Gene Drive Mosquitoes from Islamic Perspective: A Preliminary Discussion
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7187/GJAT072023-1Keywords:
Gene drive, CRISPR-Cas9, mosquito-borne diseases, ethics, IslamAbstract
Gene drive mosquitoes could spread desired trait, such as female infertility within a wild population at a rate higher than the normal inheritance rate and could eventually wipe out the population. Consequently, this makes gene drive mosquitoes one of the promising approaches in controlling mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue. Despite its potentials, the development of gene drive mosquitoes has raised ethical concerns, mainly on the issues of safety and efficacy, as well as tampering with nature. Little research has been conducted to explore religious perspectives on this new advancement. This article aims to fill that gap by exploring the ethics of gene drive mosquitoes from Islamic perspectives. This article outlines three aspects, namely the purposes, the potential benefits and harms, and the need of the technology that should be considered when discussing whether gene drive mosquitoes should be allowed from Islamic perspectives.
References
Ahmed Badi, J. (2019). Commentary on the forty hadith of Imam Al-Nawawi: Timeless prophetic gems of guidance and wisdom. New York: Islamic Learning Foundation.
Al‐Attar, M. (2017). Food ethics: A critique of some Islamic perspectives on genetically modified food. Zygon, 52(1), 53-75.
Al-Buti, M. S. R. (1986). Dawabit al-maslahah fi al-Shari’ah al-Islamiyyah. Beirut: Muassasah al-Risalah.
Al-Delaimy, A., Al-Balas, Q., Al-Zoubi, K., Khabour, O., & Al-Delaimy, W. (2019). Ethics of biotechnology in relation to prevention of malaria through gene editing: An Islamic perspective. Environmental Epidemiology, 3, 6.
Al-Faruqi, I. R. (1992). Al-Tawhid: Its implications for thought and life. Herndon: International Institute of Islamic Thought.
Al-Fawzan, S. M. (2008). Al-Jarahah al-tajmiliyyah: Ard tibbi wa dirasah al-fiqhiyyah al-mufassalah. Riyadh: Dar al-Tadmuriyyah.
Al-Haytami, I. H. (2008). Al-Fath al-mubin bi Sharh al-Arbain. Jeddah: Dar al-Minhaj li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’.
Ali, A. Y. (2007). The Holy Qur’an: Text and translation. Kuala Lumpur: Islamic Book Trust.
Al-Nawawi, M. A. Z. (1996). Al-Minhaj fi Sharh Sahih Muslim bin al-Hajjaj: Sharḥ al-Nawawi ala Muslim. Beirut: Dar al-Khayr.
Al-Qaradawi, Y. (1996). Fi fiqh al-awlawiyyat: Dirasah jadidah fi daui al-Qur’an wa al-Sunnah. Cairo: Maktabah Wahbah.
Al-Qurtubi, M. A. (1993). Al-Jami’ li ahkam al-Quran. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah.
Al-Razi, F. M. (1981). Tafsir al-Fakhr al-Razi: Al-Mushtahar bi al-Tafsir al-Kabir wa Mafatiḥ al-Ghayb. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr.
Al-Raysuni, A. (2006). Imam al-Shatibi’s theory of the higher objectives and intents of Islamic law. Kuala Lumpur: Islamic Book Trust.
Al-Sijistani, A. D. S. (n. d.) Sunan Abi Daud. Beirut: Maktabah al-Asriyyah.
Al-Tabrezi, W. A. A. (2013). Manifestations of truth: Translation and detail explanation of Mishkaat al-Masabih. (Rafiq Abdur Rahman, Trans.). Karachi: Darul Ishaat.
Al-Zuhaili, W. (1986). Usul al-fiqh al-Islami. Damsyik: Dar al-Fikr.
Annoni, M., & Pievani, T. (2021). What is wrong in extinguishing a species? Charting the ethical challenges of using gene-drive technologies to eradicate A. gambiae vector populations. BioLaw Journal-Rivista di BioDiritto, 1S, 429-444.
Bouzenita, A. I. (2010). Islamic legal perspectives on genetically modified food. American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, 27 (1), 1-30.
Bouzenita, A. I., & Mirghani, M. E. (2014). Transgenic organisms (chimeras) and their Islamic evaluation. Science International (Lahore) 26(4), 1639-1641.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Dengue. https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/index.html. Accessed on March 29, 2021.
Courtier‐Orgogozo, V., Danchin, A., Gouyon, P-H., & Boëte, C. (2020). Evaluating the probability of CRISPR‐based gene drive contaminating another species. Evolutionary Applications, 13(8), 1888-1905.
