Golden Gate [X]Press : Kissing Cousins

	SPECIAL SERIES : [X]Press Magazine Issue One: Reproduction

Kissing Cousins

Marriage between first cousins is more common than you may think

by Humarra Rashid, staff writer

September 26, 2005 8:30 AM

While vacationing in Pakistan, Haseeb Munir picked the girl he plans to marry. She's smart, has a lovable infectious laugh and comes from a well-respected family. But he worries her father will not accept his proposal. Munir fell for his first cousin. Marriage between cousins is considered taboo in many American homes. One reason marrying a cousin is prohibited is people assume children born of cousin couples will have birth defects. Studies done on the risk of genetic disorders in the offspring of consanguineous or blood-related couples vary depending on the researcher. One study, funded by the National Society of Genetic Counselors, shows the risk of birth defects in a child born to cousin couples is 2 percent to 4 percent. The birth defect rate of children born to non-related couples, however, is only about 1 percent less. Ronald Bachman, chief of genetics for Kaiser Permanente�s Northern California region, says there is a 6 percent risk of birth defect of genetic condition within cousin couples and a 3 percent risk of birth defect with genetic disorders between non-related couples. Munir and his wife Neha have now been married for eight years. They live in California and have two children, ages six and two. Both children live normal, healthy lives. �Traditionally, our parents do not teach us that marrying your cousin is wrong," Neha says. "It is openly accepted. [The fact that] it may cause problems when producing children is not even an issue." Neha�s sister refers to Neha's relationship as love at first sight, but admits their marriage was arranged. In keeping with custom, Haseeb says, �I took the traditional route and asked my mother's permission to ask her father if I could marry her,� Haseeb says. Birth defects and genetic problems arise from a recessive gene. �We all carry four to eight autosomal recessive genes, but these are usually different than the ones carried by our spouse,� Bachman says. �Since you need two of the same autosomal recessive genes, this is less common if our mate is not related to us. If there is mating between first cousins, they share the same grandparents, and it is more common for their autosomal recessive genes to be transmitted to their grandchildren.� According to Bachman, when cousins mate they are more likely to pass on genes that are predisposed to multifactorial genetic disorders like congenital heart disease, mental retardation and neural tube defects. To find out if there are extreme genetic disorders in a consanguineous marriage, the family needs to be studied individually. Michelle Strecker, a certified genetic counselor from the UCSF General and Metabolic Genetics Clinic, says there is genetic screening offered for any couple of specific ethnic background who could pass on a defected genetic trait to their offspring. Lubna Basheer and her husband are also first cousins and have a 7-year-old son. The Basheer�s are of Middle Eastern culture and their marriage was arranged. �We choose not to tell people we're cousins. It's just too much of a distraction, and also a very questionable practice,� Basheer says. �Within Middle Eastern culture, the only other family member that a man or a woman can be married to is your cousin. Some people can be stereotypical and think we can have other types of intermarriages, but that is not allowed in Islam.� According to a segment about cousin couples on the primetime news show "20/20," approximately 200,000 cousins wed in America every year, and 20 percent of married couples in the world are cousins. In some countries in the Middle East, more than half of all marriages are between cousins. In fact, marrying your cousin is legal in 26 states, including California, which has no restrictions. During a visit to the Munir household, a family friend commented on how the couple looks physically similar. �It's weird because I've never gotten that before," Neha says. "None of our American friends have said we look similar. Maybe it's because she knows we're cousins." The acceptance of marriage between cousins varies depending on culture and religion. Marriage between first cousins within the Dravidian Hindus of South India is allowed, whereas Aryan Hindus of North India strongly oppose it. Lucia Volk, anthropology professor at SF State, says consanguinity has nothing to do with Islam and is more of a patrimonial issue. �There is an overlap in Islam and patrimonial societies where inheritance is governed through the male lines," she says. "Having cousins marry each other insures that property stays in the same households.� According to Rafiya Abbasi, women�s president of a Muslim mosque in the East Bay called the Duras-al-Salam Mission House, the Quran allows Muslim cousins to marry. �The Quran specifically states who a Muslim cannot marry,� she says. The list includes everyone from uncles to foster children but excludes cousins. �Marrying a cousin is traditionally acceptable when arranging a marriage because families prefer a girl or a boy belonging to the family. This way divorce is less likely to happen.� Begum Ahmad, who asked that her name be withheld, is a 17-year-old high school senior and engaged to her first cousin. She plans to marry after she has completes her college education. �I have aunts and uncles that have married their cousins,� Ahmad says. �I agree that some of it has to do with tradition and culture. But another reason is that cousin marriages can be more compatible and easier than having an arranged marriage and marrying a stranger.�

» E-mail Humarra Rashid @ nazli@sfsu.edu
» More stories from [X]Press Magazine Issue One: Reproduction

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