Turks in Switzerland ( tr, İsviçre'deki Türkler), also referred to as Swiss Turks ( tr, İsviçreli Türkler) and Turkish Swiss people ( tr, Türk İsviçreliler), are Swiss residents of Turkish origin. The majority of Swiss Turks descend from the Republic of Turkey; however there has also been Turkish migration waves from other post- Ottoman countries including ethnic Turkish communities which have come to Switzerland from the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

(e.g. from

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

and

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

), the island of

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

, and more recently

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

and Syria.

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-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DİTİB; german: Türkisch-Islamische Union der Anstalt für Religion e.V.; tr, Diyanet İşleri Türk-İslam Birliği) is one of the largest Islamic organisations in Germany. Founded in 1984 ...

, the Turkish directorate of religious affairs that sends

Imams Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, serve ...

to the

Turkish diaspora The Turkish diaspora ( tr, Türk diasporası or ''Türk gurbetçiler'') refers to ethnic Turkish people who have migrated from, or are the descendants of migrants from, the Republic of Turkey, Northern Cyprus or other modern nation-states tha ...

, 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. These are exact Gulen Movement people, different from the current Turkey's Government, after the 15 July Turkey's coup d'état attempt purges.

Discrimination

On 17 March 2021 supporters of the

PKK The Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK is a Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla movement, which historically operated throughout Kurdistan, but is now primarily based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of sout ...

group attacked the home of Şeref Yıldız, the head of the Swiss Turkish Society (ITT), for the fifth time in two years, forcing him to move to another residence to protect his children. By 29 April 2021, a bomb ready to explode was found in the mailbox of the headquarters of the Swiss Turkish Society (ITT), which serves as the umbrella group of Turkish nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the Rumlang region. Police evacuated the entrance and exit of the town. It was suspected that the

group were behind the attack because, for several months, there had been attacks by PKK supporters against the headquarters and institutions belonging to the Turkish community in Switzerland.

Notable people

File:Gülsha Adilji (cropped).jpg, Gülsha Adilji, TV presenter File:Erkan Aki 2011.jpg, Erkan Aki, opera singer and pop musician File:EPFL Hatice Altug Portrait.jpg, Professor Hatice Altug, physicist File:Dany Bahar.jpg, Dany Bahar, business executive File:Fernando Corena at dinner party.jpg,

Fernando Corena Fernando Corena (22 December 1916 – 26 November 1984) was a Swiss bass who had a major international opera career from the late 1940s through the early 1980s. He enjoyed a long and successful career at the Metropolitan Opera between 1954 and 19 ...

, opera singer File:Eray Cömert 2019.jpg,

Eray Cömert Eray Ervin Cömert (born 4 February 1998) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a defender for La Liga club Valencia and the Switzerland national team. Club career Basel Cömert started his youth football with Concordia Basel. In 2 ...

, football player File:Ata bozaci-portrait-2017.jpg, Ata Bozaci, artist File:Suna Guerler.jpg, , actress File:Güzin Kar 2016.jpg, , film director File:AUT vs. SUI 2015-11-17 (182).jpg,

Gökhan Inler Gökhan İnler (born 27 June 1984) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for club Adana Demirspor. İnler began his professional career with FC Basel and later joined FC Aarau and FC Zürich, winning the Swiss Sup ...

, football player File:Enes Kanter Western Conference Finals 2019 (cropped).jpg,

Enes Kanter Enes Kanter Freedom (; born Enes Kanter; May 20, 1992) is a professional basketball player who last played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Switzerland to Turkish parents, he was raised in Turkey and m ...

, basketball player File:Murat Kunt.jpg, Professor

Murat Kunt Murat Kunt (born January 16, 1945) is a Swiss scientist of Turkish origin. He is known for his research and teaching in the general area of digital signal processing and image and video processing in particular. He is the author of more than 24 ...

, scientist File:AV0A2925 Jantje Friese und Baran bo Odar (Dark) (cropped)2.jpg,

Baran bo Odar Baran bo Odar (born 18 April 1978) is a German film and television director and screenwriter. He is known for co-creating the Netflix series ''Dark'' (2017–2020) and ''1899'' (2022) with his creative and romantic partner, Jantje Friese. His f ...

, film director File:OZ.jpg, OZ, record producer and songwriter File:Attila vural.jpg, , guitarist File:080603 yakin02.jpg,

Hakan Yakin Hakan Yakin ( tr, Hakan Yakın; born 22 February 1977) is a Swiss football coach and a former player who played as a forward or midfielder. He is the manager of Schaffhausen. He was a member of the Swiss national team for eleven years. Early ...

, football player File:Spartak-Zrvena (3).jpg,

Murat Yakin Murat Yakin ( tr, Yakın; born 15 September 1974) is a Swiss football coach and former player. He is the manager of the Switzerland national football team. Playing career Yakin spent the longest spell of his career playing for his hometown c ...

, football player File:Muesluem 2013.jpg, , comedian and entertainer

References

Bibliography

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External links

Bilateral relations between Switzerland and Turkey
{{Commons category, Turks in Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland Ethnic groups in Switzerland Muslim communities in Europe tr:Avrupa'da yaşayan Türk vatandaşları#İsviçre