Ahmed Hassan was nine when he arrived in Finland as a refugee from Somalia. In Finland, he grew up in a Swedish-speaking environment. Today he is on a mission for other foreigners to learn Swedish, Finland’s other official language.

In an interview with YLE’s Swedish-language radio news this week, Hassan, 27, says Finnish-Swedish culture is a part of his life. He is an active member of the Swedish People’s Party and works with helping foreigners integrate into Finland.

“I feel like I was lucky compared to my friends in Finnish-language schools, where they faced prejudice and racism,” says Hassan, who grew up in Helsinki.

In his opinion, racism is more of a problem in Finnish-language circles than Swedish ones.

Minority bubble?

Hassan is a proponent of newcomers in Finland learning Swedish. He rebuffs criticism that foreigners who learn Swedish do themselves a disservice, becoming “minorities within a minority.” Hassan points to his own research that found that refugees in Swedish-speaking areas in Vaasa and Ostrobothnia have thrived in their new environments, where they learned both of the country’s official languages.

Hassan argues that issues related to identity and language are often put in an overly simplistic light.

“People can have many identities,” he says.

So does he identify as a Swedish-speaking Finn?

“Sure I do, but I also identify with being Somali and Finnish,” says Hassan, who is also Muslim.

Hassan emphasises the importance of cultural literacy.

“During the parliamentary elections I sat on a panel with a member of the Finns Party. I asked him how I could become a Finn. He wondered if I had a Finnish passport, which I do. He said, ‘if you can bathe naked in the sauna, you’re Finnish,’” Hassan recounts, laughing.

While Hassan is no stranger to the heat of the sauna, he says he still does not really feel ‘Finnish’ because of societal perceptions.

He says attitudes towards foreigners have hardened in recent years.

“Now you can hear MPs make generalisations—about minorities, religions, entire countries. Is there no limit?” Hassan exclaims.

Roughly six percent of Finland’s population speak Swedish as their native tongue.

Click here to listen to Ahmed Hassan’s interview (in Swedish).

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