Cousin marriages - ghar ki murghi??

[Deeba1234]

@fasaadi

to be honest, I dont have statistics…but common sense would dictate that in communities like these, even if its not a direct 1st cousin marrying a first cousin, there would have been “in family” marriages for generations. If a group of Memons, for example, are all from the same city in India, you’re bound to share the same genes…back in India, they all married within the same town to the same group of Memons, then that same group migrates to Pakistan where they continue to marry JUST Memons from Jetpur, would it even matter after a while if it was just first cousins? I mean you could have a couple that were “distant cousins”, lets say 3rd cousins, whose parents were 1st cousins, and whose parents’ parents were second cousins. There are bound to be some fertility issues there…

But for your particular question, just for the sake of it, lets assume in one family, there have never been cousin marriages and two first cousins marry. I think chance of disease is slim but fertility may prove an issue further down the line if their kids marry their cousins as well.

I think everyone is in agreement at least on one thing…excess of anything is bad, and in this case, its marrying into the family. if this is a one off thing, its not anything to worry about but if its a family trend, you’re better off marrying outside. Heres a good link I found on the topic:

Thoughts on Cousin-Marriage All About Muslim Marriages

Good article but 2 points there I have issues with:

1. ‘Intermarriage decreases the divorce rate and enhances the power and independence of wives, who can call upon the support of familiar friends and relatives if they feel they are being wronged. I**t is much harder for a husband to behave badly towards a wife who is his cousin than one who is a ‘stranger’ from outside the family, for the errant husband will not mind offending her relatives so much as he would his own.’

**From what I’ve seen it’s usually the opposite, girls are under more pressure to stay with a husband who’s cheated or treated them badly because their parents are scared of falling out with the rest of the family and the boys in these sorts of marriages tend to think they can get away with more because they know the chance of their wife asking for a divorce is lower (and if she’s from ‘back home’ she’ll be relying on him and his family). Girls who are in these types of marriages tend to be less likely to work, are more likely to have to live long-term with their inlaws etc and as a result of this I’d have thought they have less power and independence..

2. Humans are perfectly comfortable with the idea that inbreeding can produce genetic benefits for domesticated animals. When we want a dog with the points to win prizes in Canine Competitions, the usual procedure is to take individuals displaying the desired traits and ‘breed them back’ with their close kin. (But remember, the practice – which is artificially organized as opposed to leaving the animals to make their own choices of mates – can also breed bulldogs with noses that cannot breathe.)

**‘Pedigree dogs are suffering from genetic diseases following years of inbreeding, **an investigation has found.’

‘It says physical traits required by the Kennel Club’s breed standards, such as short faces, wrinkling, screw-tails and dwarfism, have inherent health problems.’

Source: BBC NEWS | UK | Pedigree dogs plagued by disease

BBC - Press Office - Pedigree Dogs Exposed

Inbreeding in dogs creates more problems than it solves, to suggest it’s a positive thing with just the odd negative here or there just isn’t right.. Sounds crass but it isn’t all that different to the situation going on in many desi families imo, altho for different reasons obviously..