(Another) disturbing Keskisuomalainen editorial

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Jyväskylä-based Keskisuomalainen, which appears hellbent on enlightening us on how Finland should relate to other cultures, now dedicates an entire editorial based on two cases of circumcision practiced on children by their parents.While such operations should be only carried out by trained medical staff, it is surprising how forcibly Keskisuomalainen condemns such an act.

Taking into account a previous editorial that incredulously suggests that refugees should be helped in their home countries, it isn’t surprising how such writings help fuel hysteria and xenophobia among the population.

I would kindly suggest to Keskisuomalainen’s editors to take a course in multiculturalism at some Finnish university to bring themselves up to date on how modern, western and democratic societies live with diversity.Instead of looking at other cultures in a narrow-minded fashion, they would do their readers a service by bringing their knowledge on multiculturalism (they are against this path for Finland) up to date and what role it plays in our society.

If they don’t have time to attend any seminars, they should read Arto Leitzinger’s dissertation, Ulkomaalaiset Suomessa 1812-1972. At least they would understand that Finland was, is and will be a multicultural society demographically.

Moreover, their editorials should address more pressing social issues like racism in Finland, high unemployment/equal opportunity and pathways to integration of immigrants into Finnish society.

PÄÄKIRJOITUS: Kuinka suuri on tietämättömyys maahanmuutajista?

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Enrique Tessieri

Jotkut väittävät, että pitäisi antaa anteeksi niille suomalaisille, jotka ovat esittäneet ihmeellisiä kannanottoja maahanmuuttajista ja pakolaisista, koska se johtuu heidän tietämättömyydestään asiaan. Jos on vakavia puutteita kotouttamisohjelmassa, niin siinäkin voidaan syyttää tietämyksen puuttumista.

Jos kuitenkin ajattelisimme niin, että ongelmat voisivatkin johtua siitä, että on liian vähän tietämystä ja kokemusta maahanmuuton asioista, niin se voisi antaa tehokkaan syyn lakaista kaikki ongelmat mattojen alle.

Onko kuitenkin mahdollista, että asia joka koskee kymmeniätuhansia maahanmuuttajia Suomessa, heidän lapsiaan ja lapsen lapsiaan, voitaisiinkin todeta sen johtuvan myös tietämättömyydestä?

Äskettäin julkaistu jyväskyläläinen päivälehti, Keskisuomalainen, mainitsi pääkirjoituksessaan, ettei Suomen pitäisi ryhtyä monikulttuuriselle tielle ja että pakolaisia tulisi auttaa heidän kotimaassaan eikä turvamaassa. Pakolaisten vastaanottamisen Suomessa tulisi olla vasta viimeinen vaihtoehto.

Maamme suurin päivälehti, Helsingin Sanomat, käyttää halventavan termin julkistamista ”mamu” otsikossaan, kun se puhuu maahanmuuttajista.

Miten poliitikot kuten SDP:n Jutta Urpilainen, PS:n Timo Soini ja toiset, jotka tietoisesti tai tietämättään panettelevat kaikkia maahanmuuttajia, kun he väittävät, että heidän pitäisi noudattaa Suomen lakia ja elää maassa maan tavalla?

Kuinka oikeassa ovatkaan laitokset todellisuudessa kuten Rajavartiosto, Maahanmuuttovirasto ja toiset, kun he luovat ja ylläpitävät rasistista ilmapiiriä pelon ja epäilyn avulla väittämällä, että jotkut maahanmuutonryhmät ovat ”valtaamassa” Suomen. He jopa käyttäytyvät ja esittävät kuin yhteiskuntatieteilijät viittaamalla, ettei nämä ryhmät pystyisi sopeutumaan kulttuurimme.

Voisimme vastaavasti kääntää kysymyksen toisten päin: onko nämä edellä olleet esimerkit johtuneet tietämättömyydestä, ovatko ne tahallisia tai johtuvatko tiedon tai kokemuksen puutteesta?

Tai onko se muoto missä rasismi piiloutuu Suomessa?

EDITORIAL: Are Finns ignorant about immigration?

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By Enrique Tessieri

Some claim that one should forgive some Finns for their outrageous statements on immigrants and refugees since they are fuelled by ignorance. If there are serious shortcomings in our immigration and integration policy, it can be blamed on our lack of experience.

If we were to give Finland the benefit of the doubt, it could offer us an effective solution to brush all the problems related to immigrants under the rug and blame it on inexperience.

Can, however, an issue that affects tens of thousands of people’s lives, their children and grandchildren, be conveniently blamed on ignorance?

A recent editorial by Jyväskylä-based Keskisuomalainen, which was against Finland taking the multicultural road, incredulously suggested that refugees should be helped in their home countries and brought to Finland as a last resort.

Helsingin Sanomat, the countries largest daily, continues to use the demeaning term “mamu” in headlines to refer to immigrants.

What about politicians such as Jutta Urpilainen, Timo Soini of the True Finns and others, who knowingly or unknowingly vilify all immigrants in this country by suggesting that they must follow the law because in this country we do things the Finnish way?

