, poptime = , popplace = , langs = , rels = Predominantly

Sunni Islam Sunni Islam is the largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any Succession to Muhammad, successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr ...

Minority

Alevism 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. Differ ...

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

, other religions, or

irreligious Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism, rationa ...

, related =

Turks in Denmark Turks in Denmark, also referred to as Turkish Danes or Danish Turks (; ) refers to ethnic Turkish people living in Denmark. They currently form the largest ethnic minority group in the country; thus, the Turks are the second-largest ethnic grou ...

Turks in Finland Turks in Finland or Finnish Turks (; or ''Finlandiya'da yaşayan Türkler'' ) are the ethnic Turkish people. The majority of Finnish Turks descend from the Republic of Turkey; however there has also been significant Turkish migration from other ...

,
Turks in Norway Turks in Sweden or Swedish Turks (; ) are people of ethnic

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 ...

origin living in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. The majority of Swedish 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 waves from other post- Ottoman countries including ethnic Turkish communities which have come to Sweden 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 ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey 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 ...

and

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 ...

. In 2009 the

Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs The Minister for Foreign Affairs () is the foreign minister of Sweden and the head of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Sweden), Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The current Minister for Foreign Affairs is Maria Malmer Stenergard of the Moderate P ...

estimated that there was 100,000 people in Sweden with a Turkish background, and a further 10,000 Swedish-Turks living in

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 ...

. Many Turks in Sweden have double citizenship and 37,000 are registered voters in Turkey.

History

The first Turks came to

in the early 18th century from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, whilst the second wave came in the 1960s from modern post-Ottoman nation states, especially from

but also from the

(mainly

and

), but also from the island of Cyprus. More recently, 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 ...

Turks from

and

have also come to Sweden.

Charles XII creditors

During the

Battle of Poltava The Battle of Poltava took place 8 July 1709, was the decisive and largest battle of the Great Northern War. The Russian army under the command of Tsar Peter I defeated the Swedish army commanded by Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld. The battle would l ...

in 1709,

Charles XII Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of ...

's Swedish field army was defeated by the Russians. To escape arrest by the Russians, Charles XII had to leave the defeated army and go to the

where he stayed for five years. Upon his return to Sweden in 1715, a smaller number of creditors came to Sweden to collect the debt he owed them. But it took a few years before they got repaid so they stayed a while. They left after getting paid. According to the prevailing

church law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. Canon law includes the ...

, everyone who was in Sweden, but was not a member of the Swedish state church, would be baptized. In order for the Muslim and Jewish creditors to avoid this, Charles XII wrote a free letter so that they could perform their Islamic services without being punished. The free letter showed that

Karlskrona Karlskrona (, , ) is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with a population of 66,675 in 2018. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to ...

was the first city in Sweden where Muslims could perform their worship. According to Harry Svensson, this fleet's presence in Karlskrona has contributed to the religious and culturally open climate in the city over the past 300 years.

Modern migration wave

The second wave of Turks who came to Sweden was in the 1960s when Sweden opened the door to labor immigration. Most ethnic Turks arrived from the

as well as

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 ...

. Turks who came from the former Yugoslavia in the 1960s came largely from the

Prespa Prespa (, , ) is a region shared between North Macedonia, Greece and Albania. It shares the same name with the two Prespa lakes which are situated in the middle of the region. The largest town is Resen in North Macedonia with 9,000 inhabitan ...

region. From different contexts, many knew each other and they began to organize and strive for common interests. Approximately, 5,000

Macedonian Turks Turks in North Macedonia, also known as Turkish Macedonians and Macedonian Turks, (, ) are the ethnic Turks who constitute the third largest ethnic group in the Republic of North Macedonia. According to the 2021 census, there were 70,961 Turks liv ...

settled in

, with 90% (i.e. 4,500) living in

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

. Due to the forced Bulgarian assimilation policies, approximately 30,000

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 ...

have migrated to Sweden, most of which arrived in the late 1980s. More recently, since the

(2014-2020), there has been a significant rise in the number of 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 ...

Turkish organizations

Mosques controlled by Diyanet

According to Dagens Nyheter in 2017, nine mosques in Sweden have imams sent and paid for by the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet). Along with their religious duties, the imams are also tasked with reporting on critics of theTurkish government. According to Dagens Nyheter, propaganda for president Erdogan is openly presented in the mosques. * ''Muslimska församlingen i Malmö'' (translation: Muslim congregation in Malmö) is a Turkish congregation connected to the Turkish directorate of Religious Affairs, Diyanet. According to its own records, it has 2200 members. The imam was trained and sent by Diyanet. According to the

Swedish Agency for Support to Faith Communities Swedish Agency for Support to Faith Communities () is an agency that provides state aid to religious communities in Sweden. The agency is set to be incorporated into Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society on 1 January 2026. In 2011 the Reinfe ...

