Should I Marry My Cousin?

In this provocative and personal documentary, 18 year-old Bradford-born Hiba explores the controversial but legal custom of first-cousin marriage. …

In Britain, where cousin marriage has been legal for over 400 years, first-cousin marriage is one of the last taboos, often viewed on a par with incest. However, in one community – British Pakistanis – 55 per cent of young people marry their first cousin. And in Bradford, where Hiba comes from, that figure is an astonishing 70 per cent.

Although she’s only 18, Hiba is already talking to her family about marriage. For them first-cousin marriage is the norm and some members of the family are especially keen for her to continue the tradition.

Her uncle Younis is in favour – four out of five of his own children are in cousin marriages. Her dad, Maroof, is on the fence and her mum, Nuzhat, is very much against it, but both have said they will support Hiba in whatever decision she makes.

At the moment Hiba is single and because all her first cousins have married each other, her only hope of a family match would be with a second or third cousin from Pakistan.

By the way, the Danish government banned, I believe, any foreigner getting a visa for marrying a Danish resident under age 24 to crack down on this kind of cousin marriage immigration fraud.

So, should Hiba marry a cousin?

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