A common Finnish saying claims that “being born in Finland is a bit like winning the lottery.” This saying portrays Finland as a safe and prosperous country with a comprehensive, well-established welfare system, and a reasonably low level of crime.

However, Finland, along with many other western nations, is currently facing the prospect of a “retirement boom.” As a result, it will quite likely experience a significant increase in the number of immigrant workers. Many of these immigrants could come from Islamic countries.

Should this happen, will there be obstacles to successfully integrating Muslim immigrants into Finnish society? How might large numbers of Muslim immigrants affect life in Finland? What attitudes do Finns have concerning these prospective new arrivals?

Why Is There a Need for Immigrant Workers?

As older workers retire, younger workers assume their places and duties. Unfortunately, there are not enough younger workers in Finland.

There are two main reasons for this: first, for some time the number of births in Finland has fallen short of the theoretical population replacement level (Syntyvyys). Second, abortion is readily available and has become a “standardized” part of health care and medical services. Related to this, birth control has become available in a way that it has not been in the past.

The result of these and various other developments is that Finland now has an unhealthy population pyramid. As the following image attests, Finland has an aging population where the proportion of younger people to older people is not balanced:

The Finnish Population “Pyramid” at the end of 2006. Women on the right, men on the left (in thousands).
The age groups of "baby boomers" are significantly larger than the age groups of younger workers.
A healthier pyramid would have fewer soon-to-be retirees or more younger workers, and would reflect a more “pyramidal” shape.
Image Source: Statistics Finland

This problem is known as the “retirement boom,” and at least on paper it is obvious. It is evident that in the 2010s there will be an increase in retirees and an accompanying decrease in the number of workers. More retirees means more social security costs, and fewer workers mean less tax dollars. This could be a deadly combination for the Finnish welfare state, which cannot be maintained without sufficient funds.

The Pros and Cons of Immigrant Workers

When one examines the different antidotes to the coming “retirement boom,” the most effective remedy appears to be a massive influx of foreign workers. Foreigners could be used to artificially augment the number of working-age people, which would help maintain the Finnish concept of the welfare state. Immigrants could also offset stagnating population growth and provide much needed vitality for the economy. Paradoxically, in order to maintain the “Finnish way of life,” Finland will have to rely on foreigners. This is the main point in favor of immigrants.

Foreign workers have the potential to significantly alleviate the negative effects of the “retirement boom” by providing additional, much needed new sources of labor. But based on the experiences of other EU countries, it is clear that while foreign workers may be a promising prospect, they are also a high-risk option: should there be large numbers of them and should they fail to properly integrate, there is a potential for an explosion of violence. Even if one assumes that a majority of foreigners could adjust to life in Finland, it takes only a tiny, unintegrated minority to create significant civil unrest. This is the main point against immigrants.

Other, slightly fuzzier, notions hold that immigrants could enrich Finland’s culture, or alternatively dilute the “Finnishness” of Finland. These are, for the purposes of this paper, secondary considerations. Primary weight is given to the more concrete aspects of integration.

The Difficulty of Integrating Muslim Immigrants in Other EU Countries

Currently, the number of foreigners in Finland altogether is roughly 110,000 (Maahanmuutto). The number of Muslims is thought to be somewhere in the neighbourhood of 30,000. Both these numbers are relatively low in comparison with many other EU nations. Thus, other EU nations are “further along the curve,” in the sense that they have higher numbers of Muslim immigrants and have already experienced, or are currently experiencing, the effect of those immigrants.

Nevertheless, the Muslim population of Finland is steadily increasing. Islam itself has more adherents than any other religion in the world, with the exception of Christianity. Thus, it seems likely that when the “retirement boom” fully takes effect, a significant proportion of the future immigrants will be Muslims. For comparison, the approximate numbers of Muslims in the other Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark are, respectively, 400,000, 70,000 and 270,000.

In trying to determine how an increase in the number of Muslim immigrants will affect Finnish society, it makes sense to see what effect the arrival of Muslim immigrants has had in other EU nations:

The serene tranquillity of the Netherlands was unceremoniously shattered in late 2004 when filmmaker Theo van Gogh was brutally murdered by a Muslim immigrant in broad daylight (Gunman). Van Gogh was a champion of free speech; he had directed a film which was perceived by many Muslims to be an attack against Islam. Meanwhile, Sweden and Britain have had to contend with the grim reality of honor killings as some Muslim immigrants have resorted to murder after the women in their families were considered to have brought dishonor upon the family name (Brandon; Hildebrandt).

