Maija Liuhto has started her work as ‘s reporter in Istanbul. From there, he also reports more broadly from the Middle East region.
Supplier Maija Liuhto has reported for from Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent years, but in the future his stories will mostly be seen from his new country of residence, Turkey, and other parts of the Middle East.
As a NATO ally, Turkey’s political importance for Finland has grown, and with the Gaza war, the entire situation in the Middle East appears in the news more than before.
36-year-old Liuhto is an anthropologist specializing in Asia by education, who has been working as a journalist since 2016. He speaks Persian and Urdu. With the new position, he has also started Turkish and Arabic language studies.
How has moving to Turkey felt after Pakistan?
– The change is insane, because these are very different countries. Especially here in Istanbul, it feels like being somewhere else in Europe, says Liuhto.
– It is clearly visible that the importance of religion does not emerge as clearly in everyday life as it does in Pakistan. For example, even though it’s the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan here, you might not notice it unless you’re really looking for it.
Did something come as a surprise to you?
– Maybe it’s just how secular it is here. I was just at a Turkish wedding, where there was nothing referring to Islam, but the ceremony was held at the registry office.
– That also came as a surprise, how little English is spoken here. So you just have to study Turkish to get by.
Why is it important for Finns to follow events in Turkey?
– In Finland’s NATO membership negotiations, we already saw why Turkey is important to Finland. Turkey is also considered important from the perspective of the Islamic world, says Liuhto.
– Whenever something happens, the Islamic world thinks that it is Turkey or Pakistan that should do something because Pakistan has nuclear weapons and Turkey is a member of NATO.
What other topics do you plan to report on in the Middle East in the future?
– Of course, the war in Gaza has been on the air a lot, and it is always talked about as far as Pakistan and Afghanistan. I also follow those countries, i.e. the greater Middle East.
– However, I would rather focus on everyday topics, i.e. how people live here, what kind of problems they have and how they see the world, Liuhto says.