Turks in Denmark, also referred to as Turkish Danes or Danish Turks (; ) refers to ethnic

Turkish people Turks (), or Turkish people, are the largest Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group, comprising the majority of the population of Turkey and Northern Cyprus. They generally speak the various Turkish dialects. In addition, centuries-old Turkish co ...

living in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. They currently form the largest ethnic minority group in the country; thus, the Turks are the second-largest ethnic group in Denmark, after the ethnic

Danish people Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. History Early history Denmark ...

.. The majority of Danish Turks descend from the

Republic of Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

; however, there has also been significant Turkish migration from other post- Ottoman countries including ethnic Turkish communities which have come to Denmark from the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with 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 throug ...

(e.g. from

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

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

), the island of

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

, and more recently

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

History

At the end of the 1950s Denmark required a high labour demand which triggered labour immigration mainly from

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

and

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

; consequently, alongside the Turkish migrants from Turkey, there was also a substantial number of

Balkan Turks The Balkan Turks or Rumelian Turks () are the Turkish people who have been living in the Balkans since Ottoman Empire, Ottoman rule, as well as their descendants who still live in the region today. The Turks are officially recognized as a minority ...

(e.g.

Bulgarian Turks Bulgarian Turks (; ) are ethnic Turkish people from Bulgaria. According to the 2021 census, there were 508,375 Bulgarians of Turkish descent, roughly 8.4% of the population, making them the country's largest ethnic minority. Bulgarian Turks ...

, Bosnian Turks etc) who arrived in Denmark. More recently, Iraqi Turks and

Syrian Turks Syrian Turkmen, also called Syrian Turks or Syrian Turkish people (; ) are Syrian citizens of Turkish people, Turkish origin who mainly trace their roots to Anatolia (i.e. modern Turkey). Turkish language, Turkish-speaking Syrian Turkmen make up ...

have also migrated to Denmark since the

European migrant crisis The 2015 European migrant crisis was a period of significantly increased movement of refugees and Human migration, migrants into Europe, mostly from the Middle East. An estimated 1.3 million people came to the continent to request Right of asyl ...

Demographics

In 2008, a report published by the

Danish Broadcasting Corporation DR (), officially the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in English, is a Danish public-service radio and television broadcasting company. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enter ...

stated that there was 70,000 people of Turkish origin who were

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

. Thus, the Turks were the largest Danish Muslim population and accounted for 35% of the 200,000 Muslims. In 2015 the Turkish Danish population was around 75,000. The majority of Turkish Danish people descend from Turkey; however, some have also arrived from other post-Ottoman countries. For example, there were approximately 2,000 Turkish Iraqi immigrants in Denmark in 2010 (excluding descendants)..

Culture

Language

Within the home environment, the

mother tongue A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongue'' refers ...

is most dominant and children are expected to speak

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

. However, Danish is spoken outside the home, creating a

bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...

identity.

Religion

The majority of Turks regard themselves as

. They worship their religion mainly within their own Turkish community and are subdivided mainly by political or religious differences.. The Diyanet supports mosque associations in Denmark and controls the majority of the religious organisations used by the community. The "Danish Turkish Islamic Foundation" () is part of the Diyanet and is the largest Muslim organisation in Denmark.. The Diyanet's major competing Islamic networks are the

Millî Görüş Millî Görüş (, ) or Erbakanism is a religiopolitical movement and the ideology of a series of Islamist parties inspired by Necmettin Erbakan. It argues that Turkey can develop with its own human and economic power by protecting its core I ...

as well as the

Alevi Alevism (; ; ) is a syncretic heterodox Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Islamic teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, who taught the teachings of the Twelve Imams, whilst incorporating some traditions from shamanism. Differing ...

association. In 2008 a report published by the

estimated that the Danish Turks formed 70,000 out of a total of 200,000 Muslims in the country. Hence, one-third of the country's Muslims were of Turkish origin.

Notable people

Yildiz Akdogan Yildiz Akdogan (born 29 April 1973) is a Turkish-Danish politician, who was a member of the Folketing for the Social Democrats from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2014 to 2019. Along with Özlem Cekic, she was one of the first female immigrant poli ...

