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Panaeolus punjabensis M. Asif, Q. Firdous, A. Izhar, Niazi & Khalid sp. nov. was collected from three different localities (Bahawalnagar, Kasur, and Lahore) in Punjab, Pakistan. Morphological observations and phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear encoded internal transcribed spacers (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 = ITS) and D1/D2 domain of large subunit (28S) rDNA confirmed the taxonomic distinctness of this species. The new species is potentially hallucinogenic and characterized by a parabolic pileus with a light brown center, broadly fusiform basidiospores, presence of cheilocystidia, pileocystidia, and caulocystidia, and absence of pleurocystidia and clamp connections. The DNA sequences of the species clustered together in a well-supported distinct clade. We present a detailed description, photographs, and line drawings, and elucidate and discuss the phylogenetic position of the new species. Morphological comparisons with phylogenetically and morphologically allied species are discussed.

Interfaith dialogue has been initiated in the nineteenth century as an ecumenical discourse that was transformed and adapted by almost all religions as a means of building interfaith harmony. However, in the case of Islam Muslim scholars had to respond in a variant geopolitical panorama of the post-colonial world, struggling to place themselves between strong notions of Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité and safeguarding the traditional fabric of Islam. The present paper expounds on the approaches of two Muslim scholars in the twentieth century are Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (1876-1960), an eminent Turkish spiritual leader, and Seyyed Hossein Nasr (1933-), an Iranian origin, contemporary Muslim philosopher in the United States. Both of them are well-known for their contribution to interfaith dialogue with their unique methodologies. The main research question is; to study the contribution of Nursi and Nasr in the field of interfaith dialogue which is presumably led by Protestants as well as Catholics. The methodology includes comparative and historical analysis which has been applied to explore the academic as well as the social contribution of both the scholars focusing on their enterprise of interfaith dialogue in a pluralistic society. The article ends up concluding that both Nursi and Nasr agreed on the importance of dialogue for a co-existing means while differed in their methods to initiate it.