Länsiväylä is a community newspaper that lives off advertising revenues. One story on Ukrainian refugees raking a park in Kirkonnummi, a city near Helsinki, is another chapter in framing Ukrainian refugees as “good” refugees, while similar people from the Middle East are viewed as “bad” refugees. One PS politician states: “These Ukrainians are pretty different
Read on »Posts Tagged: Muslims
Back to square one: To hijab or not to hijab?
Twenty-year-old Fardowsa Mahamoud’s questioning why the hijab, or veil, is not permitted in the Finnish military brought a sense of déjà-vu. About six years ago, Busman Gill Sukhdarshan Singh won after a year-long legal battle to wear a turban at work. In Finland, Sikh bus drivers won the right to use turbans at work, while in
Read on »Intimidating Farid Hafez and state Islamophobia in Austria
Islamophobia in all of its forms is cancer that is spreading at this moment throughout Europe. People who attempt to stand up to this social ill are intimidated and attacked. Farid Hafez, whom I know personally and edits the European Islamophobia Report, the most comprehensive report published annually on the topic, is charged for alleged
Read on »Another reason that reinforces Denmark as one of the most Islamophobic countries in the EU
Who could forget the former minister of immigration and integration, Inger Stojberg? Apart from her Islamophobic rhetoric, she is also remembered with a cake celebrating in 2017 the 50th tightening of Danish immigration laws. There seems to be no shortages of Islamophobic politicians in Denmark. The former minister is in a lot of hot water
Read on »The tragic deaths in France expose the disenfranchisement of Muslims
I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain. James Baldwin (1924-87) Ir, there is one matter that the killings in France have reinforced, it is the disenfranchisement of the Muslim community of France. How
Read on »Finland’s populist party’s #coronavirus kiss of death to minorities it wants to oppress and forsake
One of the matters that the coronavirus has exposed as well. is how populist anti-immigration parties like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* assail migrants and minorities, especially Muslims. Helsinki Mayor Jan Vapaavuori was quoted as saying in statement that he is concerned by the rapid rise of coronavirus infections among the Somali speaking community. “Close to 200
Read on »The framing of Muslims and minorities by the Finnish media and other toothless stories
If I had to choose the worst journalism in Finland this year, that would be the media coverage to the sexual assault cases of minors that took place from November 2018 to before the parliamentary elections of April 14. If you speak with some Muslims in Oulu, they will tell you that the hysteria died
Read on »Kuopio tragedy: The Muslim “terrorist” and the “mentally troubled” lone wolf white guy
The tragedy that took place Tuesday in Kuopio, which claimed the life of a person and left ten injured, including the suspect, raises a lot of questions. One of these is if we should treat what happened as a terrorist act or just some mentally troubled lone wolf? The National Board of Investigation (Keskusrikospoliisi) Detective
Read on »Oulu’s knee-jerk reaction to the sexual assault crimes will do a lot of harm to the city’s image. Blame the media, police, politicians.
The question Migrant Tales asked a while back if the City of Oulu’s decision to ban visits by asylum seekers to child care centers and schools is legal. Can you ban a single group, in this case, asylum seekers, from visiting such places? As far as how the law works in Finland, the ban should
Read on »Count to ten when people talk about migrants “embracing Finnish values”
I will count to ten very slowly if I hear one more time, just one more time from a politician, that migrants should embrace Finnish values. Most of them, when they make that ethnocentric statement, don’t tell us never mind give us a clue what those “Finnish values” are. Do they even know?
Read on »Yle’s coverage of the Oulu sexual assault cases is an example of overkill and Islamophobia
How would you describe Yle’s coverage of the Oulu sexual assault cases? From November 27 to February 13, the state-owned broadcaster published a whopping 77 stories on the topic. This is not counting all the other stories that the tabloids and other print media published during that period.
Read on »WARNING RACIST CONTENT: Helsingin Sanomat survey exposes the DNA of Finland’s racism
Helsingin Sanomat’s survey published on Monday after another questionable story on “model immigrants” was widely criticized on social media as outright racist. Even so, I would like to thank Finland’s largest daily for exposing the DNA of Finland’s racism and the continued low caliber of its journalism on topics related to asylum seekers and migrants.