, politician * Hasan Al, boxer *, football player *, imam (

Turkish Cypriot Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( or ; ) are so called ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots are mainly Sunni Muslims. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,000 Turkish settlers were given land onc ...

origin) * Türker Alici, contestant on '' Robinson Ekspeditionen 2018'' *, politician * Mehmet Ali Avci, film maker * Yasin Avcı, football player *

Oğuz Han Aynaoğlu Oğuz Han Aynaoğlu (born 22 March 1992) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a winger for TFF 2. Lig club Erbaaspor. He has amassed a total 11 youth caps for Denmark under three different age groups. Early life Aynaoğlu began h ...

, football player *

Büsra Barut Büsra Barut (born 20 May 1997), also known as Büşra Barut in Turkish spelling, is a Danish-born Turkish footballer who plays as a forward for the Turkey women's national team. She has previously been a member of the Denmark women's national ...

, female football player *, politician *Zahide Bayram, crowned

Miss Denmark Miss Denmark () is a national Beauty pageant in Denmark. The pageant was founded in 1926, where the winners were sent to Miss Universe and other titleholders to Miss World, Miss International, Miss Supranational and Miss Grand International. ...

(1999) * Baris Balo Bicen, contestant on '' Robinson Ekspeditionen 2019'' *, football player * Seckin Cem, contestant on '' Robinson Ekspeditionen 2007'' *

Dennis Ceylan Dennis Ceylan (born 3 March 1989, Høje Tåstrup, Denmark) is a Danish professional boxer. He was born in Høje Taastrup, but grew up in Aarhus and is a member of boxing club BK Aarhus. Ceylan is a former EBU European featherweight champion. As ...

, boxer * Ercan, finalist on the ''

X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

'' 2010 * Buket Genc, contestant on '' Robinson Ekspeditionen 2013'' *, chief physician at Sjællands Universitetshospital, Køge * Selin Kara, chemist and biotechnologist * Gökcan Kaya, football player *, actor and rapper *

Sara Keçeci Sara Keçeci (born 21 October 1994) is a Turkish-Danish female handballer playing in goalkeeper position. She has dual citizenship but plays internationally as a member of the Turkish national team. Early years Sara was born in Sønderborg, ...

, handball player (Turkish father and Danish mother) * Erkan Kilic, contestant on '' Baren'' 2001 * Hasan Kuruçay, football player *

Emre Mor Emre Mor (born 24 July 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger or a forward for Süper Lig club Eyüpspor, on loan from Fenerbahçe, and the Turkey national team. Early life Emre Mor was born and raised in Brønshøj, C ...

, football player (Turkish father and Turkish Macedonian mother) *

Şaban Özdoğan Şaban Özdoğan (born 14 March 1990) is a retired Danish footballer and current assistant coach of Ishøj IF. He previously played for Danish Superliga club F.C. Copenhagen. Club career Özdoğan started playing youth football at Avarta. He m ...

, football player * Yusuf Öztürk, football player *, actress and voice actress *

Alev Ebüzziya Siesbye Alev Ebüzziya Siesbye (born 30 August 1938) is a Turkish- Danish ceramic artist. Siesbye designed ceramic wares for the ceramic companies Royal Copenhagen and Rosenthal AG. In 2009, Siesbye was awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des ...

, ceramic artist *

Zidan Sertdemir Batuhan Zidan Sertdemir (born 4 February 2005) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Danish Superliga club Nordsjælland. Club career Sertdemir is a youth product of Brøndby and moved to the academy of Nordsjæll ...

, football player * Aral Simsir, football player *, businessman and former athlete (Turkish father and a Danish mother) *

Fatih Şahin Fatih Şahin (born 20 April 1979) is a Turkish politician, lawyer, and General Secretary of the Justice and Development Party (), serving since 20 July 2017. Personal life He is fluent in English and Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a ...

, contestant on '' Robinson Ekspeditionen 2007'' *

Tülin Şahin Tülin Şahin (born 13 December 1979) is a Danish-Turkish top model, television presenter, author, and actress. Life and career Şahin was born in Odense, Denmark, and spent her childhood there. She was discovered in a shopping mall and went to ...

, model and actress *, actor, politician and CEO of the Danish-Turkish newspaper ''Haber'' *

Ertuğrul Tekşen Ertuğrul Tekşen (born 25 April 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Danish 3rd Division club Holbæk B&I. Born in Denmark, he has represented Turkey at youth level. Club career Early years Tekşen started playing footb ...

, football player * Mona Tougaard, fashion model (Turkish, Danish, Somali, and Ethiopian descent) *, rapper (Turkish and Italian origin) *, politician

References

Bibliography

* * * *. * {{Turkish diaspora Muslim communities in Europe Middle Eastern diaspora in Denmark