Islam, Race, and Public Discourse in Finland: Racialization and Religionization

This chapter addresses the range and scope of various public discourses on Islam and race in the Nordic country of Finland. It investigates high-profile cases of politicians being charged for hate speech as an illustrative case and previous scholarly discussions related to the unique Finnish landscape around Islam and racial identity notions. While there has been a small Tatar Muslim population in the country since the 19th century, Islam as a visible religion and a recurring topic of public discussion has emerged relatively late. Only by the early 1990s did Finland begin to receive refugees and asylum seekers from Muslim-majority countries. But the country has maintained a relatively homogenous religious landscape with Lutherans in the majority. On the other hand, Finland is very secularized, although less so than other countries in the region. Partly due to the open immigration policy being fairly new and strict, the country’s population is relatively similar along ethnic lines. Public discussion on racism is a highly politicized and contentious topic. However, research shows that Muslims experience discrimination and racist hostility, situating Islam and race.