Zahra Abdulla

Zahra Abdulla (born 1966 in Somalia) is a Somali-Finnish midwife and politician and member of the Somali community in Finland. She is a member of the Helsinki City Council, representing the Green League.

Abdulla studied medicine in Moscow, but the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Somali Civil War forced her to apply for political asylum in Finland. She received Finnish citizenship in 1998.

During her youth she has lived in Egypt and Kenya.

In the 2007 parliament elections, Abdulla came close to becoming the first Somali immigrant to be elected to the Parliament of Finland, but very near the end of the vote counting, fellow Green League candidate Outi Alanko-Kahiluoto beat her by only a few hundred votes: 4586 vs. 4174.

Zahra lives in Lauttasaari, Helsinki. She speaks fluent Finnish, English, Somali, Arabic and Russian.

Zahra Abdulla will continue as a member of the Helsinki city council in 2007.

Sources

* [http://www.zahraabdulla.info/ Zahra Abdulla's official campaign site]
* [http://www.hs.fi/kaupunki/artikkeli/Zahra+Abdullan+taisto+ei+riitt%C3%A4nyt+eduskuntapaikkaan/1135225921742 Zahra Abdulla's campaign wasn't enough] , Helsingin Sanomat
* [http://www.yle.fi/vaalit/tulospalvelu/uusi_eduskunta.htm The new parliament] , YLE