Cousin Marriage and Somalia

[Internet Nomad]

Cousin Marriage is something that the dowlad of somalia need to ban or at least deter people from by the use of education.

There are numerous health issues linked with children born from cousin marriages that is well documented.

The problem is that babies born in cousin marriages can suffer what are called ‘recessive’ genetic disorders, associated with severe disability and early death.

These disorders are caused by variant genes. If you inherit one recessive variant gene you will not fall ill or die. If, however, a child inherits the same variant gene from each of its related parents, it is at higher risk of a health problem.

The likelihood of a couple both having the same variant gene is 100 to one in the general population. In cousin marriages, that can rise to one in eight because people who are related to each other are more likely to carry the same faults in their DNA. And the problem only intensifies as cousin marriages continue generation after generation.

Pakistani community in UK is a perfect case example of the issues of cousin marriage.

It is estimated that 55 per cent of Pakistani-heritage couples are in cousin marriages.

And while British Pakistani couples are responsible for 3 per cent of births overall in the UK, they account for a third — 33 per cent — of children with genetic birth defects.

Official government figures for England, uncovered by the Mail in 2018, revealed cousin marriages are a key factor in an average of two child deaths every week. Distressingly, many surviving children of the couples involved have physical or mental problems.

These include blindness, deafness, blood ailments such as thalassemia — which can make sufferers anaemic — heart or kidney failure, lung or liver ailments, and myriad complex neurological or brain disorders.

Doctors working with the Born In Bradford study have in the past identified 140 different gene disorders among local children, compared with 20 to 30 you would expect to find among the general population.

Article

Islam does not discourage marriage among cousins. But Imam Shafi and Imam Ahmad, the two leading scholars of the Sunni school of thought dislike cousin marriage and have declared it as makruh. Similarly, some other scholars like Imam Ghazali have also discouraged cousin marriage.


Imam ash-Shafi’ee (may Allah have mercy upon him) said:

لَيْسَ مِنْ قَوْمٍ لا يُخْرِجُونَ نِسَاءَهُمْ إِلَى رِجَالِ غَيْرِهِمْ فِي التَّزْوِيجِ ، وَلا رِجَالَهُمْ إِلَى نِسَاءِ غَيْرِهِمْ فِي التَّزْوِيجِ ، إِلا جَاءَ أَوْلادُهُمْ حَمْقَى

“There is not a group of people who do not bring forth their women to marry men other than their own men, nor do their men go forth to marry women other than their own, except their children will be fools (i.e. born with a mental defect)” [Adaab ash-Shaafi’ee wa Manaaqibuhu (pg. 99) with a Saheeh chain of narration]

Imam al-Maawardi (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “They (i.e. the Arab) used to choose or the likes of this situation marrying those who are distantly related and are strangers (to each other). They saw that this is more conducive for childbirth and excellent for the creation (of a newborn). They used to avoid marrying family and relatives. They saw that it was harmful for the creation of the child and its birth” End translation. [Adab ad-Dunya wad-Deen (pg. 173)]

In sum, it is permissible to marry first cousins in Islam and there is little harm with that. In terms of continuous inbreeding of cousins, then it is from the Adab (etiquette) of those before us to avoid this out of fear of birth defects. It should be noted however, that this is simply an Adab and not a prohibition. Everything is in the Hand of Allah, the Exalted and Sublime.

Now what did our ancestors feel about cousin marriage

 

[Internet Nomad]

This is a big read but very important and worth it.

 

[Internet Nomad]

Tbh i don’t really care about cousins marriage as long as its not common.

Every 30 normal marriages there should be 1 cousin marriage.

 

[Yahya]

Not only that we should encourage marrying from other tribes to cycle some good genes in.

 

[Internet Nomad]

Not only that we should encourage marrying from other tribes to cycle some good genes in.

Exactly what i was think we need gene diversity in somalis. So we can produce good athletes and high iq individuals.

 

[Chaseyourdreamzz]

It’s only become common after the civil war Because people don’t trust each other I’m glad to have relatives from different regions

 

[Internet Nomad]

It’s only become common after the civil war Because people don’t trust each other I’m glad to have relatives from different regions

We got to build railway we gotta mix the people some how.

Make flights within the country cheap.

 

[Lahaine]

Imagine someone having a chance to marry any woman in the world and they choose their cousin. I have spent lots of my childhood with my cousins that all I see when I look at them is a sibling

 

[Lahaine]

Here's a documentary explaining why cousin marriage is basically Russian roulette

 

[Internet Nomad]

Imagine someone having a chance to marry any woman in the world and they choose their cousin. I have spent lots of my childhood with my cousins that all I see when I look at them is a sibling

Think about a country like Pakistan where everyone is engaged in cousin marriages. Recessive genes and what not are going to be rampant.

It would take one engineered virus to wipe them out.

People can recognise the importance of gene diversity in animals and crops but turn a blind eye to humans because culture shouldn’t be critiqued.

If i was Britain i would ban cousin marriages for at least 70 years.

 

[Internet Nomad]

Here's a documentary explaining why cousin marriage is basically Russian roulette

This is inhumane.

 

[Internet Nomad]

While ever map about cousin marriage and its prevalency has Somalia as missing data.

I would assume maybe 10-20% at max is engaged in cousin marriages but don’t give this opinion too much credit because i am not really familiar with the marriage scene in Somalia.

 

[Juliet]

I’ve honestly never heard of first or even second cousin marriage in our community, it was very normal for clans to fight and take each other’s women as spoils.

I feel like we got stuck with that stereotype in the west beacuse people think Muslims are inbreds thanks to hindis and arabs

 

[tyrannicalmanager]

Here's a documentary explaining why cousin marriage is basically Russian roulette

babies from older mothers have a similar rate of congenital diseases occurring like that of first cousins.

 

[Internet Nomad]

I’ve honestly never heard of first or even second cousin marriage in our community, it was very normal for clans to fight and take each other’s women as spoils.

I feel like we got stuck with that stereotype in the west beacuse people think Muslims are inbreds thanks to hindis and arabs

Thank god we don’t have cousin marriage prevalent.

Where do you think the high autism comes from?

 

[tyrannicalmanager]

Thank god we don’t have cousin marriage prevalent.

Where do you think the high autism comes from?

Vitamine D deficiency.

 

[Internet Nomad]

Vitamine D deficiency.

Children who are, or who are destined to become, autistic have lower 25(OH)D levels at 3 months of gestation, at birth and at age 8 compared to their unaffected siblings. Two open label trials found high dose vitamin D improves the core symptoms of autism in about 75% of autistic children. A few of the improvements were remarkable.
Source

 

[Internet Nomad]

@tyrannicalmanager Do you think women in somalia have lower rates of autism compared to diaspora somali women because of the lack of sun in the cold regions in the west.

 

[tyrannicalmanager]

@tyrannicalmanager Do you think women in somalia have lower rates of autism compared to diaspora somali women because of the lack of sun in the cold regions in the west.

women in general have lower rate of autism.

 

[Internet Nomad]

women in general have lower rate of autism.

I mean pregnant women giving brith to children with autism in somalia compared to the west.

My bad i worded it bad.

However the fact that there isn’t a word for Autism in somali might support my hypothetical.