Arabs question centuries-old tradition of cousin marriages
DOHA: Noor was not the first in her Qatari family to marry a close relative, but she may be one of the last.
Throughout the Middle East, Africa and parts of South Asia, marriage between family members has been widely practised for thousands of years, largely as a means of securing relationships between tribes and preserving family wealth, but also as a practical necessity given that genders are often kept separate.At least half of all Gulf Arab marriages are between cousins, with at least 35 per cent of Qatari marriages between first cousins, according to current research by the Centre for Arab Genomic Studies based in Dubai. In Saudi Arabia, the number ranges from 25 to 42 per cent while in the United Arab Emirates, it is between 21 and 28 per cent.
Though not prohibited by Islam, Christianity or Judaism, some cite the hadith, or saying of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), as an injunction against the practice: “Marry those who are unrelated to you, so your children do not become weak.”Others in support of it point out that the Prophet (pbuh) married his own daughter to a first cousin.“There’s a misconception that parents often force their daughters to marry within the family. Our segregated lifestyle often doesn’t allow for mixing of the sexes except within the family environment, so many times the only chance of falling in love is within the family, because you are completely closed off from others,” Saudi author Samar Fatany told Reuters.For Gulf Arab nationals, if you don’t marry your first cousin, you still are highly likely marry within your clan or tribe. And if you’re marrying within your clan or tribe, it’s almost certain that you’re marrying a relative, which also carries a certain degree of risk,” said Alan Bittles, a geneticist at the Centre for Comparative Genomics at Australia’s Murdoch University.“People rely on the family, the clan, for their well-being. (Gulf Arab societies) are tribal societies, and it becomes very political. Particularly if there is a weak central government, clan and tribal affiliations become much more important,” Bittles said.“You’ve got to weigh the social advantages with the potential genetic disadvantages.”Noor, now 21 and pursuing a degree in international politics at Georgetown University’s Doha campus, told Reuters she thought future generations would deal with the issue differently than she did.
A Pakistani court sentenced the wives of Usama bin Laden to 45 days in jail for illegal presence in Pakistan, in the past decade.
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