A minister has rightly highlighted the issue of the dangers of marrying ones cousin, a practise especially prevalent amongst those of Pakistani origin in the UK:

A government minister has warned that inbreeding among immigrants is causing a surge in birth defects - comments likely to spark a new row over the place of Muslims in British society.

Phil Woolas, an environment minister, said the culture of arranged marriages between first cousins was the elephant in the room. Woolas, a former race relations minister, said: If you have a child with your cousin the likelihood is therell be a genetic problem.

Medical research suggests that while British Pakistanis are responsible for 3% of all births, they account for one in three British children born with genetic illnesses.

This is a problem derived from Pakistani cultural norms, as the minister points out. Sadly, many in the media have chosen to once again make this a Muslim issue; it is not, it is a cultural issue. Those Pakistanis just happen to be Muslims. It is a great shame that the media cannot report such things nowadays without having to crowbar in Muslim or Islam into the title. One might put it down to ignorance, but in fact it is down to sensationalism. Muslim sells papers.

This inbreeding trend is a real problem, and can only be solved by those of Pakistani descent themselves, even if doctors and other professionals highlight the dangers of inbreeding at every opportunity. Making it a Muslim issue will only harden the hearts of those who will suffer most, as their siege mentality with regards to their religion will be reinforced.

Labour MP Ann Cryer, who often talks a lot of sense, supported the minister:

The call for action was also supported by Labour MP Ann Cryer who raised the issue two years ago after research showed British Pakistanis were 13 times more likely to have children with recessive disorders than the general population. Mrs Cryer, who represents Keighley in West Yorkshire, told the Sunday Times: This is to do with a medieval culture where you keep wealth within the family.

I have encountered cases of blindness and deafness. There was one poor girl who had to have an oxygen tank on her back and breathe from a hole in the front of her neck, she added. The parents were warned they should not have any more children. But when the husband returned from Pakistan, within months they had another child with exactly the same condition.

Research for BBC2s Newsnight in November 2005 showed British Pakistanis accounted for 3.4% of all births but have 30% of all British children with recessive disorders.

Update: As Bartholomew has pointed out below, the real problem comes from generations of marrying ones cousins. This should not negate the ministers warnings however, as it is directed at those who are prone to marry their cousins, thus continuing the cycle of babies who are being born with increased chances of disabilities.

http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1697

The numbers seem inflated to me.

Muslims are allowed to marry their cousins and Muslims do not have problems in Muslim nations where a quarter to half the population is married to their cousins.

A lot of time the marriage is with distant cousins.

Anyways the majority of Muslims born in non-Muslim countries tend to not marry their cousins.

This trend will slow down depending on how many new immigrants immigrate to the UK yearly.

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The Muslims believe that Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him) was not crucified on the cross. They believe that he was raised to the heavens by the Lord and the Lord put someone (the Lord made him look like Jesus) in Jesus spot. There will be a day when Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him) will return to this world. He will return not as a prophet but as a follower of Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). Upon his arrival all the world's Christians will become Muslims. After some time the whole world will become Muslim for the Lord has said the whole world will taste Islam. I can't wait for that day. Indeed only someone so great can bring something so beautiful.

Long live the great Muslim people.
Long live the great Muslim nations.

@Bigboywasim:

Thanks for the info, it helps a bit to explain the prevalent stupidity of the muslim world(and its representatives on WAFF). Can you clarify what you mean by marrying distant cousins being acceptable? Do you mean to marry a 2nd or 3rd cousin is acceptable?

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Thanks for the info, it helps a bit to explain the prevalent stupidity of the muslim world(and its representatives on WAFF). Can you clarify what you mean by marrying distant cousins being acceptable? Do you mean to marry a 2nd or 3rd cousin is acceptable?

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Muslims are allowed to marry any of their cousins including first cousins. Not all Muslims who marry their cousins marry first cousins. A lot of times it is 2nd or 3rd and even 4th or 5th cousins.

This is one of those topics that interest me as non-Muslims always bring birth defects of cousin marriage into the equation.

From my research of Western medical sources on the net, reading medical books and talking to my medical doctor here in California who is non-Muslim I found out some interesting information.