, the mosque has good relations to the Malmö

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 ...

chapter. In 2011, after decades of collecting donations from its members, it bought a property to use as a mosque for 8 million SEK. In 2017, the congregation donated its property to ''Svenska Islam stiftelsen'' (Turkish: Isveç Diyanet Vakfı) which is part of Diyanet. *

Fittja Mosque The Fittja Mosque () is a mosque in Fittja, Botkyrka Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. It was constructed with Turkish-style architecture. The mosque, which began to be constructed in 1998http://www.botkyrka.se/omkommunen/pejlpabotkyrka/ ...

Football clubs

In 1973 the

formed the KSF Prespa Birlik football club. Players of Turkish nationality have also played in FBK Balkan fotball club.

Political parties

Nuance Party The Nuance Party () is an Islamist and Muslim minority rights party in Sweden, founded in 2019. The party has been criticized due to defending former ISIS members. History The Nuance Party was founded in August 2019 by Mikail Yüksel, a Turk ...

is a minority focused party that was founded in 2019 by Turkish-born politician

Mikail Yüksel Mikail Yüksel (born 10 September 1982 in Kulu, Turkey) is a Swedish and Turkish politician in Sweden. He is the founder and leader of the minority friendly Nuance Party, which focuses on Sweden's Muslim population. Political career Yüksel w ...

Politics and elections

In the

2018 Swedish general election General elections were held in Sweden on 9 September 2018 to elect the 349 members of the Riksdag. Regional and municipal elections were also held on the same day. The incumbent minority government, consisting of the Social Democrats and the Gr ...

, 10 000 Swedish citizens living in Turkey were expected to cast their votes in Turkey. As in May 2022 Sweden made an accession bid to join NATO, Turkey demanded that Sweden ends its alleged support for the

Gülen movement The Gülen movement () or Hizmet movement () is an Islamist fraternal movement. It is a sub-sect of Sunni Islam based on a Nursian theological perspective as reflected in Fethullah Gülen's religious teachings. It is referred to by its membe ...

Notable Swedish Turks

*, writer and journalist (Turkish mother and Syrian father) * Kadim Akça, billionaire; founder of Keep Holding * Leyla Alaton, is a Turkish businesswoman and art collector (swedish mother) * , installation artist * Muharrem Demirok, politician and former leader of

Centre Party (Sweden) The Centre Party ( , C) is a liberal political party in Sweden, founded in 1913. The party focuses on the national economy, the environment, political decentralisation and social integration. It is represented in all of the Riksdag's par ...

Sinan Ayrancı Sinan Ayrancı (born 9 July 1990 in Sweden, Stockholm) is a Turkish- Swedish footballer currently playing for FK Bosna 08 in the Swedish amateur division. He previously played for Hammarby Fotboll and IF Brommapojkarna Idrottsföreningen Br ...

, football player *

Kazım Ayvaz Kazım Ayvaz (March 10, 1938 – January 18, 2020) was a Turkish Olympic medalist sports wrestler in the lightweight class and a trainer. He won the gold medal in Men's Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1964 Olympics and became world champion twic ...

, Olympic wrestler * Brazer Bozlak, entrepreneur, architect *

Erol Bekir Erol Bekir, formerly known as Erol Bekirovski, (born 25 January 1974) is a Turkish-Swedish football manager and former player of Turkish origin with roots from Macedonia. Playing career Club He started out playing for his hometown club Malm ...

, football player and sports coach ( Turkish Macedonian origin) * , architect * Ekin Bulut, football player *

Ergun Caner Ergun Michael Caner (born November 3, 1966) is a Swedish-American academic, author, and Baptist minister, who became well known for his book, co-authored with his brother, on Islam and his claims that he was a devout Muslim trained as a terrorist ...

, author (Turkish father and Swedish mother) * , voice actress * , actor * Hasan Çetinkaya,

sports agent A sports agent is a legal representative (hence agent (law), agent) for professional sports figures such as athletes and coaches. They procure and negotiate employment and Testimonial, endorsement contracts for the principal (commercial law), at ...

Erdin Demir Erdin Demir (born 27 March 1990 as Erdin Demirovski) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a left back. He played in Sweden, Norway, and Belgium during a career that spanned between 2008 and 2021. A full international between ...

