Turkish-Dutch

Infobox Ethnic group
group = Turkish Dutch


caption = Notable Turkish Dutch people: Nebahat Albayrak
poptime = Est. 360,000
popplace = Amsterdam·Rotterdam·The Hague·Utrecht
langs = Dutch, Turkish
rels = Sunni Islam, Alevism

The Turkish-Dutch ( _nl. Turkse Nederlander) are citizens of the Netherlands of Turkish ancestry, numbering 357,900 people in 2006 according to the Dutch Census Bureau and hence making up 2.2% of the total population. The majority of Dutch Turks live in the four major cities in the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht). The first Turks arrived in the 1960s and 1970s as workers to fill up the labor shortage which was present during that time in the Netherlands as well as in other Western European countries. The majority of Dutch Turks adheres to Sunni Islam, although there is also a considerable Alevi fragment.

It should be noted that the Dutch Census Bureau uses a disputed way of counting Turks in the Netherlands, counting people as Turks when they have the Turkish nationality (or descent from a parent or parents who have the Turkish nationality). However this also means that Kurds and other minority groups (like Turkish Arabs, Assyrians, Armenians, Laz, Turkmens (which are also considered turk ) and others) within Turkey are counted as Turks by the Dutch Census.

Emigration history

The first Dutch Turks were recorded by the Dutch Census in 1960, some 100 individuals. This number steadily increased to 4,300 in 1964. Most of the Turkish emigrants were so-called guest workers ("gastarbeiders"). In 1964, due to a severe labor shortage, the Dutch government formally invited Turkish men and women to come and work in the Netherlands. This lasted until 1974, when the government stopped giving emigration permits to guest workers. However, emigration from Turkey didn't stop due to the possibility of family reunification and marriage.

Emigration changed during the 1980s, when a large number of refugees entered the country, fleeing political and ethnic persecution.

Most of the guest workers ended up in those places where there was a labor shortage, mostly in low educated jobs. This led to big Turkish communities in the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht, and several smaller towns in Twente and the province of Noord-Brabant.

Religion

Some 96% of Dutch Turks identify themselves as Muslim. A majority adheres to Sunni Islam, with a big minority (15-35%) being Alevi. A very small group (some 1%) identify themselves as Christian, mainly Turkish Armenians and others adhering to Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox and Nestorian Christianity.

Politics

Dutch Turks have a strong leaning towards the Dutch leftish parties (PvdA, SP, GreenLeft), with 84% voting for the PvdA during the 2006 municipal elections. [ [http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/890 Muslim Vote Tips the Balance in Netherlands] - The Brussels Journal, "Accessed 8th March 2007" ]

Literature

A number of Turkish-Dutch writers have come to prominence. Halil Gür was one of the earliest, writing short stories about Turkish immigrants. Sadik Yemni is well known for his Turkish-Dutch detective stories. Sevtap Baycili is a more intellectual novelist, who is not limited to migrant themes.

References

External links

* [http://www.afsm.nl/4903321/data/turks001.htm Turks in the Netherlands] nl

See also

* Turkish diaspora