Deportability of Christian Converts and the Controversy Over Faith in Finland

Abstract

The issue of conversion from Islam to Christianity has emerged in the aftermath of Europe’s 2015 surge in asylum-seeker numbers. In Finland, the increase in the number of deportation orders issued set in motion affective practices of resistance in the religious field across denomination boundaries. Critical frame analysis to public letters and other documents by religious leaders is combined with thematic analysis of interviews with converts’ supporters in the religious field. This dual perspective reveals how affects and emotions are central in institutional-level processes whereby faith-based communities participate in asylum politics. The article argues that emotions such as fear are not only felt for those who are under deportation or deported but also for the religious communities themselves. The individuals’ and the community’s trust in the state gets called into question, along with the genuineness of their right to freedom of religion. The article demonstrates that affective practices become a means of resisting both deportations and the perceived violation of the right to define one’s faith.