In the autumn of 2005, France was engulfed by extensive riots where a large number of automobiles, and a few unfortunate souls, were set ablaze by violent, out-of-control thugs (Timeline). The nominal reason for the riots was the death of two youths who were killed when their bid to flee the police went awry. A considerable number of the rioters were Muslim immigrants (or their offspring); the riots were seen as evidence that integration efforts had been less than successful. Additionally, in early 2006, Denmark briefly became the focus of the entire world when the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed sparked off wide-scale rioting and unrest, which soon escalated into a global crisis (Muhammad).

Spain and the United Kingdom have fared worst of all: the mass transportation systems of both countries were targeted by indiscriminate acts of terror and mass murder, instigated by Muslim immigrants. Some terror attempts, like the Madrid train bombings in March of 2002 and the 7 July 2005 bombings in London, have succeeded, while authorities have been able to prevent other, even more serious plots, like the attempt in 2006 to simultaneously blow up several passenger planes traveling between the UK and the US (Airlines).

In the interest of fairness, it needs to be noted that there are many kinds of Muslim immigrants: some come to study, some hope to work, others seek asylum. To some religion is important; for others it is not. But the common denominator is that they are all Muslims originating from other countries and cultures. The actual agent that brings these Muslims to another country, the “retirement boom” in the case of Finland, is not significant to the focus of this paper. The significance lies in the fact that the Muslim immigrants will come from countries with cultures, customs, and values which are foreign to most Finns.

In all of the cases cited above from Holland, France, Denmark, Spain and the U.K., the problems have been caused by the introduction of immigrants, specifically Muslim immigrants, and their inability to assimilate and integrate into nations with western values and customs. In fact, considering the large number of incidents, it seems reasonable to suggest that some Muslim immigrants are not just unable, but unwilling to integrate. These concerns are addressed in detail later in the paper.

In any case, honor-killings, riots and terrorist acts are not the problem; they are merely the outward symptoms of the problem. The issue is the inability and/or unwillingness of Muslim immigrants to assimilate to western values.

Reasons Why Integration Might Fail in Finland

All of the countries mentioned above (France, Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, and the United Kingdom) are modern, sophisticated, western countries with relatively similar cultural beliefs and governmental systems to those of Finland. Furthermore, they are all members of the European Union, as is Finland. It seems reasonable to suggest that if integration has failed in all these countries (and it certainly seems that way, judging by those grim headlines) then it is not unreasonable to wonder whether it might not fail in Finland as well.

The reasons why integration might fail in Finland can be roughly divided into three main categories:

1. Reasons related to Finns
2. Reasons related to Muslim immigrants
3. Reasons which are “independent” of Finns or Muslim immigrants.

Reasons Related to Finns

It is no secret that Finns exhibit notable guardedness regarding Muslim immigrants. Any Muslim immigrant who hopes to integrate into Finnish society will have to endure prejudices on two fronts. Firstly, Muslim immigrants will be subject to all the prejudices that Finns have about immigrants in general. Additionally, a Muslim immigrant will also have to deal with the specific concerns that Finns might have regarding Muslim immigrants.

Finnish Concerns Regarding Immigrants in General

Many Finns have reservations concerning immigrants. Particularly older Finns who have personally experienced war or times of economic plight are likely to argue against immigrants. Younger Finns who have not known similar hardships or been forced to defend Finland against hostile aggression are somewhat more receptive to the idea of immigrants (Jaakkola 68).

There are at least three reasons that may account for the lukewarm feelings many Finns have toward immigrants. Firstly, more than one third of Finns suspect that immigrants will bring unrest, riots and terrorism to Finland (Jaakkola 61). Given that this is exactly what has happened in other European countries, one can hardly fault Finns for such suspicions.

Secondly, there is concern that more immigration will mean more crime. This a fear based on fact. Some five years ago immigrants were responsible for 1.8 times more than the number of crimes which would have been “normal” considering their proportion of the population. Since then, that figure has not shown any signs of decreasing, but has in fact grown alarmingly (Ihatsu).

Thirdly, over half of the Finnish population fear that foreigners will spread various drugs and the HIV-virus into Finland (Jaakkola 61). The fear of HIV was already realized between the years 1995 and 2002, when a Ghana-born musician by the name of George Kwasi Okoe Mensah shocked and outraged all of Finland by engaging in sexual congress with a number of unsuspecting Finnish women without disclosing that he was infected with the deadly virus.

