Dispute prompted by birth defect comments

LONDON, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A growing dispute among British officials was triggered by parliamentary member Phil Woolas's comments about birth defects among children of married cousins.

The BBC said Sunday that after Woolas directed his remarks toward Britain's Asian community in general, the Labor Party official was criticized by the Muslim Public Affairs Committee.

First cousin marriages are legal in Britain, but Woolas alleged they are primarily a cultural tradition emanating from rural Pakistan.

"If you talk to any primary care worker they will tell you that levels of disability among the ... Pakistani population are higher than the general population," Woolas said. "And everybody knows it's caused by first cousin marriage."

A spokesman for the committee alleged Woolas's comments "verged on Islamiphobia" and the British group called on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to fire the environment minister.

The BBC said Cabinet Minister Geoff Hoon has defended Woolas, but has called for additional analysis of the issue to determine the scope of the problem.