UK’s NHS defends first cousin marriages in the name of culture, despite risk of birth defects: Read how Islamic practices are now mainstream in Britain

The United Kingdom hosts the largest Pakistani community in Europe with the population surpassing 1.6 million according to the 2021 Census. The figures have been rising swiftly over the years. However, it is not just the individuals that the Western nation is embracing, but also their problematic customs and even criminal elements, as highlighted by the shocking emergence of grooming gangs, which have mushroomed with impunity over multiple decades in Britain.

Nonetheless, the authorities and media have been resolute in their efforts to conceal these offenses under the pretense of “liberalism” to protect themselves from accusations of racism. Now, in line with their established approach, they have again tired to trivialize a crucial issue associated with a contentious practice within the British Pakistani community.

The National Health Service (Genomics Education Programme) in a bizarre attempt to justify “cousin marriage,” a common practice among Muslims, especially those of Pakistani descent, claimed that it presents various potential benefits. Financial advantages (resources, property, and inheritance can be pooled rather than split between homes) and greater extended family support networks were cited as positive outcomes.

"Cousin marriage is awesome!" – NHS

Cousin marriage reality: pic.twitter.com/G3HJXd3au9

— Peter Lloyd (@Suffragent_) September 29, 2025

Interestingly, the analysis acknowledged that inbreeding raises the likelihood of genetic condition. It also outlined a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report which stated that more babies have been born with certain genetic conditions in Bradford than in other parts of the United Kingdom. The area has a large British Pakistani population and is a hub of cousin-marriage. The piece described how the genetic disease caused the loss of “several children, one after the other.”

Nonetheless, it was defended as an “oversimplification” of the problem and a “stigmatization of certain communities.” The argument was presented against the prohibition of cousin marriage in Britain. Endogamy was also held responsible for the issue. Afterward, the British Society for Genetic Medicine (BSGM) pronounced that invoking health as a reason to outlaw the practice is unjustified.

Backlash against the publication and demand for an apology

The publication has generated a backlash in the United Kingdom as the NHS has been asked to apologise for lauding the virtues of first-cousin marriage in spite of the higher risk of birth abnormalities. The practice has also been connected to the mistreatment of women and shown to raise the chance of genetic diseases in children born to such couples.

The director of the Pharos Foundation social science research department at Oxford and an authority on religious law, Dr Patrick Nash, condemned the guidance as “truly dismaying,” reported Daily Mail.

“Cousin marriage is incest, plain and simple, and needs to be banned with the utmost urgency – there is no ‘balance’ to be struck between this cultural lifestyle choice and the severe public health implications it incurs. This official article is deeply misleading and should be retracted with an apology so that the public is not misled by omission and half-truths,” he demanded.

“Our NHS should stop taking the knee to damaging and oppressive cultural practices. The Conservatives want to see an end to cousin marriage as a backdoor to immigration too, but Labour are deaf to these sensible demands,” voiced Tory MP Richard Holden while talking to Daily Mail.

He added, “Sir Keir Starmer should stop running scared of the misogynistic community controllers and their quislings who appear in the form of cultural relativist-obsessed sociology professors, and ban a practice the overwhelming majority, from every community in Britain, want to see ended for good.” Richard is supporting a bill in Parliament that would ban first cousins from marrying each other.

Importantly, the children of these unions are far more likely to suffer from ailments like sickle cell disease or cystic fibrosis, which costs the NHS billions of pounds. According to statistics, one in five children with congenital issues and those receiving treatment for the same in areas like Sheffield, Glasgow and Birmingham are of Pakistani heritage.

Reports reveal the detrimental impact of first cousin marriages on the lives of British Pakistani kids

Cousin marriage is under scrutiny in the UK and throughout Europe, especially by medical professionals who caution that the children born out of such wedlocks are more likely to suffer from a variety of health issues. The aforementioned BBC piece mentioned that Bradford’s alarming data has only made matters worse.

Researchers enrolled around 13,000 (13,500) infants in West Yorkshire city between 2007 and 2010 (2011), according to Born in Bradford study. They intensively monitoring the kids from childhood through adolescence and now into early adulthood. 37% of married couples of Pakistani descent were first cousins.

The study is one of the largest medical experiments of its kind and the most important investigations of the health effects of cousin marriage in the world. One in six of the children who were used a subjects had parents who were first cousins, primarily from the Pakistani community of the area.

The researchers unveiled that first cousin parentage can have more ramifications than previously believed based on data. A recessive condition, such as sickle cell disease or cystic fibrosis is the most apparent way which illustrated that a child of blood-related parents could be at higher risk for health problems.

The researcher Gregor Mendel established the standard theory of genetics, which suggested that a kid has a one in four chance of inheriting a recessive gene if both parents possess it. Additionally, the odds of both parents being carriers is higher when they are relatives. Compared to 3% of the general population, children of first cousins have a 6% probability of acquiring a recessive disease.

The children’s speech and language development, the frequency of their medical visits and their academic achievement were among the several data points examined by the researchers. They observed that a child of first cousins in Bradford had an 11% chance of receiving a speech and language diagnosis, even after adjusting for variables like poverty, compared to a 7% chance for children whose parents are unrelated.

Likewise, they concluded that the probabilities of a child of first cousins attaining a “good stage of development,” a government evaluation provided to all five-year-olds in England is 54%, as opposed to 64% for children of unrelated parents.

The children of first cousins require a third more primary care appointments than children of non-related parents, averaging four appointments each year. Consanguinity might have an impact on children without a diagnosable recessive disorder, according to the data, even after acounting for the children with the same issue.