The case of Mr. Mensah is an isolated incident, but it could also be regarded as an augury of things to come: it is unlikely that immigrants will come to Finland from other western countries, since many of those countries are themselves facing the same problem of the “retirement boom” as Finland faces. Thus, many immigrants might come from Africa or the Mid-East. Considering how prevalent HIV is in Africa, there might easily be more cases where immigrants from Africa infect unsuspecting Finns with HIV. Every such case would likely be covered in the media (as the case of Mr. Mensah has been), which might increase the suspicions that Finns have regarding foreigners.

Furthermore, immigrants from Africa or the Mid-East will not only be culturally and linguistically different, they will look different as well, making them immediately identifiable as “foreigners.” Milla Hyttinen, when writing about racism in Finland, states that “the more the immigrants' appearance and/or behavior differs from that of the average Finn, the more likely they will be discriminated against. Prejudice against people from the Middle East and Africa is exceptionally strong, whereas most white Europeans and Americans are readily accepted.”

As established above, immigrants in Finland already commit more crimes than their proportion of the population warrants. In a strange twist, the prejudices that Finns seem to possess could in fact be responsible for the large number of crimes committed by immigrants: “the type of treatment immigrants receive in their new homeland significantly impacts their integration and welfare” (Pohjanpää, Paananen, and Nieminen 65), meaning that if they are treated poorly, they will more likely also integrate poorly.

In an article published in Helsingin Sanomat in August 2006, domestic news journalist Kirsi Tikkanen takes this logic one step further by asserting that the causes for crimes committed by immigrants are discrimination and alienation. If that is true, it would essentially create a classic Catch-22, where prejudice leads to discrimination, which leads to alienation, which leads to crime, which leads to stereotypes, which leads back to prejudice.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with the notion that Finns are ultimately at fault for the crimes committed by immigrants, it is clear that for Finns to have prejudiced notions about foreigners is a problem which can easily lead to racism and discrimination. Should an immigrant feel himself to be unjustly discriminated against by Finnish society, he might begin to resent that society, and might even be more inclined to reject the rules of that society (i.e. he would have a lower threshold for breaking the law and committing crimes). Successful integration will naturally be highly problematic while such a dynamic reigns.

Finnish Concerns Regarding Muslim Immigrants in Particular

It logically follows that the more different an immigrant’s culture of origin is, the more difficult it will be for him to integrate into Finnish society and culture. A number of aspects of the religion of Islam seem to be at odds with Finnish values. On some level, Finns seem to recognize this, as their attitudes regarding Islam and Muslims are more negative than their attitudes regarding other religions (Hallenberg 120).

According to Tuomas Martikainen, a researcher in the field of religion, half of all Finns have at least some suspicions regarding Islam; only about ten percent have a positive attitude toward the religion (in Half). The more different someone is (in terms of skin color, culture, or some other characteristic), the more negative a view Finns hold about them (Martikainen in Half). Milla Hyttinen expresses similar thoughts: “those foreigners who differ most conspicuously from the average Finn by their outer appearance or customs are most likely to become the object of prejudice and negative stereotypes in Finland.”

Additional blame can be assigned to the media. The Danish-based magazine MediaWatch deals with issues concerning the media and minorities. Its chief editor, Bashy Quraishy, claims that the western media portrays Islam and Muslims in a decidedly negative light. Media obviously influences people, so negative coverage of Muslims translates into Finns associating Muslims with negative things. Helena Hallenberg, a researcher of Islam, has noted this. According to Hallenberg, Finns associate Islam with war, terrorism, aggressiveness, cruelty and fanaticism (120).

Judging people by arbitrary standards like skin color is the text-book definition of racism. Accordingly, Muslim immigrants will face people who are already predisposed unfavorably towards them. This is clearly unfair, yet what are Muslim immigrants able to do about it? After all, a Muslim immigrant might consciously alter his behavior in an effort to integrate, but not his skin color.

The Ability of Finns to Overcome Their Prejudices

While Finns clearly harbor some reservations regarding immigrants in general and Muslim immigrants in particular, there is still cause for optimism. For example, Milla Hyttinen claims in “Racism in Finland,” that “Finns are generally regarded as being tolerant and well aware of cultural differences, due to their high level of education and keen interest in travelling.” And while Finns might hold some unfavorable predispositions towards foreigners, the upshot is that these predispositions can be decreased through education, which will make Finns more receptive to immigrants (Jaakkola 71).

Furthermore, Finns have traditionally justified their opposition to immigrants for a bevy of economic reasons, such as losing their jobs to foreigners (Jaakkola 49). But the “retirement boom” will alter society in such a way that in the future there will be too many jobs and not enough workers. Immigrant workers are, at least in theory, the solution to this; they will thus help the economy, not hurt it. This change in society would in theory make Finns more accepting of immigrants.

