The final results of the Pan Arab Hematology Conference showed an increase in the number of children who are born with a hereditary disease. The conference was held recently in Cairo in conjunction with the Saudi Society of Hematology and the Egyptian Society of Hematology. Hematologists said the rate of blood vessel thrombosis has increased and the number of lymphatic gland cancer cases has risen. Marriage among close relatives continues to spread in Arab and non-Arab countries despite the fact that it is the number one cause for most hereditary diseases. Perhaps the reason why we still see hereditary disease is because these countries are described as "Third World Countries." The term is a euphemism used to describe underdeveloped countries regardless of the history or beliefs of the countries. The real problem is that this type of marriage seems to take different forms in different societies. In some countries, the father of a little girl decides who she is going to get married to when she grows up. This is a marriage custom prevalent in our Arab societies. Of course, our society is no exception. This custom, which is not Islamic and has no basis in the Shariah, exists in our countries and among certain tribes. Why do some parents do it? The reasons vary. For example, parents want their sons to marry a cousin so that the family fortune does not go to a stranger from outside the family. A second reason is political - in other words, parents want to form a political alliance and want the members to be close relatives. Regardless of the reason or justification, this kind of marriage is not Shariah-based and not based on any humane grounds. Our social traditions shackle us and require us to obey what our elders ask us to do and to respect their word although our destiny is not in their hands. Sometimes, ferocious disputes arise between families because promises for marriage have not been kept. In some cases, girls run away or boys rebel because they do not want to get married. The sad thing is that there are people who justify this type of marriage and see no harm in it and say that it is the right of the guardian to marry his daughter or sister to whomever he deems fit. I ask these people to go and read the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He did not get married to any of his female relatives except for Zaynab Bint Jahsh, his cousin, but this marriage was ordered by Allah and there was a reason behind it. It was completely different to the type of marriages that take place in Arab and Islamic societies nowadays. Marrying from outside the family has a lot of benefits and advantages. The most important of them is that it enhances human relationships.
