Marrying My Cousin BBC 2 (2005)

NEILA Butt often shocks people when she tells them who her husband is.
Reactions range from horror to intrigue and comments like 'But isn't that illegal?'.
Eight years ago, radio presenter Neila wed her first cousin.
And she's not alone. More than half of British Pakistanis do the same.
Now Neila has made a TV documentary about the widespread but little-known custom.
Neila, who writes and reads the news on the BBC Asian Network, lives in Hall Green, Birmingham, with her police interpreter husband Farooq, and children Daanish, seven, and Hikmah, who's almost two.
She was born in Birmingham and grew up in Sparkhill where her parents ran two restaurants - and knew from an early age that she would have an arranged marriage, most likely to be within the family. 'It may seem shocking but it's completely normal to us,' says Neila, 34.
'Non-Pakistanis are often appalled by the idea, but it is a tradition that has worked for centuries.

[@mariehaikal3048]

that is called emotional blackmailing. In islam, he has full right to chose his own wife and he doesn't need to obey his parents regarding this matter. It is his life he is going to live with this woman. His family have no right to push him to this wedding if he doesn't want to. I am really sad for him just watching it.

[@AfshanAslam-z7x]

The pressure the sisters are exerting on their brother is cruel! The fact the older brother married an English woman and then preaches the opposite is also ridiculous

[@kathleen5237]

The pressure and emotional abuse is terrible

[@mpremacc]

In-breeding with your cousin doubles the rate of birth defects. Even producing "healthy" offspring will still have a reduction in fitness by increasing the risk for homozygous recessive diseases and other health problems. This effect on "healthy" offspring multiplies bit by bit as generations continue down the same reproductive path.

[@Fjk2134]

When we first came to the states over 35 years ago there was a ln afghan family that my mom knew their cousin so we would go there and the oldest daughter married her first cousin from Afghanistan and their first child came out blind. The second came out fine but they divorced because she got him to the US and years later he found someone else so now both are remarried. She couldn't have any more children with her new husband and he had three more kids with his new wife. But the blind daughter is absolutely amazing, intelligent and happy . She's in her 20s now married another blind man and they are happily married

[@JosefineKRespectfully]

There is a documentary that shows how many people in the UK are marrying their family members and most of them have kids with birth defects. Some are blind, can’t talk they can’t even think properly. The parents believe it’s not because they married a family member.

[@JosefineKRespectfully]

It’s called Marry My cousin from Real Stories. It’s sad how many people say it’s not from inbreeding it’s just how they are.

[@jhunt5578]

Getting married because your uncle had a heart attack over you not wanting to marry his daughter aka your cousin is wild.

[@AfshanAslam-z7x]

They got their carer for their mother for free and what type of marriage will that poor girl have. The sisters are happy as they are free of their mother’s responsibility. This is so sad.

[@rahnanabi8488]

Seen it too many times- it’s all emotional bloody blackmail-the pressure is so disgusting and I can’t believe the sisters- they should have supported their brother against being married to the cousin- bloody fake heart attack and fake bloody doctor I bet!!!

[@anitaannie6957]

Poor guy was backed into a corner. Hopefully his marriage is all ok now.. Sad to think that this is the pressure that people are under to get married to their cousin

[@goabaridreamer6659]

Selfish much! Poor guy and the girl !! 😢

[@cruisesoetz1087]

1) Genetic issues 2) if couples divorce or face problems it has huge implications on the wider family causing a split which could also turn violent.

[@cruisesoetz1087]

This documentry was aired 20 years ago. Today many Brit Pakistanis are marrying different ethnicites.

[@asmapatel2296]

Considering this was many years ago, the change has been minimal

[@akeyla]

I wonder where they all are now 19 years later.....

[@annieahmed4946]

She’s a nasty person for continuing these disgusting traditions. Shame on her for emotionally blackmailing her brother into doing this.

[@hinashah8267]

Wow, I clicked on this not knowing the family it centred around - and realised we studied law together Ghazala!!!!! Lovely to see you and hear life is good! Hina x

[@N4da882]

She’s lying. She says she loved the idea of marrying her cousin? Marriage changes your life completely, it’s a legal contract. Imagine marrying someone that you’ve never met. And it’s your cousin? Doesn’t seem like a Fairytale. Somehow to myself ‘Love’ and Marrying my cousin is not synonymous. Every culture is different of course👀

[@hinashah8267]

An update would be fascinating…….

[@asmapatel2296]

Talk about multiple levels of manipulation. This is entirely forced, no matter how they choose to phrase it.

[@c.c5508]

One look at my cousin and I thought 'he'll no' he looks exactly like me ,,,,, yeah that's the day I ran away from home.

[@N4da882]

“You sit there wondering have we done something wrong” The Perpetrator says. Erm…YES. It’s God’s will they say. Disgusting on so many levels.

[@lynnfaulkner2706]

It's hard for me to wrap my head around intelligent people not realizing the genetic defects involved in inbreeding. Are these just bad cases of Denialism, or something even worse?

[@cruisesoetz1087]

Today it is very rare that cousins marry in Britian.

[@N4da882]

They marry their cousins to keep the money in the family. Greed.

[@aminayasin416]

marrying 1st 2nd 3rd cousin is pretty normal thing for pakistanis.

[@iamthechosenone10]

Normal in muz countries

[@shazanakhan9807]

Why don't they do the genetic test before getting married. Ridiculous

[@nailaumar3658]

My name is also Naila and my parents choiced my cousin for my marriage.

[@ntgangster1]

Endogamy ,stands for EndGame .😂

[@cocobeware9442]

So is she the product of cousin marriage!

[@MonteLogic]

These people have ISSUES!!!!!

[@Boo675jhggg]

I can see why people marry their cousins because you know what you're getting. Most people fall madly in love with a random stranger. This is probably good for the gene pool but these marriages usually fail. That's because they are really just a random stranger.😅😅 I've had two of these.

[@nailaumar3658]

Vvv nice Naila, stay blessed

[@zshan4445]

but when the targaryens do it everyone thinks its magical and mystical, yes the genetic defect risk exsists but a deeper xenophobia broods as well.