Perhaps most of all, Finland, along with the rest of the western world, can boast about being an enlightened society. “Enlightenment” is connected to ideas like the power of reason and logic, as well as tolerance and freedom. Most Finns consider Finnish culture to be an enlightened, tolerant and free society. Such enlightened values, together with concepts like multiculturalism and moral/cultural relativism, could result in Finns tolerating and accepting, if not welcoming, the foreigners. But that still leaves the immigrants.

The Ability and Willingness of Muslim Immigrants to Integrate

As established, foreign workers in Finland will likely experience veiled discrimination and prejudice, perhaps even open racism and occasional violence, as they have in other countries. Nevertheless, the single-biggest challenge to successful, comprehensive integration seems to be the ability of foreigners to accept and adjust to western values and customs. If immigrants lack the ability or the desire to integrate, no amount of education or enlightenment on the part of Finns can bring about integration.

Fouad Ajami, Director of Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, feels that Muslim immigrants are not really making the effort to integrate into European societies:

And I think what these Muslim populations in Europe, what these Muslim populations are telling us today is that they're in the West geographically but not of West. They don't accept the challenge; they don't accept the difficulty of living in a pluralist liberal society; that they have brought with them the fire from Morocco, from Tunisia, from Algeria, from Egypt and Syria. (in Clash)

Even if Muslims are genuinely willing to integrate, problems still remain: from an “enlightened” European point of view Islam is often perceived as such a backwards system of belief, especially in regards to the subjugation of women, that it has little place in modern western cultures. If Finland hopes to integrate its Muslim immigrants, it will have to grapple with many cultural pitfalls.

Potential Societal and Cultural Problems of Islamic Immigrants in Finland

Helena Hallenberg ponders some aspects of Islam which might prove potentially problematic in Finnish society and culture: numerous daily prayers and fasting during Ramadan would significantly decrease the work effectiveness of Muslims. Special dietary needs may be taken to an extreme: Muslims could claim the right not to take jobs where they might come into contact with alcohol or pork (114-115).

From the point of view of westerners, the body image of Muslims seems bizarre. Not only do the women cover up from head to toe, but even the men exhibit a curious timidity in matters of undress. Not being able to use communal showers after physical education classes seems a somewhat bizarre sexual hang-up to Finns who have grown up in the openness toward nudity of the traditional Finnish sauna culture.

The right to wear religious clothing in schools and places of employment has been an issue in Europe in recent years. When France banned religious clothing in public schools, Muslims across the country were enraged (Schleicher). The issue of religious clothing has not gone unnoticed in Finland, either. Some opinion pieces have been written in newspapers, and Finnish women in particular have resented the way their Muslim sisters have covered up (Hallenberg 114).¹

Clearly, there are many instances where Islamic clothing can be considered to be inappropriate in the Finnish cultural context. Service sector jobs often require all employees, irregardless of their religion, to dress in a fashion that reflects the mainstream of society (Hallenberg 115). In some jobs there might even be an assigned uniform which is to be worn during work hours.

In addition to covering up in a burka, the teachings of Islam also mandate that a woman must be represented by a man, be that man her husband, father, brother, or her son. The head of the family also has an unquestioned right to corporally punish children. Additionally, according to Hallenberg, Islamic justice entitles a man to four wives (116).

It is hard to see how such beliefs could be integrated into Finnish society while still holding on to the notion that women should be considered equal to men. Additionally, Finland has traditionally had a highly homogenous culture, and problems related to different religious devotions have seldom been an issue. Because of this homogenous make-up of Finland, anything that stands out from the mainstream will likely be looked upon with suspicious eyes. Even if one strives to be as enlightened and accommodating as possible, there are some aspects of Islam which might simply be impossible to accept.

Yet another facet of Islam, one which has actually been debated in Finland, is female circumcision. This procedure, which is controversial even among Muslims, is considered a criminal act in Finland. Hallenberg refers to the practice of female circumcision as “mutilation”; stating that protecting children from this practice is not discrimination (117). Sharon Lapkin, writing about the troubles related to Muslims in Australia, expresses the same thought in a more direct way: “Female genital mutilation is not some quaint tribal custom that we are bound to respect: it is barbarism, pure and simple.”

Integration Requires Compromise and Concessions from Both Parties

On the whole, Hallenberg states that the most troubling questions arise from colliding value systems and differing ideas of justice (113). This is a poignant observation. If the problem was simply small, practical issues, some sort of compromise could probably be worked out. Unfortunately, the problem goes beyond simple practicalities.

