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, of which around 80% of them live in the German-speaking cantons, are concentreated particularly in the cities of Zurich, Basel and Aarau.[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) |
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[4]
|
Culture
Religion
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.[5]
Language
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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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