Somali community in Finland

Last updated

Somali community in Finland
Total population
20,944 (2018) [1]
Regions with significant populations
Helsinki
Languages
Somali  · Arabic  · Finnish  · Swedish [2]
Religion
Islam

Somalis in Finland are residents and citizens of Finland of Somali ancestry.

Finland Republic in Northern Europe

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Norway to the north, Sweden to the northwest, and Russia to the east. The capital and largest city is Helsinki. Other major cities are Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Oulu and Turku.

Somalis ethnic group inhabiting the Horn of Africa

The Somali are an ethnic group belonging to the Cushitic peoples inhabiting the Horn of Africa. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic family. They are predominantly Sunni Muslim. Ethnic Somalis number around 28-30 million and are principally concentrated in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti (534,000). Somali diasporas are also found in parts of the Middle East, North America, Western Europe, African Great Lakes region, Southern Africa and Oceania.

Contents

Overview

Books on display at the 2012 Somali Culture Fair in Helsinki. Somculfesfin12.jpg
Books on display at the 2012 Somali Culture Fair in Helsinki.

The first Somali immigrants came to Finland in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Between 1990 and 1995, the number of Somalia citizens in Finland jumped from 44 to 4,044. The first arrivals were university students from Soviet universities in the former Soviet Union (see Zahra Abdulla). Later, more asylum seekers arrived directly from Somalia, many through a program of family unification. [3]

Somalia Federal republic in Africa

Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Guardafui Channel and Somali Sea to the east, and Kenya to the southwest. Somalia has the longest coastline on Africa's mainland, and its terrain consists mainly of plateaus, plains and highlands. Climatically, hot conditions prevail year-round, with periodic monsoon winds and irregular rainfall.

Education in the Soviet Union was organized in a highly centralized government-run system. Its advantages were total access for all citizens and post-education employment. The Soviet Union recognized that the foundation of their system depended upon an educated population and development in the broad fields of engineering, the natural sciences, the life sciences and social sciences, along with basic education.

Soviet Union 1922–1991 country in Europe and Asia

The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was a federal sovereign state in northern Eurasia that existed from 1922 to 1991. Nominally a union of multiple national Soviet republics, its government and economy were highly centralized. The country was a one-party state, governed by the Communist Party with Moscow as its capital in its largest republic, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Other major urban centers were Leningrad, Kiev, Minsk, Tashkent, Alma-Ata, and Novosibirsk. It spanned over 10,000 kilometers (6,200 mi) east to west across 11 time zones, and over 7,200 kilometers (4,500 mi) north to south. It had five climate zones: tundra, taiga, steppes, desert and mountains.

In 2010, it was estimated by the Finnish immigration service (Migri) that a majority of all Somali refugees arriving in Finland were illiterate due to the Somali Civil War having destroyed the opportunities for those born after the 70s to attend the school system. [4] [5]

Literacy ability to read for knowledge, write coherently, and think critically about the written word; ability to read, write, and use arithmetic

Literacy is traditionally defined by dictionaries as the ability to read and write. In the modern world, this is one way of interpreting literacy. One more broad interpretation sees literacy as knowledge and competence in a specific area. The concept of literacy has evolved in meaning. The modern term's meaning has been expanded to include the ability to use language, numbers, images, computers, and other basic means to understand, communicate, gain useful knowledge, solve mathematical problems and use the dominant symbol systems of a culture. The concept of literacy is expanding across OECD countries to include skills to access knowledge through technology and ability to assess complex contexts. A person who travels and resides in a foreign country but is unable to read or write in the language of the host country would be regarded by the locals as illiterate.

Somali Civil War Civil war taking place in Somalia

The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the military junta led by Siad Barre during the 1980s. By 1988–90, the Somali Armed Forces began engaging various armed rebel groups, including the Somali Salvation Democratic Front in the northeast, the Somali National Movement in the northwest, and the United Somali Congress in the south. The clan-based armed opposition groups eventually managed to overthrow the Barre government in 1991.