Just as oil and water don’t mix, many tenets of Islam, on a very basic level, simply do not seem to be compatible with western values. The fallout of the Mohammed-cartoons demonstrated quite explicitly that free speech, which is of the utmost importance in the western world, and respect for Mohammed, which is equally central to the religion of Islam, may be incompatible.

The point here is not to pick on Muslims, but to demonstrate how difficult it will be to combine radically different belief systems. Integration is not just a simple matter of overcoming unfounded prejudices; it is not just about somebody having a different skin color or speaking a different language. The real issue is the challenge involved in combining different peoples and different belief systems, which, on the surface of things at least, do not appear to be compatible.

Where two ways of life cannot co-exist, something has to give. Take freedom of speech for example: either the west has to modify its notions of freedom of speech, or Muslim immigrants have to recognize that in a free society everything, including religion and religious figures, can be openly and vigorously debated, criticised and even lampooned. If neither side is willing to make such concessions, there is bound to be a noticeable degree of resentment between an immigrant and his current country of residence. This resentment could explode into outright violence, or it could fester in the form of “pseudo-integration.”

God or Country? The survey was conducted between March 31 and May 14, 2006. Image Source: Pew Research Center

What might this “pseudo-integration” look like? Well, suppose there is a foreigner who is granted Finnish nationality, but he does not believe in equal rights for both sexes, but rather believes that a man “owns” a woman, and has a right to control every aspect of her life to the point where she is not even allowed to leave her home without his permission. Can such a person really be considered a Finn? This person and others like him may be Finns by their nationality, but it will be little more than a technicality. They will not be Finns in any real or meaningful way, and it is unlikely that they will consider or identify themselves as Finns.

Lest the above be dismissed as idle speculation, the image on the right demonstrates that this very phenomenon is already reality in many countries that are further along the curve than Finland in integrating immigrants. The numbers show that “With the exception of Muslims in France, they [Muslims] tend to identify themselves primarily as Muslim rather than as British, Spanish, or German” (Muslims).

This kind of overt religiousness seems to be a clear departure from the way European Christians look at things. It is uncertain what conclusions can be drawn from these results, but it needs to be noted that the differences are stark. It is not unreasonable to ask where the loyalties of Muslims lie. With religion or country? The implication is that Muslim immigrants, even if they were to become Finnish citizens, would still likely have conflicting loyalties between Finnish values and Islamic values.

The War on Terror as an “Independent” Reason?

There could also be other, “independent” reasons, which might create hardships for a successful integration. The global war on terror could be considered a prime example. Even in the best of circumstances, assimilating large numbers of foreigners can be considered a major undertaking. Large-scale integration and assimilation is bound to be more challenging during a time of global war. Furthermore, the war on terror has been characterized by U.S. President George W. Bush as a “generational struggle” or “long war,” meaning it is unlikely to end soon.

The war could easily inflame people’s sensibilities; the failure to integrate the constantly growing Muslim population could increase the risk of a terrorist attack in Finland (Ihatsu). Denmark and Sweden have already experienced the radicalization of fundamentalist Islam, says Kirsti Wesphalen, an expert on political Islam (in Ihatsu).

Clearly, in the midst of the global war on terror is the worst possible time to be opening the borders to large numbers of foreigners. This could conceivably have a very adverse effect on the national security of Finland. And one should not mince words, for national security is what is at stake.

The French riots were such a severe threat that a state of emergency had to be declared. This demonstrates that the dangers posed by unassimilated foreigners can threaten an entire nation rather than just individual citizens, as one simply does not declare a state of emergency without significant reason.

Could Civil Unrest Lead to the Rise of Nationalism in Finland?

As established earlier, the arrival of Muslim immigrants has led to significant unrest in other EU countries. If the same happens in Finland, it is a foregone conclusion that Finns will respond. This response might well take the form of nationalism. Every action has an opposite and equal reaction, and when someone pushes you, it is human nature to push back.

This aspect of human nature was on display in the 2005 Sydney race riots. In the run-up to the riots, native Australians had been harassed, intimidated and assaulted by Muslim immigrants. The final straw was a brutal assault on two lifesavers. Shortly afterwards, some 5000 Australians came together in an effort to defend Australia against the foreign hoodlums. Predictably, violence ensued (Racial).

Finland may be a long way away from Australia in a strictly geographical sense, but in terms of culture and beliefs the two countries are similar. It follows logically that if Muslim immigrants can force otherwise law-abiding Australians to resort to violence, they can probably do the same to law-abiding Finns. But is nationalism likely to gain support in Finland in response to increased immigration or otherwise?

