Arabian genetic flaws stem from cousin-marriages

DUBAI – Of all the population groups in the world, Arabs are most affected by hereditary deficiencies. Until now, Arabian genetic studies have identified no less than 900 hereditary flaws of which 200 are unique to Arabs in the Gulf states region. About 100 of these flaws have taken on epidemic proportions, involving over 100 of every 100,000 people. These flaws involve diabetes, breast cancer and Down-syndrome. Estimates are that sixty percent of these genetic problems stem from marriages between cousins, which is even more problematic in the Islamic regions of Sudan and Mauretania. In some parts of Saudi Arabia the percentage of marriages between cousins is estimated to be as high as 80 percent. A Dutch connection to this? Yes, the Dutch government has notified notably Islamic communities in the Netherlands that it plans to disallow marriages between cousins.