Arabization and Islamization of Consanguineous Marriages: Is It Right?

Marriage is a topic of significant interest among anthropologists, sociologists, and geneticists. Consanguineous marriage is the union between descendants from the same ancestor. This kind of marriage is being practiced since the existence of man. Around the globe, consanguineous marriage is one of the most commonly discussed forms of marriage. Some of the discussion has been religiously politicized, contributing to more conflict, greater polarization, and so on. Contrary to the general opinion that consanguineous marriage is spread in Arabic/Islamic populations, it predates Islam, is quite common, and is practiced worldwide. Certain Arabic/Islamic communities, which form the majority of the population in many Asian and African countries, have a dearth of information. It is essential to understand the social and cultural foundations of this problem to set plans for strategic preventive measures. This study was conducted for this purpose using the PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. The prevalence of consanguineous marriages depends on the characteristics of the population under study. It is more closely linked to nonreligious cultural and historical roots, which can outweigh religious reasons. In conclusion, Islamization/Arabization of consanguineous marriages is a misconception because it is practiced by non-Arabs and non-Muslims. Dramatic changes in Arabic/Muslim societies, such as raising the minimum age of marriage for females and demanding their consent, as well as the consolidation of knowledge among women and the activation of their role in the productive economy, can create more or less open and permissive generations.