Finland’s Muslim community calls for ‘immediate’ government action on refugee policy reports The non-discrimination ombudsman said last week that the Interior Ministry acted in a discriminatory way by trying to favour refugees from Christian-majority countries over those from Muslim-majority nations.

March 10, 2025   

(Yle) A joint statement signed by a total of nine Muslim organisations has called on the Finnish government to take “immediate action” in response to reports of alleged discrimination by the Interior Ministry in the allocating of quota refugee places for this year.

“We agree with the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman’s view that the Ministry of the Interior’s policy was not based on humanitarian needs or integration criteria, but solely on religious discrimination,” the joint statement said.

Last week, Finland’s non-discrimination ombudsman said the ministry’s political leadership sought to favour asylum seekers from Christian-majority countries when it provided instructions to officials working on the quotas.

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