, football player * Alper Demirol, football player * Rodin Deprem, football player * Gizem Erdogan, actress *

İlhan Erşahin İlhan Erşahin is a Swedish-Turkish musician and bar owner. Raised in Stockholm, he has been based in New York City since 1990. As a musician, Erşahin has performed and recorded with various musicians as well as his own projects/bands, Wax Poet ...

, musician * Muvaffak "Maffy" Falay, trumpeter * Amine Gülşe, actress, model, Miss Turkey 2014 (Turkish mother and Turkish Iraqi father) * Deniz Gül, football player *

Serkan Günes Serkan Günes (Serkan Güneş, born 16 March 1980, in Istanbul, Turkey) is a Swedish– Turkish photographer best known for his landscape photographs of nature. Günes was born in Istanbul, Turkey and later emigrated to Sweden at the age of ...

, photographer *

Leyla Güngör Leyla Güngör (born May 29, 1993) is a Turkish international women's footballer who plays as a defender in the Swedish Damallsvenskan for FC Rosengård. She is a member of the Turkish national team. Early life Leyla Güngör was born on Ma ...

, football player (Turkish father and Swedish mother) * , theater director and translator * , journalist *

Dilan Gwyn Dilan Gwyn (born 4 June 1987) is a Swedish-Kurdish actress who has worked in Sweden, France, England, Canada, and the United States. Her films include '' Where Atilla Passes'' (2015), '' The Convent'' (2018), and '' Sisters in Arms'' (2019). On t ...

, actress *

Dennis Gyllensporre Lieutenant General (Ret.) Tage Dennis Gyllensporre (born Öztürkmen; 14 July 1964) is a Swedish military officer with extensive experience in defense planning, international operations, and strategic leadership. He was commissioned in 1987 and ...

, army officer *

Roza Güclü Hedin Roza Güclü Hedin (born 1982) is a Swedish politician and former member of the Riksdag, the national legislature. A member of the Social Democratic Party, she represented Dalarna County between October 2010 and September 2018, and between Januar ...

, member of the S/SAP (Turkish mother and Kurdish father) * , journalist * Deniz Hümmet, football player * Erkan Inan, basketball player *

Serkan İnan Serkan İnan (born 5 November 1986) is a Swedish-Turkish former professional basketball player who currently plays for the AIK of the Swedish 2nd division North Svealand. He has previously played for multiple teams in the Turkish Basketball Leag ...

, basketball player *

Mehmet Kaplan Mehmet Güner Kaplan (born 18 July 1971) is a Swedish politician of Turkish origin who served as Ministry of Enterprise (Sweden), Minister for Housing and Urban Development from 2014 to 2016. He is a member of the Green Party (Sweden), Swedish Gr ...

, politician * , photographer * , journalist *

İlhan Koman İlhan Koman (June 17, 1921 – December 30, 1986) was a Turkish people, Turkish sculptor. Between 1951 and 1958, he worked at the Istanbul Fine Arts Academy, before moving to Sweden in 1959. His distinct style of mixing science and art in his ...

, sculptor *

Ferhat Korkmaz Ferhat Korkmaz (born 14 September 1981) is a Sweden, Swedish-born Turkey, Turkish Association football, footballer who plays for FC Väsby United, Väsby United as a Defender (association football), defender. References External links

* ...

, football player *

Vendela Kirsebom Vendela Maria Kirsebom (born 12 January 1967) is a Norwegian- Swedish model, television host, and actress. Early life and education Kirsebom was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to a Norwegian mother and a Turkish father. At the age of 13, she was ...

, model and actress (Turkish father and Norwegian mother) *

Edvin Kurtulus Edvin Kurtulus (, ; born 5 March 2000) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or right-back for Ludogorets Razgrad and the Sweden national team. Club career Halmstads BK At the age of five, Kurtulus started to play foot ...

, football player *, one of the founders of the

People's Liberation Party-Front of Turkey People's, branded as ''People's ViennaLine'' until May 2018, and legally ''Altenrhein Luftfahrt GmbH'', is an Austro-Swiss airline headquartered in Vienna, Austria. It operates scheduled and charter passenger flights mainly from its base at St. ...

* Katarina Magnussadotter, (birthname unknown; died-1414) Turkish slave girl who converted to Christianity; she became a nun in

Vadstena Abbey 250px, Aerial view The Abbey Pax Mariae (), more commonly referred to as Vadstena Abbey, is situated on Lake Vättern in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockholm and is a monastery of nuns within the Bridgettine Order. It was active from 134 ...

and was a gift from Queen

Joanna I of Naples Joanna I, also known as Johanna I (; December 1325 – 27 July 1382), was Queen of Naples, and Countess of Provence and Forcalquier from 1343 to 1381; she was also Princess of Achaea from 1373 to 1381. Joanna was the eldest daughter of C ...

