The US news channel CNN has estimated that Finland leads the field in terms of countries with Muslims fighting in Syria. The channel compared numbers provided by 25 different countries to rank Finland as the country with the highest percentage of Muslims who have gone to Syria to fight. The head of Finnish security police Supo says the numbers are about right although not entirely accurate.
The CNN comparison compared official data provided by 25 countries for its comparison. However the table lacked information from some of the world’s most populous states with large Muslim groups, such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. There were also no data from much of Africa.
According to the CNN infographic, about 42,000 Muslims call Finland home. Roughly 30 of them have left to engage in jihadist battles in Syria. As a result CNN has calculated that one in 1,400 people (0.071 percent) is waging war abroad, a fairly significant proportion given the country’s relatively small Muslim population.
CNN’s estimate of Muslims in Finland may not be entirely accurate, however, since not all Muslims are registered members of the Finnish church. Last year researcher Tuomas Martikainen estimated that there could be up to 60,000 Muslims in Finland. (more)
Read the whole story: http://yle.fi/uutiset/cnn_finland_tops_list_of_countries_with_muslim_fighters_in_syria/7446816
Source: YLE - CNN