Cousin Marriages in the West

[Timbit]

What health risks?

They're only there if you keep marrying your cousins generation after generation.

My family does it a lot (okay, just my parents' generation) and we're all okay. None of my siblings even have asthma or any kinds of allergies, which is more than you can say for most Canadian kids.

I'm nearsighted, but that's not hereditary as my parents and most of my siblings have perfect vision. I just used to read too much as a kid.

[Glasgow]

Originally Posted by Good_ol_JR

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Newsnight | The risks of cousin marriage


Seriously man 55%.

It has to be the Mirpuris

[sumiyia]

Children of non-related couples have a 2-3% risk of birth defects, as opposed to first cousins having a 4-6% risk. Genetic counseling is available for those couples that may be at a special risk for birth defects (e.g. You have a defect that runs in your family) In plain terms first cousins have at a 94 percent + chance of having healthy children. Check the links section for more information on genetic counselors. The National Society of Genetic Counselors estimated the increased risk for first cousins is between 1.7 to 2.8 percent, or about the same a any woman over 40 years of age.

Cousin Marriage, The Facts

[Good_ol_JR]

Originally Posted by Glasgow

It has to be the Mirpuris

In the Yorkshire city of Bradford, in England, for instance, a majority of the large Pakistani community can trace their origins to the village of Mirpur in Kashmir, which was inundated by a new dam in the 1960s. Cousin marriages have been customary in Kashmir for generations, and more than 85 percent of Bradford's Pakistanis marry their cousins. Local doctors are seeing sharp spikes in the number of children with serious genetic disabilities, and each case is its own poignant tragedy. One couple was recently raising two apparently healthy children. Then, when they were 5 and 7, both were diagnosed with neural degenerative disease in the same week. The children are now slowly dying. Neural degenerative diseases are eight times more common in Bradford than in the rest of the United Kingdom.

Go Ahead, Kiss Your Cousin | Family Health | DISCOVER Magazine

Over 85%...

[ChotooMotoo]

Originally Posted by Good_ol_JR

Go Ahead, Kiss Your Cousin | Family Health | DISCOVER Magazine

Over 85%...

That's becuase they take marrying first cousins as some kind of obligation, like they hardly ever marry outside the family.

It's true, a single incident of cousin marriage isn't a big deal. Even if you do it every few generations, you'll be fine. If you do it CONSTANTLY, generation after generation for hundreds of years, you're gunna have problems.

[Jamroll]

Originally Posted by Good_ol_JR

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Newsnight | The risks of cousin marriage


Seriously man 55%, that's just WAY too much. Honestly why take the risk when it is well-known that you're increasing the risks of ruining a childs life. The burden of proof would be on you to provide a study showing cousin marriages are NOT a health hazard.

I understand that you seem very passionate about this issue for some reason, but cousin marriages are not a health hazard. And marrying your cousin doesn't ruin the child's life. I don't think you have had any direct experience of meeting happily married couples (who are cousins) with healthy children, which btw is the overwhelming majority of them.

[LEGALEAGLE]

Originally Posted by Good_ol_JR

Go Ahead, Kiss Your Cousin | Family Health | DISCOVER Magazine

Over 85%...

I think its the fact that according to the article Mirpuri's had degenerate genes at the outset...

therefore marrying their cousins has made the situation worse. The only way to remedy the situation would be if non-mirpuri's were willing to marry them...of course anybody willing to marry a mirpuri would also have to marry the pir and take a chance on the risk of giving birth to kids and grandkids with genetic defects

On the other hand a group of people with regular genes wouldn't have the same sort of problems if they married their cousins and in some cases the positive genes would be reinforced.

[Good_ol_JR]

Originally Posted by Jamroll

I understand that you seem very passionate about this issue for some reason, but cousin marriages are not a health hazard. And marrying your cousin doesn't ruin the child's life. I don't think you have had any direct experience of meeting happily married couples (who are cousins) with healthy children, which btw is the overwhelming majority of them.

Well it's only 4-6% that have these problems, but why double the risk from 2-3% for the sake of a "family tradition". It's one thing if there are no other legit Muslims around so you marry a cousin; but for the sake of a cultural tradition is just plain stupid.

I am kind of passionate about Muslims not leading healthy lifestyles, we're supposed to be the best of people but act opposite when we make lazy, stupid decisions.

[Khairan]

The Ashkenazis of Eastern Europe are well-known in medical literature for doing precisely this: breeding within a very small, closed population for generations upon generations. The population carries a number of genetic disorders highly expressed among this group far beyond what is seen in other populations.

No one is disputing the dangers of inbred populations -- however, the fact remains that cousin-marriages are not in and of themselves dangerous. They become an issue only when they are done across multiple generations or if the family already has a strong history of genetic disorders. A single-generation cousin-marriage in an otherwise healthy family does not carry a risk of serious genetic disorders beyond what is seen in the general population.

[oFoShOuKnO]

Okay someone I know is looking to get married.

The girl is related to him, but in a distant fashion. The girl's grandmother and his grandfather were brother and sister.

Any Problems?

gross? yes no maybe so?

[ChotooMotoo]

Originally Posted by oFoShOuKnO

Okay someone I know is looking to get married.

The girl is related to him, but in a distant fashion. The girl's grandmother and his grandfather were brother and sister.

Any Problems?

gross? yes no maybe so?

No. I don't see a problem with second cousing marriage. I don't think it's gross.

[Spice]

Originally Posted by oFoShOuKnO

Okay someone I know is looking to get married.

The girl is related to him, but in a distant fashion. The girl's grandmother and his grandfather were brother and sister.

Any Problems?

gross? yes no maybe so?

Totally cool.

[oFoShOuKnO]

Originally Posted by ChotooMotoo

No. I don't see a problem with second cousing marriage. I don't think it's gross.

I would be more comfortable with 3rd cousin..errrrr "he would be"

[ChotooMotoo]

Originally Posted by oFoShOuKnO

I would be more comfortable with 3rd cousin..errrrr "he would be"

me too. The more distant the relation, the less chance for weirdness with relatives.

[the_only_one]

Cousin marriages ROCK only if you're not the one getting married. hehe