Inbreeding, congenital abnormalities and more

Congenital abnormalities as pointed out earlier result in several problems including stillbirths and infant deaths. Details of 386 congenital abnormalities that were discovered (and confirmed) within the same time period were connected to data from 11,396 mothers who took part in the Born in Bradford research.

Consanguineous marriage came out as a significant risk factor for the defects even after accounting for deprivation, according to the findings. The rate for non-consanguineous couples (of all ethnic groups) was 2.5% whereas the rate for first cousins was 6.5%. This resulted in a multivariate risk ratio of 2.19 (confidence interval 1.67-2.85).

Furthermore, marriages between cousins and similar unions lead to significantly more devastating repercussions for the offsprings. One such outcome is Uner Tan syndrome (UTS) which causes the affected individuals to walk quadrupedally and frequently have severe learning impairments. It is reportedly an illustration of “reverse evolution.”

The shocking development came to light when certain members of the Turkish Ulas family were spotted walking on all fours. The BBC documentary from 2006 was the first to chronicle the same. Four sisters and one brother were born with the peculiar characteristic, while a sixth family member who possessed the trait passed away.

According to a Liverpool University study, the children had a smaller cerebellum and skeletons that resembled apes more than humans. Intrafamilial marriage and reproduction had been associated with the syndrome, revealing that it is an autosomal recessive illness.

British activist highlights the problem on social media and startling defence by British Pakistani couples

British activist Tommy Robinson also addressed the issue in a video in July. According to him, 33% of birth defects in the UK are caused by British Pakistanis who contribute about 3% of the population and 76% of Pakistanis in Bradford marry their first cousins. He tied the cultural norm to traditional Islamic customs and contended that this placed a heavy load on the UK healthcare system.

Tommy Robinson tells it like it is:

“Pakistanis make up 3% of the UK population. They are responsible for 33% of birth defects. They are being born retarded.

It’s costing the economy billions and billions because Mohammed married his cousin.”

Ban cousin marriage! pic.twitter.com/tP6FBsUzwP

— Dr. Maalouf ‏ (@realMaalouf) July 6, 2025

Meanwhile, British Pakistanis, as anticipated, came forth in strong support of intrafamilial marriage and reproduction. “That’s God’s will, nobody can say anything about that. Even if you marry outside the family, it could still happen,” a couple declared in a conversation with the BBC. “So many people have married outside the families and they may still have a child with a disability,” they alleged firmly, disregarding all evidence.

Another Muslim individual pointed out that first-cousin marriages are not uncommon in Pakistan or India (considering the massive Muslim population).

About 55% of British Pakistanis are married to their first cousins which makes up around 3% of all weddings in the country, based on a 2021 study. These unions are a popular practice in Birmingham which has a sizable British Pakistani population.

The land of first cousin marriages

There is no denying that cousin marriages and such relationships are a significant part of Islamic society. Data from this year showed that Pakistan stands out as the epicentre of inbreeding at 61.2%, trailed by Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan. The prevalent practice within the Muslim community has continued to endure, despite the detrimental effects and the reservations or even taboos surrounding it.

The practice has led to an abnormally high amount of genetic problems in youngsters, according to a 2022 DW study. However, cousin marriages continue to be common in many areas across the nation even if people are aware of the adverse consequences.

According to a 2013 study titled “Key factors in understanding differences in rates of birth defects identified” which was published by the University of Leeds in collaboration with the University of Bradford, consanguineous marriages were found to be responsible for up to 77% of congenital disabilities in children.

Zafar Iqbal’s study, “Identifying Genes Responsible for Intellectual Disability in Consanguineous Families,” conveyed that Pakistan has a relatively high consanguinity rate (>60%). It also stated that first cousins make about 17% to 38% of consanguineous marriages in Pakistan. It is one of the primary causes of infant death in Pakistan. Furthermore, the likelihood of the infant developing a genetic abnormality or a long-term health issue is significant if the youngster survives.

The genetic mutation database of Pakistan is maintained by Pakistani establishments such as Kohat University of Science & Technology. It detects and monitors certain mutations and illnesses that are primarily brought on by inbreeding in Pakistani youngsters.

The data outlined that are more than 1,000 mutations in 130 distinct genetic illnesses that are present in various locations, such as Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA), Punjab, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, Balochistan, Sindh and Gilgit Baltistan.

Thalassaemia, an inherited blood condition that prevents red blood cells from taking oxygen, is the most prevalent genetic condition in Pakistani children.

Conclusion

The matter of cousin marriage has maintained a steady presence in the Pakistani Muslim community, including those who reside in foreign nations like Britain. Several media reports and studies have consistently underscored the problem present in the community.

A startlingly high percentage of cousin marriages in Pakistani communities in Britain result in children with genetic problems, warned The Telegraph in 2015.

According to an earlier 2008 estimate by the media oulet, 3% of births in the UK were attributed to the Pakistani minority. However, they were accountable for 30% of infants born with recessive genetic abnormalities because of the large incidence of cousin marriages. Likewise, 55% of Bradford’s Pakistani population was married to a first cousin.

However, just as the British administration and its media tried to downplay the exploitation of their minor girls by Pakistani Muslim grooming gangs, they are now repeating the same in relation to the issue of inbreeding among the community.

Clearly, evidence has never been of concern to them before and it does not hold any significance for them now. The most disturbing part is their willigness to consistently endanger the lives of children merely to uphold the twisted ideals of wokeism and liberalism in their nation. Notably, they do not even shy away from rejecting scientific facts for this reason.