Parliament TV video screengrab (Left) / Adobe Stock (Right)
CV NEWS FEED // United Kingdom Member of Parliament (MP) Iqbal Mohamed, known for his support of Gaza, recently opposed a bill that would ban marriage between first cousins, saying that “ordinary people” think such marriages “build family bonds.”
Great Britain News reported Dec. 12 that MP and Shadow Paymaster General Richard Holden proposed a bill that would ban first-cousin marriages, and Mohamed discouraged other MP members from supporting the bill.
Mohamed argued that a ban would be unenforceable and that ordinary people see first-cousin marriages in a positive light.
“In discussing it, we should try to step into the shoes of those who are perhaps not from the same culture as ours,” he stated. “An estimated 35 per cent to 50 per cent of all subsaharan African populations either prefer or accept cousin marriages, and it’s extremely common in the Middle East and South Asia.”
He said that the practice is common because people view it as a positive thing that builds family bonds and helps families to be more secure financially.
Mohamed later added, “There are documented health risks with first-cousin marriage and I agree this is an issue that needs greater awareness on.”
Holden spoke in support of the bill.
“Members across the House may wonder why first-cousin marriage is not already illegal,” he said, “in fact many in this House and in the country may already believe that it is — and that is understandable.”
Holden added that such marriages were banned until 1540, when King Henry VIII legalized it.
“King Henry VIII broke with Rome and legalised marriage between first cousins so that he could marry Catherine Howard, his fifth wife and a cousin of his second wife Anne Boleyn,” he explained.
Holden added that certain immigrant communities have much higher rates of first-cousin marriage, stating that Irish immigrants have a 20-40% higher rate of first cousin marriages, and an even higher rate among Pakistani people in Britain.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick also supported the bill banning this type of marriage.
“Cousin marriage has absolutely no place in Britain,” he said. “The medical evidence is overwhelming, it significantly increases the risk of birth defects, and the moral case is clear. We see hundreds of exploitative marriages which ruin lives. Frankly, it should have been stamped out a long time ago.”
The Parliament approved the bill for further debate, and Holden requested that the bill return to the House of Commons Jan. 17, 2025, for its second reading.
