The
Turkish immigrant group is the largest Muslim community that has settled in
Europe from the beginning of the 20th century. More than 5 million Turkish
immigrants are disproportionately scattered throughout the European countries.
More than 3 million Turks settled down in Western Europe, of whom 2.3 million
live in Germany, 380,000 in Holland and France, 210,000 in Britain, and 100,000
in Belgium. Two million live in Eastern Europe: 1.5 million in Bulgaria, and the
remaining in Romania, Hungary, Austria, and Greece. This huge number of Turkish
immigrants has necessarily greatly influenced the structure of Western and
Eastern Europe and has become one of the pressure elements used by the Turkish
government to join the European Union. The Turks have settled in Europe and have
formed their own special society within the Western societies, a feature which
distinguishes them from the other immigrant communities.
Sufism:
The Turkish Stronghold
Sufism,
which was sponsored by the Ottoman Empire during its last days, was the most
important factor safeguarding Islam in Turkey. The Turks managed to counteract
Ataturk's extreme secularity by the self-seclusion of the Sufi orders, which
kept themselves away from politics so as to neutralize part of the anti-Islamic
policy practiced by the secular Ataturk regime. That same Sufism, which shielded
Turkey for almost a century, in the present time safeguards the immigrant Turks
from melting away into the host societies. The immigrant Turks accordingly are
distributed among the various Sufi sects.
The
Suleymanis—attributed to Suleyman Helmi Tunakhan (1888–1959), who was one of
the Ottoman scholars whose methodology stressed the building of strongholds of
knowledge—follow the path of their master in building schools and educational
and cultural centers, most of which include student housing.
The
Naqshabbandya Order is named after its founder, Sheikh Muhammad ibn Baha'uddin
ibn Lutfullah (died 1545), who used to work as a chiseler (naqqash);
hence the name of the order, which became very famous across many different
countries. Their reform methodology, which stresses the protection of their
religiosity, focuses on education and engagement in politics. Their name changes
according to place, time, and interest. They practice their activities in the
West under the name "Milli Gurus," attract many intellectuals, and
mostly work with a great number of Turkish youth organizations active in the
West. They also manage the affairs of many mosques. Not long ago they still
received instructions from the Turkish Rufah party but now, as all the Turks,
they are divided between the Arbacanians and the Erdoganians.
The
Nurasi Order was established by Badee'uzaman Al-Nurasi (1876–1960), whose
followers regard him as the reformer of his age and a scholar who developed a
new methodology in reading Sufism, known as “the transition from theory to
truth.” The Nurasi Sufis in the West are preoccupied by culture and the
establishment of educational and cultural projects away from politics.
Al-Dyyiant,
though not a typical Sufi order, tried to combine Turkish secularism and a
religious foundation into one whole. This movement was chiefly established for
helping the state monopolize religion but could never do so in the places Turks
migrated to, where the Turkish community enjoys more freedom of choice.
Other
Sufi orders, like Muluwees, Al-Qadyyria, etc., do not have large numbers of
immigrant followers. Almost all Turks, especially the older generations, follow
one of the above-mentioned orders. However, a new composition of the immigrant
community includes in its fabric new generations of Turkish youth influenced by
both Western and Eastern ideas. Their influence and number remain insignificant.
The majority of Turkish immigrant organizations and their unions are located in
Germany.
Easterners
or Westerners?
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Turkish
merchants are always keen on displaying Turkish goods.
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The
Turks in the East outside of Turkey are very few and consist of those who
remained there after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire: those who escaped the
persecution of Turkish secularism and students who wanted to fill the gap that
the secularist deracination of religion created. On the contrary, the high ratio
of Turkish immigrants to Europe, in comparison to their meager presence in the
Arab countries, is deemed justified by observers. The Europe-oriented and
anti-Eastern secularism of Ataturk contributed for about a century to the
diminution of Turkish immigration to the East. Moreover, the political and
cultural rupture with the Arab countries following the downfall of the Ottoman
Caliphate; the Turkish feeling that they were leaders not peers to the Arabs;
and the fact that the European West attracted more workers during a Turkish
economic depression, also contributed to the Westward, not Eastward, migration.