What about the Finnish Border Guard, Finnish Immigration Service and others that create and maintain a climate of fear and suspicion of certain immigrant groups through their statements that Finland is in danger of being “invaded” by these people? They even play at being social scientists by suggesting that these groups can never adapt to our culture.

One could correctly turn the question around: Are these examples of misinformation intentional and what role does ignorance play?

Or is this the shape and way racism manifests itself  in Finland?

Employment of immigrants in Sweden

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Here is a neat article in Zuzeeko’s blog about employment of immigrants in Sweden. According to the article, 41% of the cleaners  are immigrants.

It would be interesting to know what the unemployment rate among immigrants in that Nordic country.

A question: If Sweden has had lots of immigrants since the 1970s, how many generations will it take for Swedes to accept immigrants? What does this say about Finland, where we are a couple of generations behind Sweden on the home immigration front?

A-Talk: What is wrong with the Social Democrats?

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At least for me, the debate on immigration on A-Talk on Thursday was a disappointment. The only sensible persons on the show were Anni Sinnemäki of the Greens and  Jyrki Katainen of Kokoomus. The two opposition leaders, Jutta Urpilainen of the Social Democrats (SDP) and Timo Soini of the True Finns, were a disappointment spewing the usual hollow catchwords that reek of populism, protectionism and heavy doses of obnoxious nationalism.

One matter that came clear is that Urpilainen has a very superficial idea of  immigration. On the one hand she vilifies the immigrant community in Finland by stating that they must follow the law (duh?!), but then claims to be for equality.

Why is the SDP leader making such no-brainer statements? Her aim appears to be to steal votes from the True Finns with the immigrant-bash card and thereby become the biggest party in Finland. If the SDP succeed in this dangerous game, anti-immigrant sentiment and life for the common non-Finn and their families will get much worse.

This will be a tragedy for Finland since we need to bring labor immigrants (not scare them away) to plug the labor gap left by an ever-large group of people retiring from the workforce during this decade.

I am just as confused as some of you. Maybe somebody should show the Constitution and Non-Discrimination Act to Urpilainen. Thanks to these laws, Finland permits as a democratic liberal society cultural diversity. We are not in the habit of ramming narrow-minded cultural habits down people’s throats.

Another statement that caught my eye was her criticism of foreigners she knew that had not learned to speak Finnish even though they had lived many years in the country. Certainly this is unfortunate but what are the causes? Lack of equal opportunities? Hostility by society? Racism? Lack of motivation? Attitudes like Urpilainen’s? Or a combination of all of the latter?

The Social Democratic stance on immigration is an unfortunate one. It looks like a house of cards that is maintained upright with the help of fear and populism.

The most disgraceful aspect of this type of populist rhetoric is that it does not help further a sense of community among immigrants and Finns but keeps alive old suspicions that fuel hatred.

And all this for the opportunitic goal of securing more votes in the 2011 parliamentary elections.

Keskisuomalainen’s incredulous editorial on immigration

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Here is a good example of an editorial (in Finnish) in Jyäskylä-based Keskisuomalainen that shows how little the top editors of a Finnish newspaper understand immigration. If the editorial were written in the Washington Post, Financial Times or El País of Madrid, the editor would probably get the boot from the readers for making negligent statements and for practicing lazy opinionated journalism.

The editorial enlightens us by stating that there are three types of immigration: Finland’s humanitarian role in accepting refugees, labor immigrants and multicultural marriages between immigrants and Finns (they favor this).

Incredulously, the editors say that while a rich country like Finland should offer humanitarian help to people fleeing countries as refugees, the most effective way (now get ready for this!) is to help these people in their home countries! Moreover, the editors claim without showing us any credible studies that cultural differences are so great, that it is good not to bring refugees to the county because it would take two to three generations for them to adapt to our society.

Do the editors know what a refugee is? A refugee cannot live in his home country because there is political strife. They are fleeing their country because it is not safe to live there. And then the icing on the cake: “Laws against accepting refugees in Finland are the strictest (in Europe). That is why we don’t suffer from the problems that multiculturalism has brought to other European countries.”

Who says that immigration hasn’t brought problems like any other social phenomenon? But take a look at all the things it has brought in the way of economic growth, dynamism and innovation. The editors believe that a society made up of different cultures and immigrants is essentially a bad matter. They haven’t even taken the time to study Finnish history to understand that we were, are and will be a multicultural country.

With respect to labor immigrants, the editorial states point black that Finland should not be too enthusiastic about taking this road. It writes: “Highly educated people are certainly welcome to Finland but we should not do this too enthusiastically because it isn’t morally right. Highly educated people who are lured from developing nations impoverish their countries’ opportunities.”

In my opinion, the last affirmation is a diplomatic way of saying that we don’t even want highly educated immigrants to come here.

At the end the editorial it affirms that even if Finland should not take the multicultural road, it does not mean that we should close ourselves from the outside world.

Do you want any further explanations why the debate on immigration in Finland is lopsided and totally off the wal?

Racism is a silent ogre

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I have been an exchange student living in Finland from Belgium since February. One of the matters that caught my eye in Mikkeli is racism. I have met many immigrants and foreign students who have told me about their experiences. 

