Birmingham couple defend first-cousin marriages amid calls for ban

11 comments

1. “What they were not warned about was any potential health risks that could occur if they had children.
   But even if they had known, Ms Akhtar said it would not have made a difference.
   “That’s God’s will, nobody can say anything about that. Even if you marry outside the family, it could still happen,” she said.
   “So many people have married outside the families and they may still have a child with a disability.””

   Rank ignorance. Opinion rejected.

2. > Growing up, Mr Hussain and Ms Akhtar were told by their parents that one day they would be married, so when the time came, they never questioned it.

   How romantic.

   > His wife agrees and said she would not mind her daughters marrying a first cousin, if they wanted to.

   Do many people marry their first cousins if it is not arranged?

3. Oh well if their kids are fine, clearly that must apply to everyone 🙄 Presumably the cousin marriage doesn’t go back any further than them in their case (the story only says their fathers are brothers); it becomes a problem when it’s been done for generations or there’s a genetic disease in the family

4. There’s a “Diversity is our Strength” joke here somewhere…

5. Some 20+ years ago I worked in the learning disability field and direct contact with families was very frequent.

   There were numerous times where a male was the ‘father’ of kids despite the fact he was completely unable to consent / understand pretty much anything.

   Equally there were many females who had no idea about consent yet were mothers.

   “God’s will” ..

   It is abuse, it is wrong.

6. “They chose to have their wedding back home in Pakistan in 2007 and live in Birmingham.”

   If they do not consider Britain to be their home, is it okay for me to not consider them British?

7. > According to a 2021 study, about 55% of British Pakistanis are married to first cousins, while the practice accounts for about 3% of all marriages nationally.

   And that 3% includes those British Pakistanis in it, so the comparison is an even smaller percentage.

   It’s not wrong to say the practice is wrong.

8. It’s not just the genetic issue, it’s the risk of forced marriages. This couple openly admit they were told they would be married as children. There was no consideration for their own preference. Just adults using them to ensure ‘outsiders’ didn’t get their hands on property.
   For every couple that is happy to marry their cousin, there will be another that feels obligated and another where at least one party desperately doesn’t want to.

9. The wife in reference to her daughters.

   “They can marry whomever they want, it’s fine, if it’s in the family or outside the family.”

   Somehow I doubt that.

10. Let me correct that…”Marrying a first cousin is commonplace among Muslim families” …no it’s not, it is in some Pakistani communities, especially Mirpuris.

    It’s not a Muslim issue. A cultural issue with a specific community.

11. The depressing thing is eventually this sort of situation sorts itself out, in a horrific and extremely cruel way. Better to ban it.

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