An anesthesiologist of Algerian origin, Dr. Zeki Tuvati is another French Muslim who expressed his willingness to settle in Turkey due to the discrimination he faced in France on the basis of his religion and culture.
Tuvati, who has lived in Paris for nearly 20 years, wishes to receive an equivalent diploma to practice his profession in Turkey.
The exodus of France's Muslim population has received widespread media coverage in recent days. On Wednesday, Le Journal du Dimanche published an article revealing hundreds of Muslim people living in France prefer to live in Turkey, due to rising Islamophobic sentiments.
According to the article, they are generally religious, globalized and productive entrepreneurial profiles, and they ascribe to the codes of Western modernity and capitalism.
Emphasizing that Turkey is not a randomly chosen country for these Western Muslims, the article pointed out that many young people of North African origin settled in the Gulf countries but that "economically developed, Western and Muslim Turkey is increasingly a popular migration destination for qualified people in this category."
Visiting Turkey before making the decision to settle there, Tuvati said, "I love Turkey very much, it is a Muslim country and it has all the features I am looking for."
"I just thought about which country I should choose. The most important thing is to be a Muslim country. Apart from that, I wanted a good economy and a good life. That's why I chose Turkey." he added.
"It is very difficult to live Muslim traditions in France. Religion is very important in my life. That's why I decided to leave France," Tuvati told Anadolu Agency (AA).
The New York Times also recently published a report on the subject saying that many Muslims subjected to discriminatory and Islamophobic treatment in France left the country silently because they did not feel safe.
The article entitled "The Quiet Flight of Muslims from France," emphasized that while the migration debate was central in the upcoming presidential election campaigns in the country, the number of Muslims leaving France was increasing day by day, indicating a deep crisis.
Moving along with his family to the city of Istanbul, the French anesthesiologist said he enrolled his children in Turkish schools.
"We are adapting to the Turkish culture, but we do not forget the language and culture of Algeria, which is our culture," he said. "If my children grew up in France, they would forget Arabic. They would only speak French, which is too bad for us," Tuvati also added.
Speaking about his professional career in Turkey, Tuvati said he plans to first pass some exams for an equivalency diploma.
Tuvati, who speaks English, French and Arabic, said he plans to deal with foreign patients coming to Turkey in the future and inform them about the health system in the country.
Regarding the Turkish health system, Tuvati, who currently works as a doctor in a hospital in France for 15 days a month, said, "The health system in Turkey is no different from France."
"I like Turkish hospitals very much. There are developed, have the latest equipment," he said. "For me, it is not much different (from Europe), the procedures are the same."
Stating that he started learning Turkish by himself Tuvati added, "I speak Turkish with the Turks who come to my hospital in France. They are very surprised when they hear me speaking Turkish."