DOHA: Some 54 percent of marriages taking place in Qatar are endogamous (within relatives or particular ethnic groups) and most such marriages are among paternal cousins, which leads to hereditary diseases among their offspring, suggests a study.
Dr Taufiq bin Imran, from Weill Cornell Medical College, presenting a paper at a seminar on the adverse impact of endogamy in the Qatari community, said that marriages among first cousins were a common feature in the GCC region and the Middle East as a whole. The seminar was conducted by Qatar University. Many sociologists, medical experts and others also presented papers at the event. The Peninsula
