The first two weeks were nightmarish. How sour life had become. Constant drowsiness, hunger pangs that woke me up at three in the morning, and other unpleasant symptoms of a disrupted body clock. After a one-year stay in the US, Finland appeared at least as gloomy as my own tired existence. Foul-smelling winos were creeping out of their holes and an oppressing, unfriendly atmosphere prevailed in an empty Helsinki.

As I gradually recovered from my jetlag, a slightly prettier reality slowly materialized around me. The beautiful July weather certainly helped. In the radiant summer sunlight, Helsinki came to its own in its glaring cleanliness and with its picturesque vegetation.

Drunkards were still lurking around but were suddenly flanked by healthy young people in expensive designer clothes and trendy hairdos. Cars were brand-new; shopping bags were full.  The Finnish standard of living, one of the highest in the world, became all too evident as I walked around the streets of Helsinki. Finns were certainly well off, and this was confirmed by news coverage of Finland’s "exceptional" economic boom.

And yet, other observations remained as gloomy as ever. Finland may impress with any number of economic circus tricks, but as far as cultural diversity is concerned, this country, it seems, has yet to leave the proverbial Impivaara.

A recent legal case involving young Somalis in which the court verdict was to deport the delinquents “back to Africa", as well as the debate about church asylum are examples of a disappointing state of mind.

What has leaked out in the discussions about the young Somalis is that, yes, society, too, must claim its share of the responsibility. Whispers have also been heard about the fact that these youngsters only launched their "careers" in crime once they arrived in Finland (as is the case for most criminals with immigrant backgrounds). In other words, we may have an inkling that, indeed, something in the circumstances in this country lowers the threshold to criminal activity.

But that is about all we have: whispers and inklings. A frank debate would be crucial right now, to unravel the causes and find workable solutions to the problem. That debate has yet to begin.

As per usual, the Somali associations have been impressively pro-active. But, we mustn’t be lulled into complacently believing that the problem of delinquency among Somali youths can be solved, merely by focusing on the Somali side of the equation. This is as much about young immigrants as it is about a whole society gone astray.

One positive development is the publication of "Kirkko turvapaikkana", The Church as a Place of Refuge, a guidebook that the Finnish Ecumenical Council recently published. It is a moderately formulated but necessary statement about the unbearable circumstances faced by asylum seekers in Finland today.

Compared to other European churches, which have been struggling long, hard, and with much success to improve the situation of asylum seekers, the reticence of the Finnish church over the years in the matter has often struck me as incomprehensibly small-minded. Now, finally, the church is taking a stand, which even seems to be to the liking of Astrid Thors, our Minister of Migration and European Affairs. That Thors, who has responded positively to the publication of the guide, has felt compelled to disapprove of the use of the word asylum seems to me to be an unnecessary case of splitting hairs.  Asylum is originally from the Greek word asylon, and has, as a concept, been in use long before it became a legal term.

However, most perplexing was a demand by the Directorate of Immigration for the church to maintain a “moderate“ attitude in matters concerning asylum. Not to mention a tactless warning that the church’s stand could lead to an "epidemic" number of people turning to congregations for help. Is it really the duty of the Directorate of Immigration to dictate whom the church may or may not be allowed to help?

This stingy attitude is nothing but grotesque in a country, which, as we know, is by far one of the richest in the world.