Basically if you marry a first cousin the birth defect rate raises about 2 to 3 percent from the normal 3 percent birth defect rate. This is the same increase in birth defect rate that a 40 year old mother giving birth has.

So if you say no to first cousin marriage based on medical science then a 40 year old woman cannot have children either. We are still not bringing people who drink and do drugs into the equation. Their birth defect rate is even higher.

The increase in birth defect rate for second cousins is a tenth of a percent so .001. Anything past this (3rd cousin and up) is not even worth mentioning.

Also if the gene pool is clean then it is better to marry your first cousin than not to according to medical science.

What my religion says is that cousin marriage is allowed but it is preferred to marry someone else because this builds families.

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/12/cousinmarriage.html

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The Muslims believe that Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him) was not crucified on the cross. They believe that he was raised to the heavens by the Lord and the Lord put someone (the Lord made him look like Jesus) in Jesus spot. There will be a day when Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him) will return to this world. He will return not as a prophet but as a follower of Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). Upon his arrival all the world's Christians will become Muslims. After some time the whole world will become Muslim for the Lord has said the whole world will taste Islam. I can't wait for that day. Indeed only someone so great can bring something so beautiful.

Long live the great Muslim people.
Long live the great Muslim nations.

"Muslims are allowed to marry their cousins "


not true , in iran its against the Law because its against Islam ,



"I am Darius the great king, king of kings, king of countries containing all kinds of men , king in this great earth far and wide , Son of Hystaspes, an Achaemenid , a Persian , son of a Persian , an Aryan , from the Aryan Race." Darius the Great 500 BC persia

not true , in iran its against the Law because its against Islam

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Bull




Global Inbreeding

Researchers who study inbreeding track consanguineous marriagesthose between second cousins or closer. In green countries, at least 20 percent and, in some cases, more than 50 percent of marriages fall into this category. Pink countries report 1 to 10 percent consanguinity; peach-colored countries, less than 1 percent. Data is unavailable for white countries.

I see many colors. Not as bad as people make it seem.

From the many wives of the prophet one was his cousin.

http://discovermagazine.com/2003/aug/featkiss

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The Muslims believe that Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him) was not crucified on the cross. They believe that he was raised to the heavens by the Lord and the Lord put someone (the Lord made him look like Jesus) in Jesus spot. There will be a day when Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him) will return to this world. He will return not as a prophet but as a follower of Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). Upon his arrival all the world's Christians will become Muslims. After some time the whole world will become Muslim for the Lord has said the whole world will taste Islam. I can't wait for that day. Indeed only someone so great can bring something so beautiful.

Long live the great Muslim people.
Long live the great Muslim nations.

ALGERIA: MARRIAGES BETWEEN BLOOD RELATIVES AT 38.3%, POLL

(ANSAmed) - ALGIERS, SEPTEMBER 20 - The number of marriages between blood relatives in Algeria is still high, at an average of 38.31%, with the highest rate 88% in Tebessa (southern-eastern Algeria), a National Foundation for Promotion of Health and Development Research (FOREM) survey found.

The survey was carried out by students in medicine in 12 wilayas (provinces) of the country between November 2006 and April 2007. From the questioned families, 47% have less than three children, 37% between four and seven and 17% have more than seven children.

According to the survey, in Algiers the consanguinity rate is 29.5%, while the Oran province (400km west from Algiers) is the one with the lowest rate of consanguinity, at 18.5%. After Tebessa, among the regions where the marriage between members of the same family is still of common use, there are the Ghardaia Oasis, 600km south from Algiers, with 56%, but also many cities of Kabylie, such as Bejaia (250km east from the capital) with 50.6%, Boumerdes and Bouira (eastern Algeria) with some 42%.

In the other Arab countries the consanguinity level is also very high: 50% in Saudi Arabia, 54% in Kuwait, 55% in Jordan, 38% in Oman, 19,8% in Morocco. (ANSAmed).
2007-09-20 14:29


http://www.ansamed.info/en/news/ME03.YAM14284.html


Melissa Satta

"the dangers of marrying ones cousin, a practise especially prevalent amongst those of Pakistani origin in the UK"


It explains their predisposition towards violence.

Birth defect risk no greater for cousins - study

http://www.stuff.co.nz/AAMB5/aamsz=275x15_TEXTLINK/4802803a20475.html


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