Read on »Finnish white privilege #59: In this country, you are guilty until proven innocent
Interior Minister Kai Mykkänen and the government are using the same tactics as the Nazis in World War 2 but in a different context. The government is not rounding up people and killing them in cold blood but punishing them severely for the crimes others did. Imagine the migrant community of Finland, especially Muslims and
Read on »Dr Abdul Mannan: Muslims want to live in harmony with the rest of Finnish society
Dr. Abdul Mannan, the imam and the president of the Oulu-based Islamic Society of Northern Finland, is adamant about one matter: Those who are guilty of sexual assault should pay for their crimes. He said that the suspects, which number 16 men, have also brought shame to their community.
Read on »White Finnish privilege #56: How Islamophobic is Finland?
Ever thought why political parties like the Perussuomalaiset,* Blue Reform and individual politicians from other parties, especially from the National Coalition Party, are so keen at pointing the finger at Muslims? Do they do so because they are racists? Opportunists? Political gold diggers?
Read on »White Finnish privilege #55: It is that time of the year – Christmas!
Far-right poliicians and Islamophobes of varying hues commonly blame Muslims for banning traditional Christmas parties at school. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. Those wanting to remove Christmas parties are Finns who believe that religion should not play a role in our schools since we are officially a secular state. What happens when most
Read on »The violent attack against a Pakistani migrant in Vantaa should be treated as a hate crime
The Pakistani, who was attacked in a brutal manner in Vantaa on February 23 by three white Finnish youths carrying a knife, ax, and a pointed object, sees what happened to him was a hate crime.*
Read on »Finding help if you are a victim of a hate crime is difficult in Finland
There was a horrible attack against a Pakistani father of two over on February 23. Just to get an idea of the wounds he sustained on that terrible night, it took last week four hours to remove his stitches.
Read on »“Atrocious” would be a light word to describe the violence against a Pakistani immigrant last week in Vantaa, Finland
The Pakistani who suffered a violent attack on Friday in Vantaa is recovering in hospital. It is a miracle that he survive, according to a nurse who said that the victim was only minutes away from death if help did not have arrived on time. There was a significant loss of blood.
Read on »Pakistani immigrant stabbed in Vantaa: What constitutes a hate crime?
On Friday night, a Pakistani was brutally attacked by a group of youths and stabbed at least twenty times and repeatedly hit with ax causing, among other injuries, a fractured skull. The police are quiet until Tuesday when it puts out a statement, which does not mention that this may be a hate crime.
Read on »QUOTE OF THE DAY: Why do racists hate and target Muslims?
“Finland and Europe are suspicious of Muslims because their racism and hatred have ensured that their ‘integration’ polices have failed despite the fact that the majorty of Muslims are well-adapted. Instead of blaming their own prejudices for their failures, they scapegoat a religious and ethnic group.”
Read on »Restaurant owner alleges that two Roma and a white Finn are being held as suspects by the police for the arson attack in Espoo
A pizzeria owned by a Bangladeshi in Espoo was attacked today by three suspects who threw petrol bombs, which caused extensive damage to the pizzeria as well as to the building, has left the owners devastated. The owner and his wife are Muslims and were coming back from an Eid celebration to the restaurant.
Read on »November 9, 2016: “A date that will live in infamy”
It looks like Donald Trump is heading for an upset victory over Hillary Clinton in the US presidential elections, according to the New York Times.
Read on »What happened at the Itäkeskus shopping center on Sunday?
It appears that there is no evidence to support that a Muslim woman was allegedly attacked by 10 people at the Itäkeskus shopping center of Eastern Helsinki, according to Helsingin Sanomat. This is great news since the alleged victim is safe and sound.
