Turks in Belgium ( tr, ), also referred to as Turkish Belgians or Belgian Turks ( tr, ), are people of full or partial Turkish ethnicity living in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

. The majority of Belgian Turks descend from the

Republic of Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

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

(especially 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 wi ...

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 international recognition of Kosovo, partiall ...

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 Socialist Feder ...

and

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

), 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 ...

, 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 Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

History

Turkish migration from the Republic of Turkey

Turkish migration from the

began in the 1960s when Belgium was actively encouraging immigration to meet its employment needs in an era of rapid economic expansion. These immigrants were welcomed as " guest workers" when Belgium and Turkey signed a bilateral agreement in July 1964. As mainly unskilled labourers, Turkish immigrants hoped to make a fortune in a short time and then return to their homeland. The majority of Turkish migrants arrived from central Anatolian provinces of

Afyon Afyonkarahisar (, tr, afyon "poppy, opium", ''kara'' "black", ''hisar'' "fortress") is a city in western Turkey, the capital of Afyon Province. Afyon is in the mountainous countryside inland from the Aegean coast, south-west of Ankara along t ...

(particularly from Emirdağ), Eskisehir,

Kayseri Kayseri (; el, Καισάρεια) is a large industrialised city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri province. The Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality area is composed of five districts: the two central districts of Kocasina ...

Konya Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it D ...

(particularly from Piribeyli) and

Sivas Sivas (Latin and Greek: ''Sebastia'', ''Sebastea'', Σεβάστεια, Σεβαστή, ) is a city in central Turkey and the seat of Sivas Province. The city, which lies at an elevation of in the broad valley of the Kızılırmak river, is ...

.. Many settled in the industrialised areas of Belgium; thereafter, these migrants brought their families over when Belgium attempted to resolve the growing problem of low population by encouraging family reunification.. By the 1970s the phenomenon of immigrants arriving in Belgium with a

tourist visa A visa (from the Latin ''charta visa'', meaning "paper that has been seen") is a conditional authorization granted by a polity to a foreigner that allows them to enter, remain within, or leave its territory. Visas typically include limits on t ...

started; most came from

, especially from the town of Emirdağ.. Upon arrival they looked for work and tried to legalise their status as labourers. The presence of these tourists created a

black market A black market, underground economy, or shadow economy is a clandestine market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality or is characterized by noncompliance with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the ...

labour force so that on two occasions the government had to legalise their status. Once they obtained the status of "guest workers" they could bring in their family.. By the 1980s, immigration to Belgium for economic reasons was forbidden by law. The only legal way to take up residence in Belgium was by

family reunification Family reunification is a recognized reason for immigration in many countries because of the presence of one or more family members in a certain country, therefore, enables the rest of the divided family or only specific members of the family to e ...

, which was only applicable to members of the

nuclear family A nuclear family, elementary family, cereal-packet family or conjugal family is a family group consisting of parents and their children (one or more), typically living in one home residence. It is in contrast to a single-parent family, the larg ...

of guest workers or by marrying someone who was a Belgian citizen. Another possible motive for coming to Belgium was to apply for the status of

asylum-seeker An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and m ...

upon arrival. Turkish asylum seekers came from all over Turkey, with some belonging to minority groups. Mainland Turks have continued to migrate to Belgium in the twenty-first century in the hope of building a better future; many lured by social and economic security.

Turkish migration from the Balkans

Bulgaria

Initially, Turkish Bulgarians first arrived in Belgium as refugees in the 1980s due to the

Bulgarisation Bulgarisation ( bg, българизация), also known as Bulgarianisation ( bg, побългаряване) is the spread of Bulgarian culture beyond the Bulgarian ethnic space. History A number of government policies are considered to be exa ...

policies of the so-called " Revival Process" under the communist ruler

Todor Zivkov Todor ( Bulgarian, and sr, Тодор/Todor) is a Bulgarian, Macedonian and Serbian given name, a local rendering of the name Theodore. The Hungarian form of the name is rendered similarly as ''Tódor''. It is the most common name in Bulgarian vil ...

which sought to forcefully assimilate the Turkish minority. The next wave of Turkish Bulgarian migrants in the 1990s and early 2000s were mostly undocumented migrants. These early Turkish Bulgarian arrivals found work in areas where there was an established mainland Turkish community, especially in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...