Finnish intellectual Martti Koskenniemi says that nationalism is rising in America, but that this can no longer happen in Europe (42). Some people would argue that patriotism inescapably leads to nationalism, or even that there is no real difference between the two concepts. Semantics aside, the notion that Europe or Finland can not succumb to nationalism is probably just wishful thinking. Right wing parties are already gaining support in many European countries as "law and order" and immigration have become salient political issues (Azmanova).

Nationalism is an understandable response to foreign aggression, and it is not as if Finns do not have experience with nationalism. During the late 1920s and early 1930s there was a nationalist movement called the “Lapuan Liike” in Finland. It came about as a response to communist aggression, and did not shy away from violence: the organization engaged in beatings and even murders. For a while, it enjoyed wide support and its actions were generally accepted (Lapuan).

After the “Lapuan Liike” ran its course, there have been no similar nationalist organizations, but that could be simply because there has not really been a need for them. In spite of this seeming absence of popular nationalist movements, Milla Hyttinen argues that “cultural pride is deeply embedded in the minds of most Finns.”

It follows then, that Finns are unlikely to submit to foreign aggression without a fight. If, for example, an attempt was made by naturalized Finnish citizens to institute the Islamic Sharia law into Finland, there might well be a violent backlash, especially if the advocates of Sharia law pursued their goal by engaging in extra-legal means.

Questionnaire Regarding Finnish Opinions About Muslim Immigrants

When examining the potential problems of successful integration, it makes sense to gauge the opinions of individual Finns, since they will naturally have a large impact on the process, and the success or failure, of integration. Additionally, it often seems that a truly grass-roots view of this issue is lost amid lofty speeches and ubiquitous expectations of political correctness.

In order to obtain a cross-section of Finnish popular opinion, a survey was conducted by the author between 07 April and 22 April 2007. The primary objective of this survey was to determine if the opinions of the respondents supported the main conclusion of the paper, namely that the inability or unwillingness of prospective Muslim immigrants to adjust to Finnish values would constitute a significant impediment to successful integration, potentially leading to violence.

Methodology: The research instrument was a printed questionnaire with seven yes/no multiple choice questions. A total of 58 respondents answered the questionnaire. The respondents varied in terms of their age, educational level and station in life, and could thus be considered an approximation of a cross-section of Finnish society in the Tampere metropolitan area. As such, responses have been tabulated only for the group as a whole, and have not been subdivided by age, gender, or educational level. Geographically, the respondents were primarily from Tampere and its outlying areas. The gender distribution of the respondents was roughly half and half.

The respondents comprised the following groups:

• 19 English Translation students from the University of Tampere
• 14 participants of the 07 April 2007 Teivo Cup running event² who were of a mixed educational and employment background
• 9 academically educated individuals, aged 45+, who had been comfortably employed for a considerable time and enjoyed relative job security
• 9 retirees who were no longer employed
• 7 vocationally educated individuals, aged 20-30, who were either unemployed or "uncomfortably" employed in low-income or fixed-term jobs.

The questionnaires were either administered in such a fashion that the author was able to provide a personal introduction to them, or, alternatively, if the questionnaires were answered in the author's absence, a printed introduction and instructions accompanied the questionnaires to enable the respondents to complete them in a satisfactory manner. The respondents filled out the questionnaires individually. If a number of respondents were filling out questionnaires at the same time, the respondents were not sequestered, but they were advised against collusion.

Apart from the 14 participants at the Teivo Cup running event, all of the respondents were known to the author. This might have created an expectation of political correctness on the part of the respondents. Additionally, Finland is a nation where political correctness is an ever-present factor. Thus, there was a concern that the respondents might feel themselves compelled to equivocate or prevaricate in their answers. For example, in question 5, respondents might hesitate to state that Muslims are incapable of adjusting to Finnish society and its value system for fear of being deemed "a racist."

Therefore, to guard against the possibility that considerations of political correctness would skew the findings, the questionnaire did not request the name of the person filling it, nor did it identify the respondent in any other way. Thus, the results should accurately reflect the genuine personal opinions of the respondents (i.e. the influence of political correctness has been minimized, if not altogether eliminated).

Findings from the Questionnaire Responses

The first question was designed to assess whether the respondent was familiar with the retirement boom phenomenon.

Question 1. Are you familiar with the phenomenon of the retirement boom?

• Yes: 53 responses, (91%)
• No: 5 responses, (9%)

As expected, most respondents answered in the affirmative. As the respondents comprised people from all walks of life, the high level of familiarity with the phenomenon of the retirement boom is probably not evidence of deep knowledge and learnedness on the part of the respondents, but rather an indication that the “retirement boom” has been widely covered in the media.