Dar al-Ifta’ al-Misriyyah. (n.d.). Is it permissible for me to kill insects? https://www.dar-alifta.org/Foreign/ViewFatwa.aspx?ID=8155. Accessed on March 31, 2021.
Dar al-Ifta’ al-Misriyyah. (n.d.) Using stem cells in scientific experiments. https://www.dar-alifta.org/Foreign/ViewFatwa.aspx?ID=598&text=stem%20cell. Accessed on March 16, 2021.
de Graeff, N., Jongsma, K. R., Johnston, J., Hartley, S., & Bredenoord, A. L. (2019). The ethics of genome editing in non-human animals: A systematic review of reasons reported in the academic literature. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, B 374(1772), 20180106.
de Graeff, N, Jongsma, K. R., & Bredenoord, A. L. (2021). Experts’ moral views on gene drive technologies: A qualitative interview study. BMC Medical Ethics, 22, 25.
Diamant, J. (April 1, 2019). The countries with the 10 largest Christian populations and the 10 largest Muslim populations. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/01/the-countries-with-the-10-largest-christian-populations-and-the-10-largest-muslim-populations/. Accessed on March 16, 2021.
Flores, H. A., & O’Neill, S. L. (2018). Controlling vector-borne diseases by releasing modified mosquitoes. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 16(8), 508-518.
Friedman, R. M., Marshall, J. M., & Akbari, O. S. (2020). Gene drives new and improved. Issues in Science and Technology, 36(2), 72-78.
Ghareeb, B. A. (2011). Human and animal cloning: Boon and bane in the light of Islam and ethics. Dirasat, Pure Sciences, 38(1), 34-51.
Greenbaum, G., Feldman, M. W., Rosenberg, N. A., & Jaehee, K. (2021). Designing gene drives to limit spillover to non-target populations. PLoS Genetics, 17(2), e1009278.
Hammond, A., R. Galizi, K. Kyrou, A. Simoni, C. Siniscalchi, D. Katsanos, M. Gribble, Baker, D., Marois, E., Russel, S., Burt, A., Windbichler, N., Crisanti, A., & Nolan, T. (2016). A CRISPR-Cas9 gene drive system targeting female reproduction in the malaria mosquito vector Anopheles gambiae. Nature Biotechnology, 34(1), 78-83.
Hammond, A., & R. Galizi. (2017). Gene drives to fight malaria: Current state and future directions. Pathogens and Global Health, 111(8), 412-423.
Hartley, S., Smith, R. D. J., Kokotovich, A., Opesen, C., Habtewold, T., Ledingham, K., Raymond, B., & Rwabukwali, C. B. (2021). Ugandan stakeholder hopes and concerns about gene drive mosquitoes for malaria control: New directions for gene drive risk governance. Malaria Journal, 20, 149.
Ibn Atiyah, A. H. (2001). al-Muharrar al-wajiz fi tafsir al-Kitab al-Aziz. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyah.
International Islamic Fiqh Academy. (1997). Qarar bi sha’n al-istinsakh al-basyari. https://www.iifa-aifi.org/2013.html. Accessed April 3, 2021.
Isa, Noor Munirah. (2013). Etika dalam bioteknologi moden: Kajian ke atas respons para ilmuwan islam terpilih mengenai garis panduan etika Islam. Universiti Malaya. Ph.D thesis.
Isa, N. M., & Man, S. (2014). “First things first”: Application of Islamic principles of priority in the ethical assessment of genetically modified foods. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 27(5), 857–870.
Isa, N. M., Baharuddin, A., Man, S., & Chang, L. W. (2015). Bioethics in the Malay‐Muslim community in Malaysia: A study on the formulation of fatwa on genetically modified food by the National Fatwa Council. Developing World Bioethics, 15(3), 143-151.
Isa, N. M. (2016). Darurah (necessity) and its application in Islamic ethical assessment of medical applications: A review on Malaysian fatwa. Science and Engineering Ethics, 22(5), 1319–1332.
Islamic Fiqh Council. (1998). Bi sha’n istifadhah al-Muslimin min ‘ilm al-handasah al-wirathiyyah. http://www.themwl.org/Fatwa/default.aspx?d=1&cidi=143&l=AR&cid=12. Accessed March 3, 2009.
Kamali, M. H. (1996). Fiqh and adaptation to social reality.” The Muslim World, 86(1), 62–84.
Kashim, M. I. A. M., Hasim, N. A., Mat Zin, D. M., Amin, L., Mokhtar, M. H., Shahimi, S., & Abd. Mutalib, S. (2021). Animal cloning and consumption of its by-products: A scientific and Islamic perspectives. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 28(5), 2995-3000.
Keshani, H. (2010). Engaging Islamic views on human-animal relations: Towards an adab-centred approach. Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology, 14(1), 6-25.
