Posted on 02/11/2008 12:11:54 PM PST by XR7
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 there’ll be a genetic problem.”
The minister, whose views were supported by medical experts this weekend, said: “The issue we need to debate is first cousin marriages, whereby a lot of arranged marriages are with first cousins, and that produces lots of genetic problems in terms of disability [in children].”
Woolas emphasised the practice did not extend to all Muslim communities but was confined mainly to families originating from rural Pakistan. However, up to half of all marriages within these communities are estimated to involve first cousins.
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.
The minister’s comments come as Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, rejected calls to resign over claims that Islamic law should be introduced in Britain. “I’m not contemplating resignation,” he told friends.
Williams insists his remarks were misinterpreted and that he was not advocating a parallel sharia jurisdiction for Muslims, but Lord Carey, his predecessor, warned acceptance of Muslim laws in Britain would be "disastrous".
The archbishop is believed to have received hate mail since he made his controversial comments but has rejected offers of round-the-clock police protection.
Williams is set to clash with the government again this week by voicing opposition to plans to extend detention without charge for terrorist suspects to 42 days.
Woolas, who represents the ethnically mixed seat of Oldham East and Saddleworth, has previously warned that Muslim women who wear headscarves could provoke “fear and resentment”. Yesterday, he was similarly outspoken.
“If you talk to any primary care worker they will tell you that levels of disability among the . . . Pakistani population are higher than the general population. And everybody knows it’s caused by first cousin marriage.
“That’s a cultural thing rather than a religious thing. It is not illegal in this country.
“The problem is that many of the parents themselves and many of the public spokespeople are themselves products of first cousin marriages. It’s very difficult for people to say ‘you can’t do that’ because it’s a very sensitive, human thing.”
He added that the issue is not talked about. “The health authorities look into it. Most health workers and primary care trusts in areas like mine are very aware of it. But it’s a very sensitive issue. That’s why it’s not even a debate and people outside of these areas don’t really know it exists.”
Woolas was supported by Ann Cryer, Labour MP for Keighley, who called for the NHS to do more to warn parents of the dangers of inbreeding.
“This is to do with a medieval culture where you keep wealth within the family,” she said.
“If you go into a paediatric ward in Bradford or Keighley you will find more than half of the kids there are from the Asian community. Since Asians only represent 20%-30% of the population, you can see that they are over represented.
“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.
“The parents were warned they should not have any more children. But when the husband returned again from Pakistan, within months they had another child with exactly the same condition.”
well, it’s common knowledge that inbreeding has a higher chance of birth defects and other problems. Arranged marriages among close relatives are a throwback to the old days aren’t they? They may be learning this the hard way.
When you have been marrying first cousins for thousands of years, it will generate many more disabilities than normal. The early aristocracy of Europe was doing this until the church banned marriages that were between eigth cousins or less.
Interesting turn of events...I have always considered that bunch of human waste to be inbred mongrels...expel them back to the desert....
and where do the Taliban mostly come from/are now?
Interesting that the Native Americans always knew and banned any such close marriages = they also didn't breed like rabbits - they revered their children and had a good approach as to raising them, with the mother having the most responsibility and influence for the first few years, then the boys got training from the fathers, the girls continuing with the mothers - and all sitting at the grandparents knees for 'wisdom' lessons.
They don’t call it the Religion of Cousin Marriage for nothin’, you know.
Geez... where would you find someone to marry if you had to go out further than 8th cousin?
That seems a bit far fetched.
Not sure as to the geniology of such far out relations, but your pool of marriageable partners further out than this would be very small.
How are they supposed to breed a population of sucidie bombers if they can’t marry first cousins?
Well, I married a Slavic immigrant - just off the boat, so to speak. Can’t get any further away than that! btw....my daughters are GORGEOUS! ;o)
It is hard to speak for all “Native Americians”.
Some of the tribes on the plains allowed for sexual access to ANY girl by ANY relative. This was given as a reason that NA females would run away and end up in european settlements in the 1700s
Also, overbreeding was handled by mass homicide religious rites in some cases.
Shraria law?? what's that?
“Geez... where would you find someone to marry if you had to go out further than 8th cousin?”
It was a very real problem as most of the European aristocracy was related. Not sure how they solved it other than by raising commoners to aristocracy and then marrying off the daughters. If I remember correctly, at various times the degree of seperation increased as they became more and more inbred. I don’t remember any decreases in degree.
But it is well documented as I remember seeing a chart on it several decades ago when I was studying Medieval History.
Well, the Brits would know. Look at their royal family.
in the case of trop, “Dueling Ouds”..”..
"Dirka dirka, Mohammed Jihad...Jest another Muslim day in Arkansas. Ma local imman said to vote for Abdul Abdul Huckabee to get for sure that no dang Mormons get elected"
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