With the help of migrants, YLE Uutiset Suoralinja television program Monday at 7.20 pm wants to find out how much do Finnish and Swedish language skills help you integrate and find employment. When teaching migrants one of Finland’s two official languages, what works and what doesn’t? One interesting question that we could ask is why are…
Month: February 2014
Another red herring about gays and Jews by Finnish PS MP Juho Eerola
I’m always amazed by these anti-immigration and especially anti-Islam Perussuomalaiset MPs like Juho Eerola, sent a written question to parliament demanding that Muslims in Finland renounce publicly their anti-gay and anti-Semitic stances, according to Kotka-based Kymen Sanomat. Here’s a very good opinion piece (in Finnish) by Sakari Timonen that exposes Eerola for what he is:…
Landmark decision in Finland: Sikh busman said “it was a nice feeling” to wear a turban at work
The long ordeal over whether Sikh bus driver Gill Sukhdarshan Singh could wear a turban to work ended on February 21. “I got a call from the AKT (Transport Workers’ Union) on Friday and they said that it’s been resolved,” he told Migrant Tales. “I have the right to wear a turban at work.” Read full…
A must-see video about who we Finns are
If there is one matter where Finland’s ever-growing culturally diverse society must still work on, it’s instilling greater acceptance and respect for those who are different from white Finns. For me, this is central in our struggle to live in a country that is acceptant and respects others irrespective of their backgrounds. After moving over…
Landmark decision in Finland: Sikh bus driver may wear turban at work
The long ordeal over whether Sikh bus driver Gill Sukhdarshan Singh could wear a turban to work has been decided in his favor, reports Helsingin Sanomat. A decision was reached last week between the Finnish Employers’ Federation of Road Transport (ALT) and Transport Workers’ Union AKT over the interpretation of the bus driver’s employment contract. …
Four refugees to move to the Finnish municipality of Kauniainen
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read the headline of this story that reads that a refugee family of four from Congo will move to Kaunianen, Finland’s richest municipality, located 18 kilometers west of Helsinki, according to Metro. Read full story here. If you think that such news warrants media attention, the story…
Fadumo Dayib: To research, or not to research Somalis, is the question
I am here today to reflect on being the other, on othering. I am not here as a PhD student from this University but as an activist, a blogger and as your research object. Read full essay here. The previous presenter raised a very important point that activism does not put bread on your table….
Violent language
Some Finns don’t grasp how violent anti-immigration groups are and the role of institutional racism, which serves and supports such groups. Every lie, distorted and exaggerated fact concocted against migrants and visible minorities is a bullet. These anti-immigration groups and their supporters are, however, big cowards. They often threaten, slander and distort facts anonymously. Some…
Väkivallan kielellä
Jotkut eivät ymmärrä kuinka väkivaltaisia ovat maahanmuuttovastustajat ja niitä rasismin yhteiskunnallisia rakenteita joita he palvelevat ja joihin saavat tukea. Jokainen valhe, vääristetty ja liioiteltu tieto on kuin luoti. Nämä maahanmuuttovastaiset ovat kuitenkin suuria pelkureita. He monesti uhkaavat, solvaavat toisia ei omalla nimellä mutta nimettömänä. He kirjoittavat jopa työantajalle – tietysti nimettömänä – ja haukkuvat sinua siinä…
Passage of gay marriage law will benefit all minorities in Finland
The ongoing passionate debate in parliament on same-sex marriage reveals, in my opinion, something we’ve known all along about Finland: How we accept and respect people who are different from us. Alongside the present debate on gay marriage is another one being contested in public about our ever-growing cultural diversity. A draft law to legalize gay…