Why Do Northern Muslims Marry 1st Cousins?

Am so impressed on how your handling this issue, u don't even have a serious counter argument so far. Come u be lawyer.

sigh , , , , , , , ,

i thought the original  posters had agreed to kill the thread?

I don't see any sence in your quote, permit me if that sounds insulting but it wasnt meant to be. She has stated facts which are true, and probably that has shaped her believe, and resolution. If u have any convicing argument to add, just place it there and people who have not taking a decision could start balancing issues in their own minds. Forcing your way through by closing a thread or raining abuse on people, like i have always said is brutal and violent manner of rensponding to any argument no matter how foolish the argument might sound, (and it does'nt seem so in this case).

And honestly if u really don't have any meaningful thing to add than abuses then let things be, even if u like it or not, if not on this website or on this thread, the truth will always be said.

I also think the only thing allowed on this thread which might not be a fact is a good sence of humour which must be meaningful as well.

THIS'S NOT about Muslim people there's no where in the q'ran that said we could married our cousin,this tribe tradition specially Hausa,Fulani,zabarmawa,guambawa and a hole bunch of tribe.

no Ikomi I'm not a lawyer.I was  a pure science student lol.

@ nicer yes,I have Muslim friends,my doctor is even Muslim,I'm far from bitter,I'm a very sweet lady,babaosisi can attest to that
I just love to call a spade,a spade.

Duh!  Seems like the remarks are directed at the wrong guy. Check the first few pages of this thread & you'll see the person who first played the hate card.

Ending (or if you prefer), killing the thread seems to be the right move, 'because nothing new has been learnt. Too many folks are just busy spewing hate, innuendo & inaccurate waffle.

 

         



              Yoy people should stop all this argument. If you can contribute to the question, fine. if not, leave them alone. please you are mature people, why should you allow devil to be using you against each other. Afterall, God is one. Whether you're a muslim or christian. God never change his postion as our creator. So why the insultive words from both sides. i don't like how people react to the religious discussion like this. Please and please lets behave ourselves. we are mature people here. i pray that God will grant all our heart desires.
  cheersssssssssssss

Funny, I was just going to say the same about you!

But please, kindly do not refer to me as the most balanced and objective person you've met on nairaland, 'because there are others who fit that description, much better than I ever could.

And go easy on the compliments, before the tribalistic cabal launches its' assault on you!  

hmm

*yawns* and stretches from all the beating around the bushes.

nicer,i don't need a chat with Muslims.
Muslims are just humans like anyone else.
Thankfully most of them do not follow the ways of the "prophet"
It is a thing of joy otherwise,some of us may not be here.

Thanks for the warning laudate. would really love to see them in action.

Interesting!! So does this practice still thrive in that German town? Or has it died out?

I have been reading all the other threads to see what sort of opinions are thriving here. Well I just want to contribute just a little to clear some erroneous and malignant views and opinions.

Truly, everyone has a choice to voice his own opinion.

Why do Northern Muslims Marry First Cousin?
Well, the answer is not far fetched.
Let me digress a little bit. Islam is the predominant religion in the North (we all know that). Islam and the traditions of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) called "Hadiths" permits marriage between first cousins. It is a culture practised in all muslim countries and by muslims all over the globe from Saudi Arabia to the US, from UK to Indonesia, from Nigeria to Senegal. This is an Islamic tradition, culture and way of life. We should not persecute, hate or talk evil of people because their culture, language, religion or opinion is different from ours.

Now here is something to ponder about. Is this same thing not practised in Judaism? (Jewish religion)? Our Patriachs Abraham, Lot, Adam, Cain, Abel, Moses and others all married either two sisters, their first cousins, impregnated their daughters (as in the case of Lot) or their maid.
Jacob married two sisters, Leah and Rachel

Here is another scenarios of other cultures in Nigeria I bet we know this happens very well and we know the tribe. It is as follows: if the oldest brother marries a woman and they have no children. then the husband dies so the oldest brother of the husband's side has to marry his sister in law and have children with her! So many Nigerian movies portray this and we all know Most Nigerian so called English movies showcase one culture (Igbo).

I hope we get to understand that every culture or tribe in Nigeria have something we may feel is not right in our own views. But let's try to understand and respect other people's cultures and beliefs.
I rest my case.

Ladies and Gentlemen!
Let us take a good and cursory look at

FIRST COUSIN MARRIAGES IN THE BIBLE

"the Catholic Dictionary finds that Christ's parents-- Joseph & Mary-- were first cousins. Protestants come to the same conclusion."

Introduction

No website dealing with cousin relationships would be complete without exploring the Christian viewpoint. Christianity is a very large tent. From Appalachian snake handlers to the majestic liturgy of Eastern Orthodoxy, Christian beliefs run the full gamut. In this discussion, we will consider only the biblical history and acceptance of cousin relationships, as opposed to institutional creeds.

For much of the world's population, the Bible is the final authority on right and wrong. This is true both of devout Christians as well as those who may have some vague, indiscernible root in the Christian faith. Perhaps Christianity was the faith of one's parent or grandparent, and although the individual does not particularly follow the faith, they were ingrained from childhood that God is the ultimate authority, and the Bible is God's instruction book to mankind.

Whether one truly believes in the Bible or not, it seems to have become a social standard to attribute one's own assumptions of right from wrong on scripture. Unfortunately, many times the person who claims that something is "a sin against God," or that an individual will "burn in Hell" for his actions or lifestyle have no clear understanding of what Scripture says on the subject. Perhaps even more unfortunate is that many preachers, priests, and theologians have also allowed society to cloud their judgment on the issue, rather than to study what the Bible has to say on the subject for themselves.

