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Downing Street rebuke for minister who warned of birth defects in Pakistani cousin marriages
Last updated at 00:07am on 13.02.08
Phil Woolas: Could be fired for comments on Islam
The Environment Minister faced calls to resign by some Muslim leaders after he said marriage of blood relations was the "elephant in the room".
However, according to Gordon Brown's spokesman, the issue was not one for ministers to comment on. Instead, he said, it should be addressed by members of the local community and scientific experts.
The Prime Minister's spokesman said Mr Woolas, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, had been speaking in his capacity as a constituency MP.
"The Government's position is we believe these matters are best addressed locally, by local members of the community as well as by professional healthcare advisers," he added.
"This is a scientific debate. It is really for scientific experts to comment on."
Mr Woolas insisted that he had a duty to raise the subject of cousin marriage - which is legal in the UK - based on cultural and not religious grounds.
He was backed by fellow Labour MP Ann Cryer, who represents Keighley, West Yorkshire.
She warned that parts of the Pakistani community are in denial about soaring rates of genetic defects among children born to first-cousin marriages.
Mrs Cryer said as many as eight out of ten transcontinental marriages in Bradford were between cousins and could have "tragic" impacts.
She first raised the issue more than two years ago after research showed British Pakistanis were 13 times more likely to have children with recessive disorders than the general population.
On Radio 4's Today programme yesterday, she said: "The vast majority of marriages in the Muslim community in Bradford, 80 per cent, are transcontinental.
"The vast majority of those are to cousins. Many of those do result in either infant mortality or in recessive disorders."
Asked if the problem was recognised in the British Pakistani community, she said: "They are in denial. But I am hoping that now we have broken the silence, leaders will start to have a debate about it and perhaps even give advice and say 'Look you can carry on marrying your cousins, but there is a price to pay'.
"The price to pay is often in either babies being born dead, babies being born very early and babies being born with very severe genetically transmitted disorders.
"This is a blight on that community, but particularly on specific families."
Steve Jones, professor of genetics at University College London, backed the calls to raise public awareness. He said, in general, mortality and disability almost doubled among marriages between cousins.
But he warned that the risks should not be overstated, adding: "Let's bear in mind that families like the Rothschilds married their cousins frequently.
"In Bradford, the Office of National Statistics says there is an increase of about five or so infant deaths a year because of cousin marriage, particularly among the Asian community there.
"There are something like 70 infant deaths altogether in Bradford per year, so the effect isn't that great."
He said smoking and drinking alcohol during pregnancy is "as bad if not worse".
Professor Jones added that cousin marriages are quite common in Spain and are still common in Muslim communities around the world.
But he said: "Among Hindu communities, quite often you get an uncle-niece marriage - marrying your brother's daughter.
"That is even closer inbreeding than cousin marriage, so it is not by any means a uniquely Islamic issue."
Reader views (12)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
I intend to marry my full cousin, but as I am not Pakistani this must be ok, as only they have been criticised for it.
By the way, we are too old to have children.
- Edwin, Luton, UK
A BBC Newsnight investigation found that "one in ten children of cousin marriages either dies in infancy or develops a serious disability" and that Pakistanis in Britain are "13 times more likely than the general population to produce children with genetic disorders".
Good on these MPs for raising this issue. It is true that a one-off marriage between cousins has only low risks of genetic disorder, but we are talking here about inbreeding generation after generation.
One response said that smoking and drinking alcohol during pregnancy are just as big a threat. Well, those risks are recognised and women are given very strong warnings not to smoke or drink during pregnancy, so surely it is right to warn of the risks of this inbreeding. Let's put the welfare of the babies first and publicise the risks to their health.
- Heidi, London
The Surrey Mirror [24 January 2008] and Dorking Advertiser [previous weeks] have printed electoral ward maps for Kirklees showing elevated infant mortality rates in the wards downwind of the Kirklees incinerator.
London has 625 electoral wards, sixty-two of which had 2003-6 infant mortality rates greater than 9.0 per 1,000 live births and these wards are clearly associated with incinerators.
Forty of London's 625 wards had zero infant deaths in the same 4-year period and these wards were all free from incinerator emissions and I'm sure that there were plenty of Asians marrying their cousins in these wards and yet none of their babies died, unlike in Dewsbury where consanguinity is blamed for the very high infant death rate in "MP joins fight to cut infant deaths", Dewsbury Recorder, 9 Feb 2008.
- Michael Ryan, Shrewsbury
It's not particularly risky to marry a first cousin. That's why it's not regarded in law as incest. It becomes risky if this choice is repeated generation after generation. This is what "inbreeding" means: creating new generations without allowing a frequent infusion of new genes from partners outside a close community or extended family.
The end-point of inbreeding is infertility and extinction - as witnessed by the family trees of several royal or aristocratic families in European history, who made this same bad decision. This perhaps suggests that there isn't any great reason for the rest of us to worry ourselves about it?
- Nigel, London
No more political correctness! Go away Nu Labor!
- Georgie, Islington, London
The big problem is that this is not occasional one-offs - it is standard practice to ensure that the financial and caste system is kept within 'the family'. Therefore, some marriages are the result of a cousin marrying a cousin, and so-on and so-on! I have been to lots of marriages, and the bulk of bride/groom relations are inter-related - this is a fact.
- Gary Parker, Amersham
The man is right - it's genetics not racism! Some people need to get over themselves and look up the meaning of the word debate in a dictionary!
- Rachel, London
Either this is true or it isn't. If it isn't then he's in trouble. If, however, it is risky to marry your first cousin as it is risky to marry your sibling and this practice is more prevalent within one community, then shouldn't this man be praised for addressing the issue. And if it is true, shouldn't Mr Mahmood be considering his position as he obviously cannot be objective about anything relating to his religion.
- Alex, London
The MP did not give an "opinion", Steve in Hereford: he stated a fact!
And Marianne in SW France assumes too much of the average person. Receiving advice from France about social activity brings to mind the pot and the kettle!
- Leeanne Jones, UK
So the BBC carried out a study in 2005 and the results concur with the statement made by Mr Woolas. However in our PC obsessed world this issue will get brushed under the carpet.
- Marc, Harrow, Uk
He is entitled to his opinion as we still just about live in a democracy despite the rise of self censorship in the form of rabid political correctness in this country which is stifling debate.
- Steve, Hereford
Marrying a first cousin isn't a good idea whatever your origins. The mistake Phil Woolas has made is linking it specifically to Muslims. After all, most people have a brain and should be able to work through the logical conclusion themselves.
- Marianne, SW France