* Mehmet Mehmet, football player ( Turkish Bulgarian origin) * Ayda Mosharraf, singer (Turkish mother and Iranian father) * Emin Nouri, football player ( Turkish Bulgarian origin) *

Yksel Osmanovski Yksel Osmanovski ( Turkish: Yüksel Osmanoğlu; born 24 February 1977) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a striker. Starting off his career with Malmö FF in the mid-1990s, he went on to represent Bari, Torino, and Borde ...

(Yüksel Osmanoğlu), football player ( Turkish Macedonian origin) *

Mahmut Özen Mahmut Özen (born 1 September 1988) is a Swedish footballer who plays as a defender for Ettan club Nordic United FC. Career Club career Early career Özen started his professional career in 2008 at the then Division 4 club Stafsinge IF bas ...

, football player * , film director * Haluk Özdalga, turkish politician * , photographer *

Sermin Özürküt Sermin Özürküt (born 19 December 1949) is a Turkish- Swedish political figure who served in Swedish Parliament, the Riksdag, from 2002 to 2006. She is a journalist by profession and competed for her electoral seat in Stockholm County as a mem ...

, politician *

Erdal Rakip Erdal Rakip (; born 13 February 1996) is a professional footballer who plays for Turkish club Antalyaspor as a midfielder. Born in Sweden, he plays for the North Macedonia national team. Club career Malmö FF Rakip made his Allsvenskan debu ...

, football player ( Turkish Macedonian origin) *

Sibel Redzep Sibel is a female Turkish given name that is Turkish spelling of Anatolian mother goddess, Cybele, symbol and protector of abundance. People Given name * Sibel Adalı, Turkish-American computer scientist * Sibel Altınkaya (born 1993), Turkish t ...

(Sibel Recep), popular Swedish singer ( Turkish Macedonian origin) *

Erkan Sağlık Erkan Sağlık (born 19 August 1985) is a Swedish-born Turkish former footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, Ameri ...

, football player *, ice hockey player * Bora Serbülent, singer and founder of ''İsveç Türk Radyosu'' (

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) * , TV personality *

Meral Tasbas Meral Izabelle Tasbas (born 4 April 1979) is a Swedish television personality, singer, actress and television host. Tasbas is known for appearing as a contestant on all five seasons of the reality show '' The Bar'' between 2000 and 2004 on TV3 ...

, television personality, singer and actress *

Demir Turgut Demir Turgut (born 30 May 1909, date of death unknown) was a Turkish sailor. He competed in the O-Jolle event at the 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Be ...

, Olympic sailor *

İsak Vural İsak Vural (born 28 May 2006) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Italian club Pisa. Born in Sweden, he represents Turkey at youth international level. Club career Early career Born in Stockholm, Sweden, to a Tur ...

, football player *

Pınar Yalçın Pınar Yalçın (born 7 November 1988) is a Turks in Sweden, Turkish-Swedish women's soccer, women's football Forward (association football), forward who played in the Swedish Women's Football Division 2 between 2013 and 2017. She also played fo ...

, football player * Richard Yarsuvat, football player (Turkish father and Kosovan-Albanian mother) *

Anthony Yigit Anthony Yigit (born 1 September 1991) is a Swedish professional boxer who challenged for the IBF light welterweight title in 2018. As an amateur, following his success in 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships, Yigit qualified for the 2012 Su ...

, boxer at the 2012 Summer Olympics *

, politician and founder of the Partiet Nyans (Nuance Party) *

Erkan Zengin Erkan Zengin (born 5 August 1985) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a winger for IFK Haninge. A full international between 2013 and 2016, he won 21 caps for the Sweden national team and represented his country at UEFA Euro 201 ...

, football player

Notes

Bibliography

*. (Turkic Swedish: İ'svoç Túrkhlärih)

External links

İsveç Türk İşçileri Dernekleri FederasyonuBråda dagar inför det turkiska premiärministerbesöket
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turks In Sweden

Middle Eastern diaspora in Sweden Muslim communities in Europe Ethnic groups in Sweden Islam in Sweden

History

Charles XII creditors

Modern migration wave

Turkish organizations

Mosques controlled by Diyanet

Football clubs

Political parties

Politics and elections

Notable Swedish Turks

See also

Notes

Bibliography

Further reading

External links