, but also in Melle, Zele and

Hamme Hamme () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Hamme proper, Kastel Moerzeke, and . In 2018, Hamme had a total population of 24,827. The total area is 40.21 km². The cu ...

. More recently, after Bulgaria became a member of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

during the 2007 enlargement, the number of Turkish Bulgarian migrants to Belgium increased significantly due to their freedom of movement rights as EU citizens. Thus, Turkish Bulgarian emigration to Belgium in the twenty-first century has been dictated by the economic situation and the stagnation of the labour market in Bulgaria. As a result of the continuous Turkish Bulgarian migration, the majority of Bulgarian citizens living in Belgium are ethnically Turkish; moreover, Turkish Bulgarian children who were either born in Belgium, or who arrived at preschool age, hardly understand the

Bulgarian language Bulgarian (, ; bg, label=none, български, bălgarski, ) is an Eastern South Slavic language spoken in Southeastern Europe, primarily in Bulgaria. It is the language of the Bulgarians. Along with the closely related Macedonian l ...

. Most Turkish Bulgarians tend to live in areas where there is a large mainland Turkish population, such as

Genk Genk () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the town of Genk itself. It is one of the most important industrial towns in Flanders, located on the Albert Canal, ...

. Thus, "Genk Bulgarians" are mostly of Turkish origin; in 2013, estimates on the population in Genk alone ranged between 10,000 and 20,000.

Greece

There have been two main waves of migration from the Turkish minority of Western Thrace (located in

) to Western Europe, including to Belgium. The first wave of Turkish Western Thracian migration started in the 1960s and intensified further between 1970-2010 due to political and economic reasons. Although many Western Thrace Turks living in Western Europe intended to return to Greece after working for a number of years, the Greek government used Article 19 of the 1955

Greek Constitution The Constitution of Greece ( el, Σύνταγμα της Ελλάδας, Syntagma tis Elladas) was created by the Fifth Revisionary Parliament of the Hellenes in 1974, after the fall of the Greek military junta and the start of the Third Hellen ...

to strip members of the Turkish minority living abroad of their

Greek citizenship Nationality law of Greece is based on the principle of '' jus sanguinis''. Greek citizenship may be acquired by descent or through naturalization. Greek law permits dual citizenship. A Greek national is a citizen of the European Union, and ...

. According to Article 19 of the Greek Constitution: A report published by the

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human ...

in 1990 confirmed that: Thus, many Western Thrace Turks were forced to remain in the countries they had settled in, which, in turn, also established the permanent Turkish Western Thracian community in Belgium. More recently, the second mass migration wave of ethnic Turks from Greece has been significantly larger in numbers, although it occurred only within eight years, between 2010-18, due to the

Greek government-debt crisis Greece faced a sovereign debt crisis in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2007–2008. Widely known in the country as The Crisis ( Greek: Η Κρίση), it reached the populace as a series of sudden reforms and austerity measures that ...

Kosovo

Migration from the Turkish Kosovar community to Belgium began when many were forced to flee the

Kosovo War The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the war ...

(1998-99). Alongside the Turkish Macedonians in Belgium, they are active in the ''Belçika Rumeli Türkleri Derneği'' ("Belgian Rumelian Turkish Association").

North Macedonia

The Turkish Macedonian minority have joined other

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Ma ...

citizens in migrating to Belgium. Together with the Turkish Kosovars in Belgium, the Turkish Macedonians are active in the ''Belçika Rumeli Türkleri Derneği'' ("Belgian Rumelian Turkish Association").

Romania

Since the first decade of the twenty-first century, there has been a significant decrease in the population of the Turkish Romanian minority group due to the admission of

into the

in 2007 and the subsequent relaxation of the travelling and migration regulations. Hence, Turkish Romanians, especially from the

Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; bg, Добруджа, Dobrudzha or ''Dobrudža''; ro, Dobrogea, or ; tr, Dobruca) is a historical region in the Balkans that has been divided since the 19th century between the territories of Bulgaria and Romania. I ...

region, have joined other Romanian citizens in migrating mostly to Western European countries, including Belgium.

