The Conservatives’ push to ban cousin marriage has been labelled “Islamophobic” by campaigners who have claimed a Tory MP’s proposed Bill “incites hate”.
Basildon & Billericay MP Richard Holden, who warned that first-cousin marriage poses “risks to health, freedom [and] the cohesion of our society”, had brought his private members Bill to the Commons last month – and it is due to get its second reading today.
In December, pro-Gaza independent MP Iqbal Mohamed had argued against his proposed ban, claiming cousin marriage “helps build family bonds”.
And now, Natasha Rattu, CEO of charity Karma Nirvana, which works with survivors of forced marriage and “honour-based” abuse, claimed an “Islamophobic” outcry following Holden’s bill was “counterintuitive to anybody affected by the negative impacts of first-cousin marriage, who would surely, on the back of seeing that, be more reluctant to get help if they needed.”
Richard Holden’s Marriage (Prohibited Degrees of Relationship) Bill is set for a second reading today
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Meanwhile, a statement from the charity reads: “[We] cannot support Richard Holden’s Bill… not because we condone cousin marriage, but because we believe the true agenda is not to address the harms that can arise from it, but to use it as a tool for political point-scoring, inciting hate and driving a wedge between communities.”
Professor Neil Small, co-author of the Born in Bradford study, which tracks people’s health in the city, told The Guardian that cousin marriage would be “better dealt with” by more readily available “genetic testing” and education about its risks.
He also claimed “upsetting rhetoric” from Tory politicians could put people off “science-based” approaches that would help them make informed choices about marrying their cousins.
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Richard Holden discussing his proposed Bill – while Iqbal Mohamed sits in the background
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A spokesman for Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK, which represents 30,000 Muslims, said a ban on cousin marriage would be “damaging”.
The group said it would “curb fundamental freedoms and stigmatise”, and that “marriages within extended families often are a means of providing support, stability and love within the family unit”.
The Bill saw its first reading on December 10 last year – and is set for its second today.
Back then, Mohamed, the Dewsbury & Batley MP, told the Commons that first-cousin marriage is seen as “very positive” by “ordinary people” and warned prohibition would be “unenforceable”.
Iqbal Mohamed told the Commons that first-cousin marriage is seen as ‘very positive’ by ‘ordinary people’
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He continued: “In discussing it, we should try to step into the shoes of those who are perhaps not from the same culture as ours.
“An estimated 35 to 50 per cent of all sub-Saharan African populations either prefer or accept cousin marriages, and it’s extremely common in the Middle East and South Asia.
“The reason the practice is so common is that ordinary people see family intermarriage overall as something that is very positive, something that helps build family bonds and helps put families on a more secure financial foothold.”
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