Marrying immediate relatives(Sisters, aunts, nieces etc etc) are prohibited and immoral in our societies. Cousins don’t fall into that category, firstly because they are not "Mahram" in religion, so that means people cannot get into very close relationships with them ( religious practice) therefore they are not close as immediate family. I hope you all understand that religion plays a big role in cultures here, and it s a basis for all relationships.
If you don’t feel comfortable about marrying a cousin, you are entitled to your opinion and I dont care about what people in most countries do. It s not mandatory for all countries to have same raditions! Besides definitely I m not defending this practice and as I said it s not that common anymore in Iran. But u people as total strangers to the cultural practices, cannot just come out with arrogant comments like " It is immoral".
PS. Hey TJ, thanks for greetings, I was around , just didnt feel like posting! 😉
Melika, you just answered your own question of why Westerners view marrying first cousins as 'immoral'.
You just said that marrying your brother/sister in the Islamic world (and everywhere else) is seen as 'immoral'.
Now, can you quantify or qualify immorality when it comes to two consenting adults? I mean, you could say it's bad for genetics, but let's say the brother/sister couple never reproduce.
So, who's a victim here? Who is being hurt by their 'immorality'? I don't think you could say that that type of relationship is actually immoral if you consider it. Now, is it gross in your eyes?
Well, yes. You already said so. So, you have to understand that for the same reasons why sister/brother relationships are repugnant to you, that is how most Westerners view relationships involving first cousins.
When people marry their first cousin, for me that's nearly the same as if they married their brother or sister.
And I think you need to understand that's where most Westerners are coming from when they express their feelings regarding those marriages.
