Islam
The first Muslims also came to Finland with the Russian army towards the end of the 19th century. The foundations of the traditional community of a thousand or so Muslims were laid by the arrival of Tatar merchants from Russia around the end of the 19th century. The Finnish Islamic congregation was registered in 1925. During the past decades an influx of refugees from Muslim countries has increased the Islamic community in Finland, but only a minority (14,000) of the newcomers have registered as members of a congregation. The total number of Muslims is estimated to be around 70,000. Even though the number of Muslims has rapidly increased, it is still relatively low compared to other European countries.
updated by Tommi Heino