The second question was designed to assess whether the respondent had heard of any violence or unrest related to Muslim immigrants in Finland.

Question 2. In recent years, the countries of the European Union have experienced numerous instances of unrest related to Muslim immigrants:

• French riots
• Danish riots caused by the Mohammed cartoons
• London subway bombings
• Madrid train bombings
• Swedish and British honor-killings

Are you aware of any violence or unrest related to Muslim immigrants in Finland?

• Yes: 10 responses, (17%)
• No: 48 responses, (83%)

A small minority of respondents felt that there had already been problems associated with (but not necessarily caused by) Muslim immigrants. This is worrisome, since the number of Muslim immigrants in Finland has previously been low. If there have already been problems, then there will likely be even more problems when the number of Muslim immigrants increases.

More generally, the results of this question seem to indicate a promising starting point in terms of integration. The vast majority of respondents felt that there hadn’t been any significant unrest that could be blamed on Muslim immigrants. Therefore, Finns will have no automatic mental connection between Muslim immigrants and violence. If there had been unrest related to Muslim immigrants, Finns would already exhibit a reserved attitude toward Muslims immigrants.

The third question was designed to assess the likelihood of future Muslim immigrants committing acts of violence in Finland, as perceived by the respondent.

Question 3. In the future, Finland may experience a large influx of immigrants from Islamic countries. Do you believe that Finland will also suffer acts of violence attributable to Muslim immigrants?

• Yes: 30 responses, (52%)
• No: 28 responses, (48%)

Respondents were fairly evenly divided on this question. It is easy to see why the respondents are pessimistic: there have been highly publicized incidents of unrest related to Muslim immigrants in other EU countries. In fact, given the high number and significant visibility of these incidents, one could have actually expected the attitudes of the respondents to be more pessimistic. In a sense, these results could be considered “optimistic,” relatively speaking.

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact reason for this optimism. Part of it is likely attributable to denial. Thinking that nothing bad is ever going to happen to you is part of human nature, even if evidence suggests the contrary. Finland's status as an enlightened society could also account for this optimism. Enlightenment emphasizes the positive aspects of human nature, and an enlightened society is forever evolving, always rising to the challenge. Yet another explanation might be that although people are highly aware of the “retirement boom,” they might not fully grasp its scale. Therefore, since there haven’t really been any problems in the past, the thinking is that that state of affairs will persist, even if there is a nominal increase in the number of Muslim immigrants.

Perhaps the most significant kernel of information yielded by this question is that even though the news media has been rife with negative stories about Muslims, the respondents, while clearly divided on the issue, did not regard violence as a foregone conclusion.

The fourth question was designed to assess whether the respondent expected immigrants to adjust to Finnish culture and values.

Question 4. Immigrants from around the world can easily have very different customs and beliefs than Finns. For example, in Islamic countries women usually have fewer rights than they do in western countries.

Should Finnish-bound immigrants attempt to adjust to Finnish culture and values?

• Yes: 51 responses (88%)
• No: 7 responses (12%)

A very small minority feels that immigrants have no responsibility to adjust to Finnish culture and values. Presumably, even the minority expects the immigrants to abide by Finnish laws, if not by Finnish customs. Based on the majority view, it could be seen that the primary responsibility for integration lies on the immigrants rather than Finns. This definition of integration bears a resemblance to assimilation.

It should be noted that these numbers likely reflect a best-case-scenario thinking: Finland is a free country, and as long as immigrants don’t bother us, there is no reason why they can’t live the way they want to. However, if the beliefs of immigrants start to have a negative impact on the lives of Finns (a single honor-killing would suffice), the attitudes of Finns would probably become stricter. Additionally, if the question had been formed in a more absolute way (e.g. should immigrants adjust to the beliefs of Finns, or should Finns adjust to the beliefs of immigrants?), the answers would likely have been even more one-sided.

The fifth question was designed to assess whether the respondent believed that a Muslim could adjust to Finnish society and its value system.

Question 5. Do you believe that people who adhere to the religion of Islam can adjust to Finnish society and its value system?³

• Yes: 30 responses (54%)
• No: 12 responses (21%)
• Unwilling: 14 (25%)

In this question, respondents were given three choices: “yes they can,” “no they can’t” and “yes they can, but they don’t want to.” Only 21 percent of respondents felt that Muslims would be unable to adjust to Finnish society and values. More interesting and more significant is that a full quarter of respondents felt that Muslims would be unwilling to adjust to Finnish society and values. An inability to adjust is something that could be fixed. Unwillingness to adjust is a considerably more deep-rooted obstacle, which also makes it more problematic to overcome.

