Turks in the Republic of Macedonia

Turks in the Republic of Macedonia, also known as Macedonian Turks, (Macedonian: Македонски Турци Turkish: Makedonya Türkleri) are the ethnic Turks who constitute the third largest ethnic group in the Republic of Macedonia.^[1] According to the 2002 census, there were 77,959 Turks living in the country, forming a minority of some 4% of the population.^[4] The communitiy form a majority in Centar Župa and Plasnica.^[1] The Turkish community claim higher numbers than the census shows, somewhere between 170,000 and 200,000.^[4][2]

History

Ottoman era

Macedonia came under the rule of the Ottoman Turks in 1392, remaining part of the Ottoman Empire for more than 500 years up to 1912 and the Balkan wars.^[5]

Modern era

Once the Ottoman Empire fell at the beginning of the 20th century, many of the Turks fled to Turkey. Many left under Yugoslav rule, and more left after World War II. Others intermarried or simply identified themselves as Macedonians or Albanians to avoid stigma and persecution.^[4]

After 1953, a large emigration of Turks based on an agreement between the Republic of Turkey and Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia took place— around 80,000 according to Yugoslav data and over 150,000 according to Turkish sources.^[6]

Culture

Language

Macedonian Turks speak the Turkish language. According to Ethnologue, Turkish is spoken by 200,000 people in Macedonia.^[7] Turkish is spoken with Slavic and Greek admixtures creating a unique Macedonian Turkish dialect.^[8] However, Macedonian is also widely used amongst the community.^[9]

Religion

According to the 2002 census, Turks make up 12% of the total Muslim population in Macedonia.^[10]

Demographics

Turkish population in Macedonia according to the 2002 census (Turkish majority in bold):

National day

The Turks in Macedonia also have an own national day, the Day of Education in Turkish Language. By a decision of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia in 2007, December 21 became a national and non-working day for the Turkish community in the country.^[11]

Media

There are both radio and television broadcasts in Turkish.^[12] Since 1945, Macedonian Radio-Television transmits one hour daily Turkish television programs and four and a half hours of Turkish radio programs.^[13] Furthermore, the newspaper 'Birlik' is published in Turkish three times a week.^[13]

Politics

A political party, Democratic Party of Turks (DPT), was founded in 1990 and is still active today. The Party currently has one member, Kenan Hasipi, in the Macedonian parliament.^[14] The DPT espouses the principles of Ataturk which include a secular state and equality for all.^[15]

Education

The first school in Turkish language in Macedonia was opened in 1944.^[16] As of 2008 there were over 60 schools that offered lessons in Turkish. Turks have the right of education in Turkish for four years in East Macedonia. There are 264 teachers in these schools. There is a lycee in Gostivar and a technical college in Tetovo where students are trained in Turkish. Few quota is spared for Turkish students at universities in Skopje and Bitola. There are also private Turkish schools established by Turkish entrepreneurs. Macedonian Turks show great interest in these schools.

Notable people

See also

• Macedonia–Turkey relations
• Plasnica Municipality
• Centar Župa Municipality
• Macedonian Muslims
• Democratic Party of Turks
• Languages of the Republic of Macedonia

References

Bibliography

Further reading

• Mandaci, Nazif (April 2007), "Turks of Macedonia: The Travails of the "Smaller" Minority", Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs 27 (1): 5–24, doi:10.1080/13602000701308798.