Iranians in Scandinavia

The number of Iranians in the Scandinavian Peninsula, which consists of Norway, Denmark and Sweden is actually an enigma. Sweden is the one country amongst them that houses the most Iranians but by far not even close to the number of Iranians in other countries. The main reason for this uncertainty is the mainly Kurdish proportion of the foreign residents in Sweden. As we know the ethnic Kurdish population, spreads throughout 4-5 countries, and depending on current political,social and military developments in their regions, many of them moved to the Scandinavian countries , especially Sweden. The reason for the statistical uncertainty lies in the fact for instance that once Iraq was in havoc, many Kurds moved there regardless of their country of origin and claimed to be from Iraq. Another occasion, the war in Turkey that caused the immigration of thousands to Sweden claiming to be from there, regardless of the fact that many of them were from Iran or even Syria,or even Iraq by that matter. The same goes for thousands of Azerbaijan and Pakistani(Baluchistan) citizens who claimed to be Iranians upon requesting asylum or even vice versa depending on the political climate.

Once there, the Iranian Kurds who form a considerable number of Iranians in Sweden become mostly aware of their unique Iranian identity, and how little they actually have in common with their other Kurdish brethren. This causes them to seek more contacts with other Iranians and feel better surrounded and affiliated with them regardless of them being of Kurdish origins or not, that in my opinion is the best part of it all. The Swedish people in general are some of the most polite and law-abiding people there is, but on the other side, they simply do not like the high number of foreign residents in their country and the social problems that this phenomenon has brought upon them.(issues like honor killings which happens to be very popular amongst the Iraqi Kurdish people is just one aspect) One might ask, how come so many people decide to stay despite the unfriendly and socially cold environment, the answer lies in the generous social welfare system that attracts and supports so many. The majority of Iranians in the Scandinavian countries are not politically charged when they get there, their primal objective is a new life for themselves and their children, and its usually the less privileged Iranians that moved to these countries. Later on, they choose to be part of some political current, depending on their subsequent educational and social development in their new home.

Iranians residing in the Scandinavian countries, are usually bound to stay in their chosen new home and rarely move on. The standard of education guarantees their children a middle class life style by Swedish standards,(which isn't bad at all) but still some achieve the chance to Greatness when they move on to other countries such as the USA or Canada. The many Iranian cultural associations in Sweden, helps the Iranian community there to exchange informations regarding laws and official affairs which helps them to cope better with their lives, next to keeping the necessary nostalgic feelings alive to compensate the lack of Endorphin (which is due to the lack of light that causes serious depressions) and not to forget the occasional obligatory political statements (depending on which Iran Club one visits)to safeguard their welcome for the next meeting.

Once again... I emphasize, there are exceptions to the rule.
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