Inability and unwillingness are two sides of the same coin. They both translate into unsuccessful integration. If one considers inability and unwillingness together, the numbers are:

• Yes: 30 responses (54%)
• Unable/unwilling: 26 responses (46%)

The results of this question, taken together with the results of the previous question, suggest that the potential for problems in integration is considerable.

The sixth and seventh questions were designed to assess whether the opinions put forth in other questions were based on personal knowledge of immigrants generally, and Muslim immigrants in particular.

Question 6. Are you personally acquainted with any immigrants in Finland?

• Yes: 24 responses (41%)
• No: 34 responses (59%)

Question 7. Are you personally acquainted with any Muslim immigrants in Finland?

• Yes: 13 responses, (22%)
• No: 45 responses (78%)

It is often thought that a person’s attitudes to immigrants will be more positive if that person is personally acquainted with an immigrant. If a clear majority of respondents had no personal relationship with any immigrants, their responses might have reflected an overly pessimistic attitude towards immigrants.

A surprisingly large number of respondents were acquainted with immigrants. Despite this, the overall results gleaned from the questionnaires are somewhat pessimistic in nature. The ominous implication is that even a balanced group of respondents, such as this one, exhibits notable guardedness regarding Muslim immigrants.

Summary of the Survey's Findings

When one looks at the results, one can see a clear three-step process. Step number 1: respondents overwhelmingly believe that immigrants should adjust to Finnish society and culture. Step number 2: over 40 percent of respondents believe that Muslims are unable/unwilling to do so. Step number 3: over half of all respondents believe that Finland will suffer acts of violence attributable to Muslim immigrants. In a very real sense, steps 1 and 2 combined equal step 3.

Steps 2 and 3 were not fully consistent. Some respondents who believed that Muslims could adjust to Finnish society and values still predicted that Finland would suffer acts of violence attributable to Muslims. This seems like a logical inconsistency (possibly brought on by considerations of political correctness or lack of fastidiousness on the respondent’s part).

Also notable is that the respondents saw the unwillingness of Muslims to adjust as a bigger problem than their inability to do so. This result, combined with the argument contained in the rest of the paper, namely that the biggest obstacle to integration is the immigrants themselves, rather than Finns, would seem to indicate that asking Muslim immigrants to complete a similar questionnaire might yield some interesting data. For example, the (Finnish) respondents in this survey felt that Finnish-bound immigrants should attempt to adjust to Finnish culture and values, but that Muslims might be unable or unwilling to do so. Would prospective Muslim immigrants share these beliefs?

The Inevitability of Change

As yet, one cannot point to any significant civil disturbances in Finland that could be blamed on Muslim immigrants, certainly nothing similar in scale to what has been going in other European nations. However, this is probably due to the relatively small number of Muslim immigrants in Finland, rather than the actual success of integration. One all-but certainty is that the number of immigrants will grow rapidly in the future as a result of the “retirement boom,” and that at least some of these are likely to be both Islamic and from countries with quite different cultures than Finland.

Given all the unrest and bloodletting that has followed in the wake of Muslim immigrants in other European countries, it seems a safe assumption that the process of integrating immigrant workers into Finnish society will be difficult. Some of this difficulty will be attributable to the prejudices of Finns. However, the greatest obstacle to successful integration is the uncertainty, as evidenced by the survey, over whether Muslim immigrants would be able, or even willing, to alter their behavior in such a way as to be able to integrate into Finnish society.

Clearly, in order to achieve better results than France, Australia, Britain, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands, something would have to be done very differently in Finland. Exactly what this might be remains unclear. However, if Finland does not approach the issue of integration differently than its fellow EU countries have, there is no logical reason to expect that Finland's integration efforts will succeed any better than such efforts have in other European countries.

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Notes

1. Although Hallenberg does not elaborate on this point, one possible explanation for this resentment would be that Finnish women (and western women in general) have worked very hard to be looked upon as equal to men, and the burka can be seen as a symbol of oppression.

2. A 5K winter run series held yearly at the Teivo Horse Race Center at Tampere. Despite the venue, the actual race does not involve any horses.

3. In two cases, a respondent had failed to answer this question. The percentages have been adjusted accordingly.

Appendices

• Research Follow-up Report
• The Questionnaire in Finnish (PDF) (as used in the survey)
• English Translation of the Finnish Questionnaire (PDF)
• The Questionnaire Instructions and Introduction (in Finnish) (PDF)

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Last Updated 24 April 2010