Xenophobia and discrimination in Turkey

‘Long Live Racist Turkey’ spray-painted by unidentified people on the walls of an Armenian church in Istanbul[1]

In Turkey, xenophobia and discrimination are present in its society and throughout its history, including ethnic discrimination, religious discrimination and institutional racism against non-Muslim and non-Sunni minorities.[9] This appears mainly in the form of negative attitudes and actions by some people towards people who are not considered ethnically Turkish, notably Kurds, Armenians, Arabs, Assyrians, Greeks, Jews,[10] and peripatetic groups like Romani people,[11] Domari, Abdals[12] and Lom.[13]

In recent years, racism in Turkey has increased towards other Middle Eastern nationals such as Syrian refugees, Afghan, Pakistani, and African migrants.[14][15][16][17][18][19]

There is also reported rising resentment towards the influx of Russians, Ukrainians and maybe Belarusians in the country as a result of the Ukrainian war from Turks whom claim it is creating a housing crisis for locals.[20][21][22][23]

  1. ^ "Khojali: A Pretext to Incite Ethnic Hatred". Armenian Weekly. 22 February 2015.
  2. ^ Xypolia, Ilia (18 February 2016). "Racist Aspects of Modern Turkish Nationalism". Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies. 18 (2): 111–124. doi:10.1080/19448953.2016.1141580. hdl:2164/9172. ISSN 1944-8953. S2CID 147685130.
  3. ^ Björgo, Tore; Witte, Rob, eds. (1993). Racist violence in Europe. Basingstoke [etc.]: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9780312124090.
  4. ^ Arat, Zehra F. Kabasakal, ed. (2007). Human rights in Turkey. Foreword by Richard Falk. Philadelphia, Pa.: Univ. of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 9780812240009.
  5. ^ Lauren, Fulton (Spring 2008). "A Muted Controversy: Freedom of Speech in Turkey". Harvard International Review. 30 (1): 26–29. ISSN 0739-1854. Free speech is now in a state reminiscent of the days before EU accession talks. Journalists or academics who speak out against state institutions are subject to prosecution under the aegis of loophole laws. Such laws are especially objectionable because they lead to a culture in which other, more physically apparent rights abuses become prevalent. Violations of freedom of expression can escalate into other rights abuses, including torture, racism, and other forms of discrimination. Because free speech is suppressed, the stories of these abuses then go unreported in what becomes a vicious cycle.
  6. ^ Gooding, Emily (2011). Armchair Guide to Discrimination: Religious Discrimination in Turkey. BiblioBazaar. ISBN 9781241797812.
  7. ^ Kenanoğlu, Pinar Dinç (2012). "Discrimination and silence: minority foundations in Turkey during the Cyprus conflict of 1974". Nations and Nationalism. 18 (2): 267–286. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8129.2011.00531.x. Comprehensive reading of the newspaper articles show that the negative attitude towards the non-Muslim minorities in Turkey does not operate in a linear fashion. There are rises and falls, the targets can vary from individuals to institutions, and the agents of discrimination can be politicians, judicial offices, government-operated organisations, press members or simply individuals in society.
  8. ^ Toktas, Sule; Aras, Bulent (Winter 2009). "The EU and Minority Rights in Turkey". Political Science Quarterly. 124 (4): 697–0_8. doi:10.1002/j.1538-165x.2009.tb00664.x. ISSN 0032-3195. In the Turkish context, the solution to minority rights is to handle them through improvements in three realms: elimination of discrimination, cultural rights, and religious freedom. However, reforms in these spheres fall short of the spirit generated in the Treaty of Lausanne.
  9. ^ [2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference cirakman was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Makogon, Kateryna (3 November 2022). "Roma in Turkey: discrimination, exclusion, deep poverty and deprivation". Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Romani, Domari, and Abdal earthquake victims face discrimination and hate crimes in Turkey". European Roma Rights Centre. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Lom or Bosha people from past to present". Agos. 13 February 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Halis, Mujgan (13 November 2013). "Anti-Syrian sentiment on the rise in Turkey". Al-Monitor (in Turkish). Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  18. ^ "Afghan Migrants in Turkey Worried About Increased Deportations". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  19. ^ ANI; ANI (22 April 2022). "Videos of 'Pakistani perverts' cause outrage on social media in Turkey". ThePrint. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  20. ^ Soyturk, Kaan; Caglayan, Ceyda; Erkoyun, Ezgi (14 December 2022). "Influx of Russians drives up home prices in Turkish resort, prompts call for ban". www.reuters.com. Reuters.
  21. ^ "A tragedy for Ukraine, a housing crisis for Turkey". 7 May 2022.
  22. ^ "The Russian-Ukrainian War Has Increased House Rents in Antalya by 100 Percent – TURKISH RESIDENCE PERMIT, VISA". 28 March 2022.
  23. ^ "'Russians have overrun my city and now we can't afford to live'". 15 October 2023.