Racism isn’t inherited but learned. This means that people can change. In some of us prejudice is such a problem that it bursts out as a destructive force. There are too many sad examples in Mikkeli of how this silent ogre has harassed its victims.

A young man asks a bus to stop but the driver ignores him. A woman who is sitting inside the bus speaks out and the driver responds: “I don’t take black people on my bus.”  

Another incident involves two foreign students who live in an apartment flat. A gang of alleged skinheads attacked their home in March and started knocking at their door at around midnight in a hostile fashion.  Since the two did not open the door, the attackers broke the kitchen window with a wooden club.

The police were called and they are still investigating the matter.

Why does this happen? The answer remains a mystery.

Racist violence takes place in Mikkeli and Finland too often. Society should not even tolerate one such act.

Fortunately, there are strong laws against this type of violence. The Finnish Constitution grants all people the following right: “Everyone is equal before the law. No one shall, without an acceptable reason, be treated differently from other persons on the ground of sex, age, origin, language, religion, conviction, opinion, health, disability or other reason that concerns his or her person.”

There is hope despite these crimes in Mikkeli. People can change and given the right information matters can improve. Meeting people from other cultures could be an important first step in this direction.

Meanwhile, society should not tolerate but  take action and openly condemn this type of violence.

Uschi Neefs

Finnish Social Democrats explain controversial immigration stance

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Finnish Social Democratic Party (SDP) chairperson Jutta Urpilainen explained (in Finnish) in an MTV3 blog what she meant on March 20 that immigrants must abide by Finnish laws (“maassa maan tavalla” policy).

There are many good reasons why SDP’s immigration policy has the appearance of what the anti-immigration True Finns have been driving home all the time. For one, the leadership of the party believes that voters want a tough line on immigration and, especially, against Muslim groups.  The party’s new immigration policy must be inspired by former hardline interior minister, Kari Rajamäki.

The SDP believes that populism will help  lure voters from the True Finns camp in next year’s parliamentary elections.

Urpilainen tells us incredulously in her blog that when people come to Finland they must live under Finnish laws and norms. The statement reeks of populism. Is she stating that immigrants are potential criminals and therefore must be told to live under our laws and norms? Has she forgotten about our values on equality and diversity enshrined in our Constitution and Non-Discrimination Act?

Most of her comments are full of hollow catchwords that have been heard before. What happens in practice is a totally different story. The Social Democrats have not shown much leadership in the past to resolve social inequalities and high unemployment among the immigrant community in Finland.

Too many immigrants in Finland live marginalized from society due to high unemployment and an integration policy that is a failure. The laws of the land are not applied equally to the immigrant community when it comes to discrimination and equality.

Instead of asking future immigrants to follow the laws of the land, which is important, Urpilainen should ensure that those laws are applied fairly to everyone as well.

Should immigrants in Finland commission a poll?

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It seems a bit tragic-comic that we have had two important polls published in Helsingin Sanomat on Finnish attitudes of immigrants. The latest one published by Finland’s leading daily was commissioned by anti-immigrant website Hommaforum. The first one shows that Finns don’t want more immigrants while the second one shows that the majority (88%) were not against labor immigrants but nearly half wanted to make it more difficult for refugees and asylum seekers to enter the country. However, 59% considered the country’s immigration policy too or somewhat lax.

Since the Finnish camp has had its say, why doesn’t the immigrant and refugee community commission a poll from Taloustutkimus or Gallup? We could load the questions in a no-brainer way to ensure we get the responses we wish. Seriously, how many countries in the world — and especially those in a recession — state they want more immigrants?

The poll commissioned by immigrants could show what they think about living in Finland. Do they believe that they are targets (very often, often, sometimes, rarely, never) of discrimination. How does racism show itself? Which political parties are the most obnoxious in this sense? Do immigration authorities treat them fairly and handle their cases swiftly? Are Finns xenophobic or tolerant?

The problem with the last two surveys published by Helsingin Sanomat is that they offer a narrow view. The questions fuel and confirm how much some Finns dislike immigrants never mind refugees.  Is this true? I don’t think so.

Let’s get a collection going and commission our own opinion survey.

The results, I am certain, would not only be novel but revealing!

Obama’s mother had the right idea about cultures

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President Barack Obama remembered his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham Soetoro, as “the most generous spirit I have ever known.” In a touching article in The New York Times, we get a view of this remarkable woman who understood the beauty and strength of diversity. Having been raised in Kansas, her first husband was from Kenya and the second one from Indonesia.

Multicultural marriages are in many respects the pacesetters and molders of new cultures.  It was no easy matter for a woman from Kansas to be wed to a black man in the 1960s.  In many states, marriages between blacks and whites where forbidden until these laws were overturned in 1967. She died of ovarian cancer in 1995 at the age of 53.

From the article I would like to share a quote by Obama’s half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, about her mother:

She felt that somehow, wandering through uncharted territory, we might stumble upon something that will, in an instant, seem to represent who we are at the core. That was very much her philosophy of life – to not be limited by fear or narrow definitions, to not build walls around ourselves and to do our best to find kinship and beauty in unexpected places.