), his the military expeditions and those of his companions against their opponents and from the treatment of our historians of the individual military campaigns against the Muslim regimes of their times. The Muslim militants also fight against their Muslim governments on the grounds that they are not the true Islamic governments. The militants do not bother to kill the common Muslim masses, who vote and support such rulers. They take it as collateral damage. The world naturally reacts to this cult, especially the west, being at the helm of the world politics. Not only do the West tries to crush the Islamic militants, across the world, but also, topple the Muslim democratic governments having any ideal of an Islamic Khilāfah. This frustrates the peaceful political activists and strengthens the military activists, further. To end this ongoing and mounting cult of religious militancy, it is necessary to review the specific and traditional interpretations of the academic sources of Islām: Qur’ān, Ḥadīth and Fiqh, regarding the legitimacy of militancy in Islām. Secondly, to remove their misconceptions, it is necessary to engage the militants in dialogue through a counter narrative, which the author tried to present here.

Phenotypic and Genetic Attributes Conferring Non-Specific Resistance Genes Against Leaf and Stripe Rusts on Wheat

A comprehensive germplasm evaluation study of wheat elite lines was conducted at Wheat Research Institute Faisalabad to identify new sources of leaf and stripe rust resistance and high yield potential during crop seasons 2015-2017. The parents’ lines were selected on the basis of phenotypic characteristics and slow rusting history of race non-specific resistance genes by the selection of desirable parents used in a filial generation (F1-F5). In primary evaluation, total 855 head rows (F6 generation) were selected among F5 generation and screened. Among these, 112 lines were found to be resistant and these were further assayed for leaf and stripe rust resistance, yield performance and the presence of race non-specific rust resistance genes through phenotypic and molecular markers. The second round of evaluation identified 44 lines potentially resistant to both leaf and stripe rust under field conditions. Environmental factors played a great role on the progress of leaf and stripe rust disease severities during both crop seasons 2015-2017. Maximum lines showed statistically significant correlation with all environmental conditions. A positive linear relationship was observed between temperature (minimum and maximum), relative humidity, rainfall and wind speed and leaf and stripe rust disease severity. The phenotypic and molecular investigation confirmed 10 elite lines demonstrating the linkage of three designated slow rusting/race non-specific resistance genes (Lr34/Yr18, Lr46/Yr29, and Sr2/Yr30). Among 112 advanced lines, under yield testing trial 14 lines (cluster-V) demonstrated highest mean values for all traits i.e. plant height (cm), grain yield (Kg ha-1), protein (%), 1000 grain weight (g), spike length (cm) and number of spikelet per spike as compared to all check varieties. It was concluded that CHENAB2000/INQ.91/5/WBLL1*2/ 4/SNI/TRAP#1/3/KAUZ*2/TRAP//KAUZ; PB-36259-0A-0A-0A-12A-0A (V-70003), 87094/ERA// PAK-81/2*V-87094/3/SHAFAQ-06/4/MAYA/PVN; PB-36369-0A-0A-0A-11A-0A (V-70034), FSD.08/6/BABAX/3/FASAN/Y//KAUZ/4/BABAX/5/LU26/HD2179/7/PB.96/87094/MH.97; PB. 37082-0A-0A-0A-19A-0A (V-70054), CNDO/R143//ENTE/MEXI_2/3/AEGILOPSSQUARROS A(TAUS)/ 4/WEAVER/5/PICUS/6/TROST/7/TACUPETOF2001/8/ CROW''S''/NAC//BOW''S''; PB No.36830-0A-0A-0K-12A-0A (V-70070); WHEAR/KRONST ADF2004//KAUZ/SITE; PBNo.36880-0A-0A-0K-11A-0A (V-70085), CNDO/R143//ENTE/MEXI_2/3/AEGILOPSSQUAR ROSA(TAUS)/4/WEAVER/5/IRENA/6/LERKE/7/TAN/PEW//SARA/3/CBRD; PBNo.369760 A-0A-0K-4A-0A (V-70103) and CNDO/R143//ENTE/MEXI_2/3/AEGILOPSSQUA RROSA(TAUS)/4/WEAVER/5/IRENA/6/LERKE/7/TAN/PEW//SARA/3/CBRD; PB No. 36976-0A-0A-0K-10A-0A) (V-70104) were most prominent crosses yielded lines and showed the combination of three slow rusting genes. None of these lines showed race specific/complete resistance, but were of slow rusting type and were suitable for commercial cultivation. Virulences analysis of leaf and stripe rust race populations was carried out to observe virulence pattern in the country through avirulence/virulence formula. The surveys were carried out on the rust traps nurseries consisted of 39 leaf and 27 stripe rust near-isogenic lines planted at different locations in Pakistan. The results showed that there were no virulence patterns for genes Lr18, Lr19, Lr23+(GAZA), Lr28, Lr29, Lr32, Lr34, Lr35, Lr36 and Lr37 and Yr1, Yr3, Yr4, Yr5, Yr8, Yr9, Yr10, Yr15, Yr17, Yr18, Yr26, Yr28, Yr29, Opata, Yrcv, Yrsp, Super Kauz, PBW-343 and Aoc+Yra. Among varieties FSD-08, PB-11, AARI-2011, Millat-11 and AAS-11 exhibited effective resistance to both leaf and stripe rust pathotypes.