A 2012 Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos (THL) survey of Somalia-born immigrants in Finland found that, prior to their arrival, around 50% of males and 50% of females had attended primary school (Peruskoulu), 39% of males and 17% of females had attended high school (Lukio), and 11% of males and 33% of females had not attended school (Ei lainkaan). [6] According to Statistics Finland, in 2012, 77.9% of Somalia-born immigrants in Finland had attained a lower secondary or unknown education level, 17.9% had attained an upper secondary education level, and 4.2% had attained a tertiary education level. [7]

Statistics Finland is the national statistical institution in Finland, established in 1865 to serve as an information service and to provide statistics and expertise in the statistical sciences. The institution employs more than 800 experts from varying fields.

A Somali man and Finnish friends at a celebration in Helsinki. Somfinfrien.jpg
A Somali man and Finnish friends at a celebration in Helsinki.

Like other immigrant groups in Finland, particularly Muslims, Somalis have been targets of hate crimes. According to a 2009 report by the Police College of Finland, 8% of total victims were Somali-born, while representing only 4% of suspected offenders. [8] Most suspected perpetrators are young Finnish men, with similarly-aged Somali, Iraqi and Turkish immigrants mainly targeted. [9] According to social workers, the pressure of living between two disparate cultures has also resulted in instances of petty crime amongst disaffected 17- to 20-year-olds in the Somali community. The situation is compounded by the unfamiliarity of Somali parents with the various social services that are available to address similar circumstances. To tackle the issue, Somali community organizations have teamed up with Finnish police and social services officials, with the municipal authorities in Helsinki endeavouring to recruit more Somali social workers. [10]

Islam in Finland

Islam is a minority religion in Finland. The first Muslims were Tatars who immigrated mainly between 1870 and 1920. After that there were decades with generally a small number of immigration in Finland. Since the late 20th century the number of Muslims in Finland has increased rapidly due to immigration. Nowadays, there are dozens of Islamic communities in Finland, but only a minority of Muslims have joined them. Pew Research Center estimates that in 2016 about 2.7% of Finland's 5.5 million population is Muslim. In the high migration scenario, Finland's Muslim population could grow to 15% by 2050. In December 2017 the city of Helsinki rejected a proposal to build a large mosque financed by funds from Bahrain. The application was rejected as it was unclear which movement of Islam would dominate its prayers and the attendant risk of radicalization and conflict between different religious communities.

Helsinki Capital of Finland

Helsinki is the capital and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of 650,058. The city's urban area has a population of 1,268,296, making it by far the most populous urban area in Finland as well as the country's most important center for politics, education, finance, culture, and research. Helsinki is located 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Tallinn, Estonia, 400 km (250 mi) east of Stockholm, Sweden, and 300 km (190 mi) west of Saint Petersburg, Russia. It has close historical ties with these three cities.

In 2015, five young Somalis were suspects in a case of gang rape in Tapanila near Helsinki. The incident hardened the attitudes towards Somalis in Finland. [11] Of the five accused, three were sentenced and two were acquitted. Four of the accused were minors and two of those therefore received shorter sentences. [11] [12]

Tapanila Helsinki Subdivision in Uusimaa, Finland

Tapanila is a neighbourhood in Malmi district, Helsinki. Tapanila has approximately 5474 inhabitants (2005). Tapanila has its own railway station.

As with many other immigrant groups in Finland, Somalis have also faced some barriers to employment, due in part to the local economic recession. [13] [14] However, the situation has steadily improved over the years, as more Somali immigrants have found employment in their own community, although much of this work is unmeasured. While some Somalis with language training have found jobs in their own field, others, like immigrants in general, have obtained short-term work positions. [14]

Demographics

Number of Somali native speakers residing in Finland (1990-2015). Somalisktalande 2015.jpg
Number of Somali native speakers residing in Finland (1990-2015).

Somalis are one of the larger ethnic minorities in Finland, and the largest group of people of non-European origin. They are the fourth-largest minority in the country, after Finland-Swedes, Russians and Estonians. [15] In 2018, there were 6,448 Somali citizens, but an equal number may have received Finnish citizenship. According to the Finnish National newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, the number of Somali-speaking people in Finland in 2010 rose by nearly 10% in a year. [16] In 2018, there were 20,944 Somali speakers in Finland. 11,776 were born in Somalia. [1]

78% of Somalis live in Uusimaa, 8% in Southwest Finland, 3% in Pirkanmaa and 11% in rest of Finland. 35% of Somalis are under-aged. [17] The fertility rate of Somali women was 3.50 between 2012 and 2014, compared to 1.86 of Finnish women. [18]

