Study: Muslims participating more in Finnish society

Schools report shortage of competent teachers of Islam

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In spite of problems that have emerged, a new study shows the integration of Muslims into Finnish society has made greater strides forward, and their situation is better than it was just ten years ago. Islam has been found to have become part of everyday life in Finland.
     “A significant change has taken place, in that Muslims no longer look at societies as outsiders. instead, they are participating in activities themselves”, says Dr. Tuomas Martikainen, a researcher at the Academy of Finland.
     
Martikainen is part of the team behind a book on Islam in Finland. A previous book on the subject appeared in 1999.
     Martikainen says that the difference between now and then is significant. Islam has grown to be one of Finland’s most important minority religions. Nearly all larger communities have at least one mosque.
     On the other hand, many Muslims in Finland emphasise “religion of the heart”, putting less emphasis on outward rules, such as the requirement that women wear headscarves.
     
The religious needs of Muslims in Finland are increasingly being taken into consideration in areas such as education, health care, and the Defence Forces.
     There is still a shortage of qualified teachers of Islam. In health care, problems can emerge if personnel are not the same gender as the patient.
     In addition, the poor employment situation of Muslims with a refugee or asylum-seeker background is keeping many of them in the low income group.
     “A lack of cemeteries specifically for Muslims is also a problem”, Martikainen says.
     The book also outlines housing problems experienced by Somalis living in the Helsinki region.
     
More than half of the Somalis living in Finland are in households with at least five people. Nearly a third of the families have at least seven members.
     Most apartments in Finland are not designed for the needs of such large families. Problems arise when a Somali family of 12 live in an apartment with four rooms and a kitchen, especially when there is a taboo against siblings of different genders over the age of seven sleeping in the same room.

More on this subject:
 First Finnish Muslim community established in 19th century

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