Iqbal Mohamed, one of the Independent Alliance of five MPs, went viral after his earnest defence of first cousin marriages as Parliament debated a proposal to ban them. Among other things, Mohamed said, these unions “help build up family bonds”. Implicit is the multiculturalist plea for the “equality of cultures”. Since consanguineous marriage is a tradition among particular communities originating from the Middle East and South Asia, it would therefore be harmful, even racist, the subtext goes, to disparage or restrict its free practice.
