Turks in Switzerland

Turks in Switzerland
Total population

(120,000[1][2]

1,5% of Swiss Population)
Regions with significant populations
Languages
Religion
Islam

Turks in Switzerland (Turkish: İsviçre'deki Türkler) are Swiss citizens of Turkish origin. Over the last two decades, there has been a significant increase in the diversity of culture, language and customs in the Swiss population. Significant levels of Muslim emigration to Switzerland began in the late 1960s with the arrival of labour migrants from Turkey.

Demographics

Accounting some 5% of the foreign population, the Turkish community in Switzerland,are concentreated particularly in the cities of Zurich, Basel and Lausanne.[3]

According to the Swiss Statistics, as of 2007 there were 73,000 Turkish nationals living in Switzerland, including Kurds. However, this does not include those who have been naturalised or the Swiss born Turks.

Year Turkish citizens
2004 77,100
2005 75,900
2006 74,300
2007 73,200
(Source: Swiss Statistics)[4]

Naturalisation

Naturalisation of Turkish citizens:
Year Population
1997 1,814
1998 2,093
1999 2,260
2000 3,127
2001 3,116
2002 4,128
2003 4,216
2004 3,565
2005 3,467
2006 3,457
Source: OECD[5]

Culture

Religion

Mosque of the Olten Turkish cultural association, Wangen bei Olten.

The majority of the Turkish community in Switzerland adhere to Islam. However, their religious organisations differ from those of other Muslim communities in the country. The Turks are divided by ideological and political divisions of their home country. When in the 1970s the Islamic movement Millî Görüş was established in Germany for the German Turkish community, some of the Turks in Switzerland joined this organisation. But the activities of the Diyanet İşleri Türk İslam Birliği, the Turkish directorate of religious affairs that sends Imams to the Turkish diaspora, attracted other Turks to adhere to this state-controlled form of Islam. Turkish groups such as the Sufi Suleymancilar and the Nurcu confraternity also play a role in the Turkish Muslim community in Switzerland.[6]

Language

Top ten languages spoken in Switzerland.

See also

References

Bibliography

  • Haddad, Yvonne Yazbeck (2002). Muslims in the West: from sojourners to citizens. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-514805-3. .
  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2008). International Migration Outlook: SOPEMI 2008. OECD Publishing. ISBN 92-64-04565-1. .

External links

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