The
Turkish Identity
The
Turks are one of those peoples who always adhere to their national identity and
leave impressions on native residents wherever they settle. A visitor to a
Turkish mosque in Europe is always captivated by its eye-catching embellishments
and its many towering minarets. Once you step in the outer fences of a mosque
you notice its distinctive Turkish dimension: The imam with his all-Turkish
turban leads the congregation, who all perform the same rituals in the same
manner so you hardly notice any difference. Supererogatory prayers always
precede the obligatory ones. The mosque's structure, in addition to the private
oratory for women, encompasses a special hall for kids in which they are taught
the proper recitation of the Holy Qur'an as well as the Turkish and Arabic
languages. The mosque also comprises a café, a barbershop, food shops, a
library, and a lodge for wayfarers. Furthermore, many mosques have recently been
equipped with modern means of communication like the Internet and
telecommunication lines.
Turks,
and especially women, tend to stick to their distinctive outer appearance. You
can always recognize a Turkish woman from the way she ties her hijab. When
exploring Turkish shops, one will notice at first sight how the Turkish buyers
only deal with Turkish salespeople, despite the high prices. In return, the
merchants are always keen on displaying Turkish goods. The shops have names like
Istanbul, Ankara, Amra, Mulana, Turkeya, and display the same quantity and types
of goods supplied in Turkey.
Turkish
Media in Turkish Homes
No
immigrant Turkish home lacks satellite dishes configured to receive homeland
Turkish channels. The satellite Channel 7, TRTint Channel, which addresses the
Turkish community abroad, and Channel 5, which favors the Turkish Sa'ada Party,
attract the majority of immigrant Turkish viewers because they telecast
discussions (iskelesenjak) on the various home and immigrant Turkish
issues. These channels also transmit music and Sufi Mawaweel (songs in
praise of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah's peace and blessing be upon him), in
addition to educational and historical serials.
It
is noteworthy that even the official Turkish audience-oriented channels from the
homeland have changed the types of programs they broadcast so as to attract more
viewers and to cope with the new policy of the Erdogan government. The TV
channels also enliven the annual religious and national occasions such as the
holy month of Ramadan, `Eids, and the Prophet’s birthday, a practice which
fills in the emptiness the Turkish immigrant communities feel due to their being
away from home and from the Turkish culture. Beside TV channels, Turkish daily
papers are delivered to most immigrant Turkish doorsteps whether for free or on
subscription. Most of these papers are distributed all over Europe: the Zaman
paper, funded by the Fat'hullah Ghullan’s Al-Nurasi group, the Turkiye
paper, funded by a wealthy Turkish businessman, and the government-funded Horriyat
paper. Other periodicals include European-language magazines and papers
specialized in Turkish affairs and the Turkish immigrant community, which
attract only a small number of Turkish readers.
Charities
and the Preoccupation With Critical National Issues
Charitable
works are always observed by the Turks wherever they settle. These works
manifest themselves markedly in the relief organizations that extraordinarily
helped the homeland natives overcome the economic and natural disasters Turkey
has suffered during this last decade. Aid convoys and social assistance were
directly or indirectly sent to Turkey during the earthquake period. The Turkish
assemblage under the Union of Turkish Investors and the Turkish Workers' Union
has significantly helped collect donations for the building of schools and roads
in Turkish villages and countryside. In Europe, Turks also own thousands of
mosques which have all been built with the donations of the Turkish immigrant
community. Turks are also noted for seizing the opportunity to buy churches on
sale and then transforming them into mosques.
The
Turks scattered all over Europe have never overlooked the tragic events
happening in the Muslim world. The Turks are considered one of the most generous
donators for the relief of their brothers in Palestine, which they consider a
sensitive issue and which stirs their sympathy. Their charity makes them feel
they belong to the Muslim Ummah.
