ABSTRACT
Debates about gendered violence in minority families have also played a central role in the politics of immigration and multiculturalism, providing arguments for those who want to reduce immigration and demand assimilation of especially non-Western and Muslim immigrants. The Nordic countries construct their national self-images on a perceived record as world champions in gender equality. The analysis of the media discussions has detected how gender, migrant families, Islam and Finnishness are described in the texts; who are the speakers and how are they presented in the texts; and what kind of distinctions and hierarchies are the descriptions based on. Through the story of Alla-Zahra the author shows that women's oppression and gendered violence is not restricted to Muslims, but crosses ethnic, racial and religious borders. The books and the public discussions they raised, in many ways cite broader European and Western discourses about gender, sexuality and Islam.