Turkish migration from the Levant

Cyprus

Most Turkish Cypriot migrants left the island of

due to economic and political reasons in the 20th century, especially after the

Cyprus crisis of 1963–64 Several distinct periods of Cypriot intercommunal violence involving the two main ethnic communities, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, marked mid-20th century Cyprus. These included the Cyprus Emergency of 1955–59 during British rule, the ...

and then the

1974 Cypriot coup d'état The 1974 Cypriot coup d'état was a military coup d'état sponsored by the Greek Army in Cyprus, the Cypriot National Guard and the Greek military junta. On 15 July 1974 the coup plotters removed the sitting President of Cyprus, Archbishop Maka ...

carried out by the

Greek military junta The Greek junta or Regime of the Colonels, . Also known within Greece as just the Junta ( el, η Χούντα, i Choúnta, links=no, ), the Dictatorship ( el, η Δικτατορία, i Diktatoría, links=no, ) or the Seven Years ( el, η Ε ...

which was followed by the reactionary Turkish invasion of the island. More recently, with the

2004 enlargement of the European Union The largest expansion of the European Union (EU), in terms of territory, number of states, and population took place on 1 May 2004. The simultaneous accessions concerned the following countries (sometimes referred to as the "A10" countries): ...

, Turkish Cypriots have had the

right Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical ...

to live and work across the

, including in Belgium, as EU citizens. In 2012, hundreds of Turkish Cypriots gathered in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

to draw attention to the EU's failure to keep the promises made to

Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus ( tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs), officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC; tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti, ''KKTC''), is a '' de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. Rec ...

after having voted in favour of reunification during the 2004 Annan Plan referendum. The

TRNC Northern Cyprus ( tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs), officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC; tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti, ''KKTC''), is a '' de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. Rec ...

provides assistance to its Turkish Cypriot residents living in Belgium via the TRNC Brussels Representative Office located in

Avenue Louise The () or (Dutch) is a major thoroughfare in Brussels, Belgium. It is located in the southern part of the City of Brussels, on the border with the municipality of Ixelles, where it runs south–east from the to the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kam ...

; in addition,

the office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original ser ...

promotes friendly relations between the TRNC and Belgium, as well as economic and cultural relations.

Iraq

Turkish Iraqis have settled in Belgium due to various conflicts in

, including the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Counci ...

(1980-88), the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

(1991), and the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

(2003-11). The majority of Iraqi Turks have arrived in Belgium during the

European migrant crisis The 2015 European migrant crisis, also known internationally as the Syrian refugee crisis, was a period of significantly increased movement of refugees and migrants into Europe in 2015, when 1.3 million people came to the continent to reques ...

(2014-19) alongside other Iraqi refugees.

Syria

Due to the Syrian civil war, many

Syrian Turks Syrian Turkmen, also referred to as Syrian Turkomans, Turkish Syrians, or simply Syrian Turks or Turks of Syria, ( ar, تركمان سوريا; tr, Suriye Türkmenleri or ) are Syrian citizens of Turkish origin who mainly trace their roots to ...

have sought refuge in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

and

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

. In particular, it was during the

(2014-19) that Syrian citizens came to Belgium in larger numbers.

Turkish migration from the modern diaspora

In addition to ethnic Turkish people that have migrated to Belgium from post-Ottoman modern nation-states, there has also been an increasing migration wave from the modern

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 ...

. For example, members of the Turkish Dutch community have also arrived in Belgium as Dutch citizens. According to a study by Petra Wieke de Jong, focusing on second-generation Turkish-Dutch people specifically born between the years 1983 and 1992 only, 1,208 people from this age group and generation reported Belgium as their country of emigration in 2001 to 2017. A further 1,761 people in this group did not report their emigration destination.

Demographics

Around half of Turkish Belgians live in the

Flemish region The Flemish Region ( nl, Vlaams Gewest, ),; german: Flämische Region usually simply referred to as Flanders ( nl, link=no, Vlaanderen ) ; german: link=no, Flandern is one of the three regions of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and ...

, one-quarter in

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—al ...