Kofler, N., Collins, J. P., Kuzma, J., Marris, E., Esvelt, K., Nelson, M. P., Newhouse, A., Rothschild, L. J., Vigliotti, V. S., Semenov, M., Jacobsen, R., Dahlman, J. E., Prince, S., Caccone, A., Brown. T., & Schmitz, O. J. (2018). Editing nature: Local roots of global governance. Science, 362(6414), 527-529.
Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM). 2015. Kompilasi pandangan hukum Muzakarah Jawatankuasa Fatwa Majlis Kebangsaan bagi Hal Ehwal Ugama Islam Malaysia. Putrajaya: Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia.
Jones, R. T., Ant, T. H., Cameron, M. M., & Logan, J. G. (2021). Novel control strategies for mosquito-borne diseases. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 376(1818). 20190802.
Mitchell, P. D., Brown, Z., & McRoberts, N. (2018). Economic issues to consider for gene drives. Journal of Responsible Innovation, 5(sup1), S180-S202.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2016). Gene drives on the horizon: Advancing science, navigating uncertainty, and aligning research with public values. Washington: The National Academies Press.
Neves, M. P., & C. Druml. (2017). Ethical implications of fighting malaria with CRISPR/Cas9." BMJ Global Health, 2, e000396.
Nolan, T. (2021). Control of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes using gene drives. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 376(1818), 20190803.
North, A. R., Burt, A., & Godfray, H. C. J. (2019). Modelling the potential of genetic control of malaria mosquitoes at national scale. BMC Biology, 17(1), 1-12.
North, A. R., Burt, A., & Godfray, H. C. J. (2020). Modelling the suppression of a malaria vector using a CRISPR-Cas9 gene drive to reduce female fertility. BMC Biology, 18(1), 1-14.
Pejabat Mufti Wilayah Persekutuan (Mufti of Federal Territory Office). (2016). Irsyad al-Hadith Siri ke-32: Kisah Nabi Sulaiman dan semut dan larangan membunuh semut. https://muftiwp.gov.my/en/artikel/irsyad-al-hadith/1517-irsyad-al-hadith-siri-ke-32-kisah-nabi-sulaiman-dan-semut-dan-larangan-membunuh-semut. Accessed March 31, 2021.
Pejabat Mufti Wilayah Persekutuan (Mufti of Federal Territory Office). (2019). Al-Kafi #1412: Animals that are permissible to be killed in Islam. https://muftiwp.gov.my/en/artikel/al-kafi-li-al-fatawi/3774-al-kafi-1412-animals-that-are-permissible-to-be-killed-in-islam. Access March 31, 2021.
Pugh, J. (2016). Driven to extinction? The ethics of eradicating mosquitoes with gene-drive technologies. Journal of Medical Ethics, 42(9), 578-581.
Rahman, T. (2013). Production and consumption of genetically modified food: An Islamic perspective. Revelation and Science, 3(1), 1-10.
Ren, M. (2019). Greater political commitment needed to eliminate malaria. Infectious Diseases of Poverty 8, 28.
Safian, Y. H. M. 2019. Shariah attitude towards genetically modified foods: Aqli and naqli analysis. Journal of Fatwa Management and Research 17(1), 14-28.
Santos, M. R. (2020). Evaluating gene drive approaches for public benefit. In A. Chaurasia, C. B. E Hawksworth, L. David, & M. Pessoa de Miranda (Eds.), GMOs: Implications for biodiversity conservation and ecological processes (pp. 421-437). Springer.
Simoni, A., Hammond, A. M., Beaghton, A. K., Galizi, R., Taxiarchi, C., Kyrou, K., Meacci, D., Gribble, M., Morselli, G., Burt, A., Nolan, T., & Crisanti, A. (2020). A male-biased sex-distorter gene drive for the human malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. Nature Biotechnology, 38, 1054-1060.
Tizifa, T. A., Kabaghe, A. N., McCann, R. S., van den Berg, H., van Vugt, M., & Phiri, K. S. (2018). Prevention Efforts for Malaria. Current Tropical Medicine Reports, 5(1), 41-50.
Wilson, N. (2019). Gene editing in the wild: Who decides—and how? BioScience, 69(4), 316.
World Health Organization. (October 13, 2020). Evaluation of genetically modified mosquitoes for the control of vector-borne diseases. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240013155.
World Health Organization. (2021). World Malaria Report 2021. Geneva: World Health Organization.
World Health Organization. (June 30, 2021). From 30 million cases to zero: China is certified malaria-free by WHO. https://www.who.int/news/item/30-06-2021-from-30-million-cases-to-zero-china-is-certified-malaria-free-by-who.
GJAT provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