Read on »European Network Against Racism: Muslims in Europe – Questions and Answers
European Network Against Racism (ENAR)* As anti-Muslim manifestations increase in Europe, particularly in the aftermath of the Paris and Copenhagen attacks, we clarify some misconceptions and answer some of the most frequent questions about Muslims in Europe. Visit original posting here. Q: Who are Muslim Europeans? Muslims have been present in Europe since the
Read on »UPDATE (Jan. 8): Migrant Tales’ 2015 Hall of Fame of poor journalism
Migrant Tales’2015 Hall of Fame of poor journalism will be updated separately. To see other examples of opinionated journalism in Finland about cultural diversity, please go to this link. The story below was published 10 days ago. Apologies. But it is an important story that highlights why the media continues to paint Islam with a
Read on »Excuses and arguments to eat our prejudices and keep our bigotry
One common argument one hears when you try to show cultural understanding for Muslims is that if Saudi Arabia, one of the most extremist Muslim countries in the world, doesn’t permit us to eat pork then we shouldn’t offer halal meat at schools. Why do we compare a country like Saudi Arabia? Why not compare a
Read on »High time for Western self-scrutiny about our Muslim community
I made in the late-1970s one of the most important decisions of my life. Back then Argentina was ruled by one of the region’s bloodiest dictatorships. Human rights violations, torture and state-sponsored terrorism were the rule. You had three choices: take up arms and join a guerrilla group, shut up or leave the country. Wali Hashi
Read on »Six-year fruitless search for a Muslim burial ground in Finland
The Finnish Islamic Council has been searching without success since 2008 for a burial ground in the southern Finnish region of Uusimaa, according to YLE in English. Up to know, Muslims are buried in the “Muslim section” of Lutheran Church cemeteries. Pia Jardi, deputy chair of the Finnish Islamic Council, told Migrant Tales that a questionnaire
Read on »Helsinki District Court fines clothing store managers for firing Muslim woman
The managers of Guess, a Helsinki clothing store, have been fined for firing a Muslim woman for wearing a headscarf to work, reports YLE in English. It is the first case ever decided by the Helsinki District Court, according to YLE. Read full story here. Reports YLE in English: “Helsinki District court has fined managers at
Read on »Man who attacked a Lutheran Church Tuesday “is sorry for what he did and understands his mistake”
What happened on Tuesday, when a white ethnic Finn dressed like a Muslim that vandalized a Lutheran church in Helsinki, is one of the strangest stories I have written but with a good ending. All of this happened when YLE was airing the A2 Islam debate on television. Vicar Timo Pekka Kaskinen of the Rouhivuoren Congregation spoke to
Read on »A2 Islam debate: “We’re a very tolerant society but…”
Two matters bothered me the most about the A2 Islam debate Tuesday night: how the cards were deliberately stacked against cultural diversity, and how Perussuomalaiset (PS) MP Olli Immonen and PS Espoo city councilman Simon Elo did their utmost to spread fear-mongering of Muslims. You can watch the full debate here until the end of
Read on »Racism charges dropped against Danish teacher
Charges have been dropped against an Odense, Denmark, head teacher who had reportedly abused a group of Muslim students in class, reports The Copenhagen Post. Far-right anti-Islam Danish People’s Party former head, Pia Kjaersgaard, described the whole affair as ”ridiculous.” “It’s crazy that the police have to get involved in such a case,” Danish People’s
Read on »Book review: “The Myth of the Muslim Tide”
One of Migrant Tales’ aims has been to bust urban myths about immigrants and minorities. A book published last week by Alfred Knopf Canada, The Myth of the Muslim Tide, aims to do just that concerning Muslims. Writes Doug Saunders, the author of the book: “In the U.S., anti-Muslim bigotry has reached such alarming levels
Read on »Speigel Online International: Study (on Muslims in Germany) Hints that Mutual Suspicion Is Slowing Integration
A new integration study released on Thursday has triggered yet another debate about the role of Islam in Germany. The report found that a surprising number of non-German Muslims are skeptical about integrating into society. But the country’s own doubts about immigration may have muddied the data.
Read on »Finland also locks up asylum seeker children
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- A child in the Joutseno Immigration Removal Center.
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