, and one-quarter in

. Turks from the same region in Turkey tend to congregate not only in the same cities but also in the same quarters. The majority of Turks live in the

Schaerbeek (French and archaic Dutch, ) or (contemporary Dutch, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-eastern part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Etterbeek, Evere and S ...

commune. The Chaussee De Haecht street is heavily populated with Turkish immigrants, with its pizzerias, pastry shops, cafes, and barbers, is reminiscent of a Turkish street.

Population

Official Belgian data only collects statistics on foreign citizens rather than the ethnic affiliation of Belgian citizens. Consequently, the Turkish Belgian community cannot self-declare their ethnicity in censuses. The majority of Turkish Belgians are mainland Turks and their Belgian-born descendants, however, there are growing Turkish communities from the Balkans (e.g.

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

Bulgarian Turks Bulgarian Turks ( bg, български турци, bŭlgarski turtsi, tr, Bulgaristan Türkleri) are a Turkish ethnic group from Bulgaria. According to the 2021 census, there were 508,375 Bulgarians of Turkish descent, roughly 8.4% of t ...

Macedonian Turks Turks in North Macedonia, also known as Turkish Macedonians and Macedonian Turks, ( mk, Македонски Турци, tr, Makedonya Türkleri) are the ethnic Turks who constitute the third largest ethnic group in the Republic of North Macedon ...

Romanian Turks The Turks of Romania ( tr, Romanya Türkleri, ro, Turcii din România) are ethnic Turks who form an ethnic minority in Romania. According to the 2011 census, there were 27,698 Turks living in the country, forming a minority of some 0.15% of ...

Western Thrace Turks Turks of Western Thrace ( tr, , el, Τούρκοι της Δυτικής Θράκης, Toúrkoi tis Dytikís Thrákis) are ethnic Turks who live in Western Thrace, in the province of East Macedonia and Thrace in Northern Greece. According ...

etc.) and the Levant (e.g.

Cypriot Turks Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( tr, Kıbrıs Türkleri or ''Kıbrıslı Türkler''; el, Τουρκοκύπριοι, Tourkokýprioi) are ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,00 ...

, Iraqi Turks and

) who are registered according to their citizenship (i.e. "Belgian", "Bulgarian", "Cypriot", "Greek", "Iraqi", "Syrian" etc.) rather than their Turkish ethnicity. In 2012 Professor Raymond Taras said that the population of Turkish Belgians totalled over 200,000. In 2021 Thierry Debels pointed out that various sources stated that there was already 500,000 Turks in Belgium since the early 1990s, including Turkish-Belgian descendants.

Religion

The majority of Turks are Sunni

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

Several Turkish Sunni groupings are active in Belgium, most notably Milli Görüş (''Fédération islamique belge''), the Süleymancis (''Union des Centres culturels islamiques de Belgique'') and the Nurcus . As in other countries, there is also an official Sunni Diyanet (''Fondation religieuse islamique turque de Belgique''), which controls most mosques and a majority of the affiliations to the repatriation funerary insurance. Another Turkish Muslim community present in Belgium is the

Alevi Alevism or Anatolian Alevism (; tr, Alevilik, ''Anadolu Aleviliği'' or ''Kızılbaşlık''; ; az, Ələvilik) is a local Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Alevi Islamic ( ''bāṭenī'') teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, w ...

one, with several associations in Brussels, the ''Centre culturel turc pour le respect de la personne humaine - Erenler'' (Turkish cultural centre for the respect of the human being - Erenler), officially registered in 1994, founded by Alevis from the village of Karacalar, near Emirdag, led by their traditional spirituel leader (''dede'') from the Şahbaz family, and the more progressive ''Centre socioculturel alévi de Bruxelles'', officially registered in 2003 by 14 founding members, 4 of whom were born in Elbistan, 3 in Belgium, 2 in Gücük (near Elbistan), the rest in

Adıyaman Adıyaman ( ku, Semsûr) is a city and district in southeastern Turkey, and the capital of the Adıyaman Province. The inhabitants of the city are mostly Kurdish. Etymology An unverified theory is that the former name of the city ''Hisn-Mansur'' ...

, Inis,

Tunceli Tunceli ( ku, Dêrsim) is a city and municipality in eastern Turkey. It is the capital of Tunceli Province, located in the middle of the Eastern Anatolia Region. The city has a Kurdish-majority population and was a site of the Dersim rebellion. ...

