You may have seen the story circulating in the news this week about the “British-Pakistani” woman who refused to marry her cousin. Her refusal was due to the fact that she’d already lost members of her family to early deaths and learning difficulties; problems which had been picked up due to inbreeding.

There is growing evidence to support the fact that inbreeding (usually between cousins in the Pakistani community) is to blame, at least in part, for the dramatic rise in stillborn babies, early deaths and learning difficulties. Associated learning difficulties include neurological problems, heart, kidney, lung or liver failure, blindness and/or deafness.

Of course, problems like the above happen to native British families too; but a staggeringly high amount of treated children are Pakistani. What we need to consider here is that only 2% of people in Britain are Pakistani; yet they make up a very high percentage of birth defects.

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Pakistani Inbreeding and Birth Defects: The Stats

Now, there is no official data in the UK which tells us the amount of birth defects which are linked to inbreeding. What we do know though, is two important things. Firstly, around 55% of British Pakistanis are married to their cousins. Secondly, British Pakistanis are 13 times more likely to have children with birth defects than the general British population. It definitely makes sense to correlate the two things.

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We also have the following evidence:

Pakistanis are responsible for 20% of birth defects in Sheffield, yet they only make up 4% of the population.

Pakistanis are responsible for 18% of birth defects in Glasgow, yet they only make up 3.8% of the population.

Pakistani birth defects in Birmingham have increased by 43% since 2011.

In Manchester, Derby and Leeds, Pakistanis are responsible for 1 in 10 birth defects.

Birth defects in Luton (where there is a high percentage of Pakistani Muslims) are 63% higher than the national average.

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The most important stat, however, is probably this:

In the UK as a whole, Pakistanis account for 3.4% of births, yet they are responsible for 30% of all birth defects.

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Why Should We Care?

There’s a chance you’re sat reading this, wondering to yourself; “Why should I care?” We’ve tried warning people about the effects of inbreeding before, just to be shut down. They’re only damaging their own families, right?

Actually, the effects of inbreeding in the Pakistani community has major economical and social implications on us, too. It’s difficult to estimate the exact cost of treating these conditions, but in 2004, it was estimated at £2 billion per year. If we look at 30% of £2 billion (the percentage of birth defects that Pakistanis are responsible for), we get a figure of £600 million per year. As we now have more identifiable conditions and better treatments, the cost has probably increased since 2004, as well.

It’s not just the financial implications either. Children whose parents are cousins, on average, have an IQ that is 10-16 points lower than the national average. What effect does this have on the other children in the classroom? What effect does this have on how this individual can contribute economically as an adult?

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This is Something We Should Be Talking About

Many people are scared of being labelled “racist” and this perhaps explains why there’s little conversation around this topic. It is something we should be talking about though. As we know, the Pakistani Muslim community is growing rapidly in the UK, so this is only something that’s going to get worse as the years go by.

We, the taxpayers, are funding the implications of inbreeding within the Pakistani community, so it’s something that Parliament should at least be willing to discuss. Inbreeding is a social practice that does not belong in today’s age; especially in the West.

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There have been ideas previously circulating that suggest that couples should be forced to have a DNA test before they’re allowed to marry. Could this help combat the issue, at least to some extent? What are your thoughts? Please feel free to comment below or tweet us at @DefendEvropa with your ideas and suggestions.