UK: More and more Pakistanis reject cousin marriage

Photo: Shahid Arsalan/DW

When British-Kashmiri Shagufta Rashid migrated to the UK from Pakistan in 1990, she was already a married woman with a stable home life. Her husband was also her cousin, but in her culture, especially at the time, it was considered normal.

The couple had five children and things were going well.

"All of my kids were very intelligent and beautiful," she told DW. The first sign of trouble, however, came with one of her daughters complaining of poor eyesight.

"We were preparing to celebrate the 18th birthday of this daughter when she complained about seeing problems," Shagufta said.

Soon, the daughter's vision got worse and she could no longer see anything.

"I felt completely shattered and devastated," Rashid said. Then, doctors warned that the daughter "might go blind permanently" for suffering from an illness that usually shows up in elderly people.

Whispers from neighbors

Still, the daughter managed to get two essential surgeries — one at the age of 18 and another at 21 — and avoid blindness.

"She still cannot see without her glasses, but she is much better now and leading a married life in Dubai," Shagufta said

But when her neighbors in the UK heard about the trouble affecting her child, they started speculating that the illness was due to Shagufta being married to her cousin — and her child was a product of a consanguineous marriage.

Shagufta's sister Sabiha Hasan said other family members also dealt with the stigma. Sabiha's son is married to his cousin, and one of his children is autistic, while another family member in a consanguineous marriage had two obese children. Even with children eventually losing the excessive weight, the family heard whispers about the children's health troubles being due to their parents being closely related. 

Sabiha acknowledges it could be a factor, but she doesn't see it as a deciding one because "there are many women married to cousins in our area and having a normal life."

Deadly risk of genetic defects

However, medical facts indicate that the risk cannot be so easily dismissed. A briefing published by the Born in Bradford research program, looking at child deaths in Bradford, Birmingham and the London borough of Redbridge, found that "20-40% of child deaths may be due to genetic disorders associated with consanguinity and chromosomal conditions."

Dr Shabi Ahmed from Birmingham City Hospital also warns that consanguinity carries a serious risk of genetic issues.

"And such problems are not among British Pakistanis and Kashmiris only but they are also found among the Arabs and other communities where such marriages are common," Ahmed told DW.

Intrafamily marriage rates diminishing in Britain

Consanguineous marriage is defined as a union in which the male-female couple are related as second cousins or closer. The practice is socially embedded in many regions of the world, including South Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. It is estimated that globally around 10-15% of newborns have consanguineous parents.

While the practice persists among the British Pakistanis, it appears to be on decline. Studying 13,500 families between 2007 and 2011, the Born in Bradford project found 60% of couples of Pakistani heritage were related by blood (first cousin, second cousin or other blood relative). But if both parents of Pakistani origin had been born in the UK, this fell to 30%.

A follow-up study between 2016 and 2020 found a sharp decline in consanguinity in the Pakistani community — from 60% to 40% overall.

Even so, it is still dramatically higher than the rates of intrafamily marriage among white Britons, where available data shows that less than 1% are married to their first cousin.

Young people more informed due to social media

Both Sahiba and Shagufta confirm the practice of marrying family members is becoming less common. They believe this is partly due to modern technology.

"British-born kids are more aware about health issues because they are on social media all the time that discuss everything, including health," Shagufta says.

Shagufta also believes that family quarrels that often follow marriage are also pushing people away from marrying their cousins.

A British Punjabi of Pakistani origin, who now lives close to Bradford, says youth should be allowed to choose their partners on their own.

"My own son refused to marry his cousin despite all family pressure but I supported him unlike other family members," he told DW on condition of anonymity. "We need to recognize that such marriages pose medical issues and must be discouraged."

Religion, obedience push youth towards consanguineous marriage

Bradford-based activist Beenash Faris admits that by and large consanguineous marriages are declining. But she also points out an interesting trend — the practice is resurfacing, albeit on a limited scale, among religious-minded young people.

"Religion lays a lot of emphasis on the respect and obedience of parents. So, I have seen some religious-minded young guys accepting their parents' advice on marriage matters or in some matters showing willingness to marry their cousins," she told DW.