Many of Muhammad`s immediate successors also took a cousin as one of their wives. Umar married his cousin Atikah bint Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nifayl,[192][193] while Ali married Fatima,[194] the daughter of his paternal cousin Muhammad and thus his first cousin. [195] Again, 16 of these marriages were infertile, so that 77 successful marriages produced 180 sons, or 2.34 sons per marriage. If these two figures, 1.93 and 2.34, are compared with the corresponding figures of 1.91 and 2.26 for non-blood marriages, it is clear that, again, there is no evidence of a lack of fertility among children of first-degree marriages. It seems to me that these points can be resolved fairly satisfactorily by comparing the fertility of marriages of first cousins and marriages of their descendants, as recorded in the family trees of Burke`s Landed Gentry and the peerage, with the fertility of marriages between unrelated persons. Marriages between cousins have genetic aspects that have an increased chance of sharing genes for recessive traits. The percentage of inbreeding between two individuals decreases by four times because the youngest common ancestor goes back a generation. First-degree cousins have four times as many blood ties as second-degree cousins, while first-degree cousins have half the blood ties of first-degree cousins. Double first cousins have twice as many as first cousins and are just as closely related as half-siblings. Cousins can marry if they are 18 years of age or older, without the consent of a parent or guardian. One hundred successful marriages of first cousins would give 51 to 62 children who die young, and that for every 100 sons, descendants of first cousins who survive youth, 22 to 27 boys and girls (their brothers and sisters) die early. In some cultures and communities, marriages between cousins are considered ideal and are actively encouraged and expected.
In others, they are considered incestuous and subject to social stigma and taboo. Marriage between cousins has always been practiced by indigenous cultures in Australia, North America, South America and Polynesia. [4] Various religions ranged from prohibiting marriage to sixth-degree cousins (certain forms of Hinduism and Catholicism) to freely allowing first-degree marriage (Protestantism, Islam, Judaism, and some forms of Hinduism). It will be shown that the percentage of descendants of first-degree marriages in the general population is so close to that of such marriages that one can only draw the negative conclusion that, as far as folly and idiocy are concerned, no evil has arisen from marriages bound by blood. The American gothic poet secretly married his 13-year-old first cousin, Virginia Eliza Clemm, in 1834. She died of tuberculosis in 1847. Learn about the legality and history surrounding cousin marriage in the UK. Anthropologist Francis Hsu described the daughter of the mother`s brother (MBD) as the preferred type of marriage between Chinese cousins, the daughter of the mother`s sister (MSD) as tolerated, and the daughter of the father`s brother (FBD) as unfavorable. [29] Some authors report that the latter form is almost incestive. [30] One suggested explanation is that in FBD marriage, the daughter does not change her surname throughout her life, so the marriage does not result in an extension of the father`s family relationships.
In Chinese culture, these patrilineal ties are the most important in determining the closeness of a relationship. [31] In the case of TMS marriage, there are no such ties, so it cannot even be considered a marriage between cousins. Finally, one of the reasons why MBD marriages are often the most common may be the generally greater emotional warmth between a man and the maternal side of the family. [32] Subsequent analyses revealed regional differences in these trends; In some rural areas where marriage to cousins is still common, MBD is not preferred, but simply acceptable, similar to MSDs. [30] From the beginning to the middle of the 20th century. In the nineteenth century, anthropologists described marriage between cousins in China as “still admissible.” but. generally obsolete” or as “authorized, but unwanted”. [27] [28] Other opinions may inform this rather important decision. Now that British Muslims are much more integrated into wider British society than in previous generations, many of them are also concerned about opinions outside their own immediate community. “If the people I work with ask me who I`m going to marry, I wouldn`t want to say I`m marrying my cousin because that would be embarrassing and they would look at you differently,” says Sajid.
“I went to school with my cousin and she was also in my class. If I told my friends that I was marrying them, they would laugh at me. Sajid`s views on cousin marriages coincided with many young British Muslims I interviewed. While they respect cousin marriage as an option for others, they wouldn`t want one for themselves. In the Mahabharata, one of the two great Hindu epics, Arjuna took his first cousin Subhadra, Krishna`s sister, as his fourth wife. Arjuna had gone into exile alone after disturbing Yudhishthira and Draupadi in their private rooms. During the latter part of his exile, during his stay at his cousins` Dvaraka residence, he fell in love with Subhadra. While eating at Balarama`s, Arjuna was impressed by Subhadra`s beauty and decided to have her as his wife. Subhadra and Arjuna`s son was the tragic hero Abhimanyu. According to Andhra Pradesh oral tradition, Abhimanyu himself married his first cousin Shashirekha, the daughter of Subhadra`s brother, Balarama.
[203] [204] [unreliable source?] Marriages of crossed cousins are evident from Arjuna`s marriage to Subhadra, Pradyumna`s marriage (Krishna`s eldest son) to Rukmini`s daughter (Rukmini`s brother). Krishna also married his cousin Mitravinda (daughter of Vasudeva`s sister, Rajadhi, who was queen of Avanti) and Bhadra (daughter of Vasudeva`s sister, Shrutakirti, who was the queen of the kingdom of Kekaya). [ref. needed] The first return refers to the College for the Blind in Worcester. The results were communicated by the kindness of the Reverend Robert Blair and Mr. S. S. Foster.
The college is small, and only 20 cases are registered, and details of each case have been released. Of these, 20 were descendants of first cousins of one and second cousins a case of 2 brothers. Of the 20 cases, 2 were due to accidents. Thus, out of 17 families, there was one case of first-degree descendants. 1 Darwin GH. Marriages between first cousins in England and their effects. Fortnightly Review 1875;24:22–41. This article is part of a paper read at the Statistical Society of London on March 16. The Society has kindly authorized publication in this journal at the same time as it appears in its journal for this month. The reader will find more details and a discussion of some earlier writings on the subject of consanguineous marriages in the journal. Cross cousins and uncle-niece unions are preferred and together account for about 30% of marriages in Andhra Pradesh in 1967 and fell to 26% in 2015-16. [132] These practices are particularly common in rural communities such as the Reddys or the Vellalar, who want to keep wealth in the family.
Unlike northern India, this practice is also common among Brahmins in the region. [138] China has banned marriage to first-degree cousins since 1981. [104] Currently, according to Article 7 of the Marriage Law of the People`s Republic of China, “no marriage shall be contracted under any of the following circumstances: (1) if the man and woman are blood relatives in the direct line or collateral relatives by blood up to the third degree of kinship.” [105] The prevalence of first-degree marriage in Western countries has declined since the late 19th and early 20th centuries. [12] [13] In the Middle East and South Asia, marriage between cousins is still strongly preferred. [14] [15] [16] However, these marriages are not limited to British Pakistanis. “Most Brits would be surprised to learn that in the UK, about a quarter of all cousin marriages take place within the white British community,” says Dr Aamra Darr, senior researcher at the School of Health Studies at the University of Bradford and director of diversity in genetic communication. Nevertheless, Labour MP Ann Cryer and Conservative MP Phillip Davies have called for a ban on cousin marriages, citing the health risks to children. In 2015, Baroness Flather, a peer of all benches, caused much controversy when she said it was “absolutely appalling” that first-degree marriages between Pakistanis had caused “so many disabilities in children”.
In the face of public criticism and as attitudes naturally change, how does a new generation feel? If they become less enthusiastic about the idea, could it disappear completely as a practice in our country? Opinions on the merits of this practice vary widely.