 

A look at Leviticus

The Bible has a great deal to say about cousin marriage, and not once does it say anything negative. To the contrary, all references to cousin marriage in scripture are 100% supportive. Let's look first at how the Bible defines sexual impurity, in Leviticus chapter 18. God tells us that we are not to have sexual relations with the following:

any close relative (which you will clearly see does not include cousins)

your mother

your father's wife

your sister, (whole or half) "whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere" (v.9)

your grandchild

the daughter of your father's wife (step-sister)

your father's sister (aunt) "as she is your father's close relative"

your mother's sister (aunt) "as she is your mother's close relative"

your father's brother's wife (aunt)

your son's wife

your brother's wife

with both a woman and her daughter

your wife's sister as a rival wife (to spite your first wife)

during "uncleanness of her monthly period"

with your neighbor's wife

with a member of the same sex; the Bible says "that is detestable"

with an animal; the Bible refers to this as "a perversion"

 

Those who oppose cousin marriage often use "any close relative" to base their opposition on. Others will say that just because cousins aren't specifically referred to doesn't mean God didn't mean to include them. They insist this list is just a general rule of thumb, not an all-inclusive command.

I disagree. Leviticus is a book of law. It is very specific and very definitive. The passage begins with "any close relative", and proceeds to describe all that God defines as near kin, followed by other sexual acts which God forbids. To say that God meant to include cousins is to assume God made a mistake. To say that it is only a general list, you must wonder why God was so very specific that he included beastiality, homosexuality, and sex during a woman's menstrual cycle. Furthermore, the Scripture clearly and unmistakably defines an aunt (a mother's or father's sister) as the parent's close relative, not as one's own.

Now you may wonder why Leviticus forbids a man to marry his aunt, but not a woman to marry her uncle. Some may use that as proof that God gave only generalities. This is a common misunderstanding; however, God did not forbid uncles and nieces from marriage. Why the double standard?

First let me explain that society changes. Culture changes. God does not change. What was common during Biblical times is not acceptable by today's standards. That being said, let's examine why God would allow a man to marry his niece but would not allow a woman to marry her nephew.

When a woman was left widowed, the men in her husband's family were required to take responsibility of the woman. The deceased husband's nearest kin was commanded to take her as his wife. If she had borne no children to her husband, her firstborn to his relative was to be the legitimate heir to the deceased spouse. However, the nearest kin was also required to have the approval of his first wife before taking on a second. If the first wife was opposed to the marriage, or was related to the widow within the defined prohibitions, then she became the responsibility of the next nearest kin. The brother of the deceased was generally the obvious choice, although a widow's marriage to her father in law was fairly common. Because cousin marriage was allowed by God's law, and was in fact commanded of many individuals throughout scripture, the deceased husband's nearest relative was often the widow's uncle. If neither a brother nor father to the deceased was an option, the next nearest kin appears to have always followed a lateral or ascending direction. In no instance did a widow become the marital responsibility of her late husband's son, or his brother's son.

I will briefly list some of the individuals commanded or otherwise instructed in scripture to marry a cousin. For further information on these individuals and the circumstances, you may choose to read the scriptural passages associated with each. More detailed information will be included in the forthcoming book, which will be made available on this website upon completion.

 

Biblical Cousin Marriages

Each of the following individuals in scripture were in the lineage of Mary, Christ's mother, or Joseph, his "earthly" father, who were chosen by God to raise His son. Most, if not all, occurred (chronologically) after the time in which Levitican law was written.

Zelophehad's daughters did as the LORD commanded Moses. Zelophehad's daughters, Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah and Noah, married their cousins on their father's side.

(Numbers 36: 1-11)

Milcah, one of Zelophehad's daughters, was married to her cousin Nahor. They had a grand daughter named Rebekkah. In Genesis 24:48-51, the story unfolds of how, against all odds, God's direction for her to marry her cousin's son Isaac (first cousin once removed) is made crystal clear.

Isaac and Rebekkah had two son's. Jacob was the son whom was blessed to fulfill God's prophecy that the descendant's of Abraham (Jacob's grandfather, Isaac's father) would become a great nation. Isaac instructed Jacob to marry a daughter of Rebekkah's brother. Although he immediately fell in love and became engaged to his cousin Rachel, his uncle tricked him into first marrying Rachel's sister Leah. Although God blessed Jacob greatly, Jacob suffered much grief and heartache for having married both sisters. Jacob's descendants became what is now known as the twelve tribes of Israel. (Genesis chapters 19 and 29)

In I Chronicles 23:22, Eleazar's daughters married their first cousins. Very little detail is given of this event.

 

Conclusion

Biblical prohibitions of cousin marriage reside only in the minds of the unlearned.  We can find many instances of where God had blessed cousin marriage. In fact, the Catholic Dictionary finds that Christ's parents-- Joseph & Mary-- were first cousins. Protestants come to the same conclusion. Do I believe that Joseph and Mary were first cousins? It's likely, but I do not need this to validate my relationship. It will be fun to tease Joseph and Mary a bit when I get up there.

Let us stop the hatred and bashing off Muslims and Hausas. Let's have well researched facts before we start blabbing.
One Love
Give the love Jah gave to you!

alright. ndi ITK