, Soğucak and ),

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

(''Centre culturel alévi de Charleroi'', officially registered in 1999 by 9 founding members, 6 of whom had the dual Turkish-Belgian citizenship),

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

(''Alevietische Kultureel Centrum Antwerpen''),

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far fro ...

(from 2002 till 2004 ''Liège Alevi Kültür Derneği - Association culturelle Alévi de Liège'', since 2005 ''Foyer culturel alévi de Liège'') and the Limburg province (''Samenwerking Limburgse Alevieten'', officially registered in 1990). There is also a Federation of the Belgian Alevi Associations, ''Belçika Alevi Birlikleri Federasyonu'', since 2008 ''Fédération unions des Alévis en Belgique - Belçika Alevi Birlikleri Federasyonu'' (FUAB-BABF), created in 2003, based in Antwerp, then in Brussels in 2006, and grouping the ''Alevietische Kultureel Centrum Antwerpen'', the ''Centre culturel alévi de Charleroi'' and the ''Samenwerking Limburgse Alevieten''. File:Marchienne-au-Pont - mosquée Diyanet Alaaddin - 01.jpg, Alaaddin Mosque in

Marchienne-au-Pont Marchienne-au-Pont ( wa, Mårciene) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Charleroi, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It was a commune in its own right before the merger of communes in 1977, when it had a popul ...

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

. File:Charleroi - Mosquée Diyanet et centre culturel et sportif - 01.jpg, Diyanet Mosque in Rue Pige-au-Croly,

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

. File:Cheratte-Mosk.jpg, Mimar Sinan Mosque in

Visé Visé (; nl, Wezet, ; wa, Vizé) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, located on the river Meuse in the province of Liège, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Argenteau, Cheratte, Lanaye, Lixhe, Richelle ...

. File:Molla Güranimoskee Lier voorzijde.jpg, Molla Gürani Mosque in Lier. File:Yunus Emre Mosque, Genk.jpg, Yunus Emre Mosque in

. File:Zolder Lindeman Turkse Moskee.jpg, Selimiye Mosque in Heusden-Zolder.

Organisations and associations

There are dozens of Turkish associations in Belgium, most are grouped into federations, either linked to the Turkish government ( Diyanet) and embassy or to various Turkish religious and political movements, Milli Görüş (''Fédération islamique belge''), the Nurcus, the Süleymancis (''Union des Centres islamiques de Belgique''), the Grey Wolves (''Belçika Ülkücü Türk Dernekleri Federasyon/Belçika Türk Federasyonu'') etc. Apart from these, there are also civil society associations of fellow countryman such as ''BTDB (Federation of Turkish Associations in Belgium), Belgium Piribeyli Culture & Solidarity Association, Emirdag People Solidarity Association (EYAD), BETİAD (Belgian Turkish Businessmen Association)'' and charity organizations.

Political participation

At the federal level, several deputies and senators have been elected or coopted to the

Belgian Chamber of Representatives The Chamber of Representatives (Dutch: , french: link=no, Chambre des représentants, german: link=no, Abgeordnetenkammer) is one of the two chambers in the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Senate. It is considered ...

and

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. Among them, the Flemish Socialists

Cemal Çavdarlı Cemal Çavdarlı (born 15 March 1966) is a binational Turkish-Belgian politician, formerly active in the Socialist Party – Differently (SP.A), since May 2010 in the Lijst Dedecker (LDD), a conservative liberal party and since April 2011 in the ...

(deputy in 2003-2007) and (senator in 2001-2007, and again in 2009-2010), the Flemish Ecologists Meryem Kaçar (senator in 1999-2003) and Meyrem Almacı (deputy since 2007, reelected in 2010), the Flemish Christian Democrat (deputy in 2007-2010); Antwerp district mayor since January 2013) and French-speaking Socialist (deputy since June 2010). There are also Turkish-Belgian members of the regional parliaments, one of them, Emir Kir ( French-speaking Socialist Party), became an underminister in the Brussels regional government in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

, and again in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...

, as Secretary for Public Sanitation and Monument Conservation.