Culture

Religion is more important to Somali families than it is to Finnish families. Even though nearly all Somalis are Muslim, there are differences between families and individuals on how norms are perceived and obeyed. The clothing of Somali women in Finland varies from big hijabs and face covers to skinny jeans and crop tops. [19] There are also christian converts and Somali atheists in Finland. [20] [21]

Somali girls are sent to Somalia to be circumscribed, since its illegal in Finland. [22] Somalis watch at least nine different Somali channels in Finland. [23] Popular celebrations among Somalis include Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. [24]

Notable people

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Taulukko: Kieli iän ja sukupuolen mukaan maakunnittain 1990 - 2011". Archived from the original on |archive-url= requires |archive-date= (help).Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  2. ↑ "SOMALIS" (PDF).
  3. ↑ "Foreigners in Finland — Virtual Finland". web.archive.org. 20 April 2008.
  4. ↑ "(sv) Nästan alla somaliska flyktingar är analfabeter". YLE.fi. 31 March 2010. Archived from the original on 5 July 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  5. ↑ VUOSIKERTOMUS 2010 (PDF). Finnish immigration service. 2010. p. 27. ”Att ansökningarna hopar sig beror på att somalierna intervjuas personligen då det inte är möjligt att från deras hemland få handlingar som bevisar familjebandet. Största delen av de sökande är analfabeter och det är därför omöjligt att lägga fram skriftliga handlingar”, konstaterar Heikki Taskinen, direktör för immigrationsenheten.
  6. ↑ "Maahanmuuttajien terveys ja hyvinvointi" (PDF). Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos. p. 56. Retrieved 15 November 2017.; also cf. Sandvik 2016, p.29: En dryg tredjedel av de somaliska kvinnorna hade aldrig gått i skola och ca en tiondel av dem svarade att de läser hjälpligt eller är analfabeter.
  7. ↑ "Ulkomaalaistaustainen väestö 2013 Befolkning med utländsk bakgrund Population with foreign background" (PDF). Statistics Finland. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  8. ↑ "Hate Crimes Reported in Finland, 2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2012.Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  9. ↑ "The number of racist crimes drops – the impact of the phenomenon of hate speech is still a mystery".
  10. ↑ "Helsinki officials and Somali community groups ponder youth crime issue".
  11. 1 2 "Somalier utsatta efter gruppvåldtäkten i Mosabacka". svenska.yle.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  12. ↑ "Två personer frias för gruppvåldtäkt i Mosabacka". svenska.yle.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  13. ↑ "Huge differences in employment rates among immigrants from various countries".
  14. 1 2 "Somalis' employment situation improving steadily".
  15. ↑ "Migration in Europe: Looking for a home". The Economist . 29 August 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  16. ↑ "Helsingin Sanomat".
  17. ↑ http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/030_vaerak_tau_102.px/?rxid=ce1e23ee-e657-4ecc-b858-3dc8aa95c74a
  18. ↑ Ovaskainen, Teppo. "Hankkivatko maahanmuuttajat enemmän lapsia kuin valtaväestö?". Uusi Suomi.
  19. ↑ "DuodecimLehti2". www.duodecimlehti.fi.
  20. ↑ http://www.seurakuntalainen.fi/uutiset/paakaupunkiseudulle-rukoillaan-kristittyjen-somalien-seurakuntaa/ Pääkaupunkiseudulle rukoillaan kristittyjen somalien seurakuntaa
  21. ↑ http://suomenkuvalehti.fi/jutut/kotimaa/han/somalitaustainen-koomikko-luopui-islamista-nyt-fathi-ahmed-pelkaa-seurauksia/?shared=286803-93c04996-500 Somalitaustainen koomikko luopui islamista – nyt Fathi Ahmed pelkää seurauksia
  22. ↑ http://www.voima.fi/content/view/full/1995 Voima: Vaiennettu väkivalta
  23. ↑ "Tätä et tiennyt Suomen somaleista – tietokirja avaa Suomen uusimman vähemmistön elämää". Helsingin Sanomat. 25 May 2015.
  24. ↑ http://wanda.uef.fi/tkk/liferay/projektit/monikko/Somalialainen.pdf
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