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MUSLIM LEADERS SAY BIRTH DEFECTS

WARNINGS ARE ISLAMOPHOBIC

Posted by The Opinionator at 11 Feb 2008, 3:01 PM and is filed underIslam in UK

This is a followup to the article I posted yesterdayregarding the excessively high

number of birth defects found in particularly in the Pakistani muslim community

due to their propensity for inbreeding - marrying first cousins.

Well we all knew it would only take a few hours before gnarled muslim faces would

start to spew hatred towards the minister who had the courage to warn muslims

they have a BIG health problem. So the Muslim Pubic Affairs Committee has called

for Mr. Woolas to be "sacked".

You see muslims NEVER have any problems within themselves - all their problems

are caused by the kaffir or non-muslims. Even pointing out a preventable problem

like severe birth defects caused by first cousin marraige is not seen, by muslims, as

helping them address a serious health concern.

NOPE - Thus we find that Mr. Woolas has violated the first tenet in Islamophobia:

IF YOU ARE POINTING OUT A MUSLIM PROBLEM THEN - YOU MUST BE

ISLAMOPHOBIC!!!

Birth defects warning sparks row

A minister who warned about birth defects among children of first cousin marriages

in Britain's Asian community has sparked anger among critics.

Phil Woolas said health workers were aware such marriages were creating increased risk

of genetic problems.

The claims infuriated the Muslim Public Affairs Committee (MPAC) which called

on the prime minister to "sack him".

MPAC spokesman Asghar Bukhari said Mr Woolas' comments "verged on

Islamophobia".

Mr Woolas, an environment minister who represents ethnically-diverse Oldham East and

Saddleworth, risked sparking a major row after warning the issue was "the elephant in theroom", Mr Bukhari said.

Expert analysis

Mr Woolas said cultural sensitivities made the issue of birth defects difficult to address.

The former race relations minister told the Sunday Times: "If you have a child with yourcousin the likelihood is there'll be a genetic problem.

http://uppompeii1.uppompeii.com/2008/02/11/muslims-say-discussing-high-level-of-birth-defects-is-islamophobia.aspxhttp://categories/iWvDl-6mNpG6Q6R4jM_YcXVIs3YDHcLbwSCdAoVcSz4=.aspxhttp://uppompeii1.uppompeii.com/2008/02/10/birth-defects-soar-in-uk-pakistani-muslim-population.aspxhttp://uppompeii1.uppompeii.com/2008/02/10/birth-defects-soar-in-uk-pakistani-muslim-population.aspxhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7237663.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7237663.stmhttp://categories/iWvDl-6mNpG6Q6R4jM_YcXVIs3YDHcLbwSCdAoVcSz4=.aspxhttp://uppompeii1.uppompeii.com/2008/02/10/birth-defects-soar-in-uk-pakistani-muslim-population.aspxhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7237663.stmhttp://uppompeii1.uppompeii.com/2008/02/11/muslims-say-discussing-high-level-of-birth-defects-is-islamophobia.aspx

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"The issue we need to debate is first cousin marriages, whereby a lot of arranged

marriages are with first cousins, and that produces lots of genetic problems in terms of

disability [in children]."

Mr Woolas stressed the marriages, which are legal in the UK, were a cultural, not a

religious, issue and confined mainly to families originating in rural Pakistan.

But he also told the paper: "If you talk to any primary care worker they will tell you

that levels of disability among the... Pakistani population are higher than the

general population. And everybody knows it's caused by first cousin marriage."

"Awareness does need to be raised but we are very aware of the sensitivities," he added,

pointing out that many of the people involved were the products of such marriages.

'Islamophobia'

His comments come at a sensitive time for community relations following the furore over

the Archbishop of Canterbury's comments about accommodating aspects of Sharia law in

Britain.

Mr Bukhari told BBC News: "After his comments, MPAC UK is asking will Prime

Minister Gordon Brown back him or sack him.

Mr Bukhari said it was "bizarre" Mr Woolas has spoken about a sensitive health issue

which has no relation to his environment brief, and accused him of ignoring links

between pollution and birth defects.

However, Mr Woolas was defended by cabinet minister Geoff Hoon who said expert

analysis was needed on the extent of the problem.

"But it obviously is a very sensitive matter and no one, no one, would suggest this is aproblem for the wider Muslim community," he told Sky News.

'Recessive disorders'

"I am confident that what he has said will have been said with sensitivity and with properregard to his Muslim constituents and Muslims right across the United Kingdom."

The call for action was also supported by Labour MP Ann Cryer who raised the issue twoyears ago after research showed British Pakistanis were 13 times more likely to have

children with recessive disorders than the general population.

Mrs Cryer, who represents Keighley in West Yorkshire, told the Sunday Times: "This isto do with a medieval culture where you keep wealth within the family."

"I have encountered cases of blindness and deafness. There was one poor girl who had tohave an oxygen tank on her back and breathe from a hole in the front of her neck," she

added.

"The parents were warned they should not have any more children. But when the husband

returned from Pakistan, within months they had another child with exactly the same

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condition."

Research for BBC2's Newsnight in November 2005 showed British Pakistanis accountedfor 3.4% of all births but have 30% of all British children with "recessive disorders".