Music

Turks have also contributed to music in Belgium, recently

Hadise Hadise Açıkgöz (born 22 October 1985). hadisemusic.com is a Belgian-Turkish singer-songwriter, dancer, and television personality. Born and raised in Belgium, her family is of Lezgin- Kumyk origin who settled in Sivas, Turkey. In 2003, she ...

daughter of a family from

was in the pop music world in Belgium. Hadise made a name for herself in 2003 in the “Idool” song contest sponsored by VTM, the largest Belgian broadcaster. Her songs “

Stir Me Up "Stir Me Up" is an English R&B song by Belgian- Turkish singer Hadise from her debut album ''Sweat Perspiration, also known as sweating, is the production of fluids secreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Two types of sweat gl ...

” and her album “

Milk Chocolate Girl "Milk Chocolate Girl" is an English R&B song by Belgian- Turkish singer Hadise. It is the third single from her debut album ''Sweat Perspiration, also known as sweating, is the production of fluids secreted by the sweat glands in the skin ...

” were on top of the charts for a long time.

Notable people

File:Meyrem-almaci-1349265092.jpg,

Meyrem Almaci Meyrem Almaci (Sint-Niklaas, 25 February 1976) is a Belgian politician from Flanders and member of the ecological party Groen. On 10 June 2007, she was elected to the Belgian Chamber of Representatives for the first time. She was re-elected in 20 ...

, Party President of

Groen Groen or de Groen is a surname of Dutch origin, meaning ''green''.

File:Hadise 2006.jpg, Hadise Açıkgöz, singer File:Sinan Bolat'14 GS.JPG,

Sinan Bolat Sinan Bolat (born 3 September 1988) is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Belgian club Westerlo. He has played for Turkey both at youth level and senior level. Club career Early years Bolat began his professional ca ...

, football player File:Murat-direkci.jpg, Murat Direkçi, kickboxer File:Nawal Ben Hamou.jpg, , politician File:Adnan Januzaj (cropped).JPG,

Adnan Januzaj Adnan Januzaj (born 5 February 1995) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Spanish club Sevilla and the Belgium national team. Born and raised in Brussels, he began his career with Anderlecht before joining Manchester ...

, football player File:Fundakilic.jpg, Funda Kılıç, singer File:Emir kir.jpg, , Mayor of

Saint-Josse-ten-Noode Saint-Josse-ten-Noode () or Sint-Joost-ten-Node (), often simply called Saint-Josse or Sint-Joost, is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-eastern part of the region, it is bordered by the Ci ...

File:Ramazan Kubat.jpg, Kubat, singer File:Özlem Özen, jeune femme politique.jpg, , politician File:Faroek Özgünes.JPG, , TV presenter and journalist File:Emin Özkara.png, , politician File:Austria U21 vs. Turkey U21 20131114 (072).jpg,

Alpaslan Öztürk Alpaslan Öztürk (born 16 July 1993) is a Belgian-born Turkish professional footballer who plays as a right-back and midfielder for Eyüpspor and the Turkey national team. Öztürk began his club career with Beerschot before joining English ...

, football player File:Zeynep Sever.jpg, Zeynep Sever,

Miss Belgium Miss Belgium is a national beauty pageant in Belgium. The winner of Miss Belgium automatically represents her country at the Miss World and Miss Universe pageants if the dates do not overlap. Rules *Belgian nationality *to be never married and ...

2009 File:Önder Turacı.jpg, Önder Turacı, footballer File:Güler Turan als schepen in actie.jpg, , politician and lawyer File:Tuğba Yurt Jolly Joker konseri.JPG, Tuğba Yurt, singer File:Veli Yüksel.jpg, , politician and author

References

Bibliography

* *. *. * * * *. * * * * *. *. *. *. *. *. *. * * * *

External links

Info-Türk
(Turkish Progressive news agency based in Brussels) {{Portal bar, Belgium, Turkey

Middle Eastern diaspora in Belgium Ethnic groups in Belgium *

History

Turkish migration from the Republic of Turkey

Turkish migration from the Balkans

Bulgaria

Greece

Kosovo

North Macedonia

Romania

Turkish migration from the Levant

Cyprus

Iraq

Syria

Turkish migration from the modern diaspora

Demographics

Population

Religion

Organisations and associations

Political participation

Music

Notable people

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links