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.
"The discriminatory instructions were meant to prevent refugees from Muslim-majority countries from coming to Finland," the ombudsman's report said.
The Muslim community's statement, issued on Monday morning, called on Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) to introduce measures aimed at tackling anti-Muslim discrimination and Islamophobia.
It also said it hopes the action of Interior Minister Mari Rantanen (Finns) will be discussed by MPs in parliament.
The opposition Green Party last week submitted a motion of no confidence in Minister Rantanen in the wake of the report from the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman.
"This is not just a matter of discriminatory guidelines — it is a conscious, politically driven attempt to change the basic principles of Finland's refugee policy in a way that violates the Non-Discrimination Act and Finland's human rights obligations," the joint statement read.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement last week it plans to review the ombudsman's report, adding that it is also waiting for an assessment from the Chancellor of Justice, the office responsible for overseeing the legality of government actions.
Speaking in parliament last Friday, Minister Rantanen told MPs that the ministry's quota refugee plans were not made on the basis of religion.
