Daily Sabah logo

Politics
Diplomacy Legislation War On Terror EU Affairs Elections News Analysis
TÜRKİYE
Istanbul Education Investigations Minorities Expat Corner Diaspora
World
Mid-East Europe Americas Asia Pacific Africa Syrian Crisis Islamophobia
Business
Automotive Economy Energy Finance Tourism Tech Defense Transportation News Analysis
Lifestyle
Health Environment Travel Food Fashion Science Religion History Feature Expat Corner
Arts
Cinema Music Events Portrait Reviews Performing Arts
Sports
Football Basketball Motorsports Tennis
Opinion
Columns Op-Ed Reader's Corner Editorial
PHOTO GALLERY
JOBS ABOUT US RSS PRIVACY CONTACT US
© Turkuvaz Haberleşme ve Yayıncılık 2023

Daily Sabah logo

عربي
  • Politics
    • Diplomacy
    • Legislation
    • War On Terror
    • EU Affairs
    • Elections
    • News Analysis
  • TÜRKİYE
    • Istanbul
    • Education
    • Investigations
    • Minorities
    • Expat Corner
    • Diaspora
  • World
    • Mid-East
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • Africa
    • Syrian Crisis
    • Islamophobia
  • Business
    • Automotive
    • Economy
    • Energy
    • Finance
    • Tourism
    • Tech
    • Defense
    • Transportation
    • News Analysis
  • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Fashion
    • Science
    • Religion
    • History
    • Feature
    • Expat Corner
  • Arts
    • Cinema
    • Music
    • Events
    • Portrait
    • Reviews
    • Performing Arts
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Motorsports
    • Tennis
  • Gallery
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Op-Ed
    • Reader's Corner
    • Editorial
  • TV
  • TÜRKİYE
  • Istanbul
  • Education
  • Investigations
  • Minorities
  • Expat Corner
  • Diaspora

Turks in Germany mark 'guest worker' deal anniversary amid problems

by DAILY SABAH

ISTANBUL Oct 29, 2020 - 3:04 pm GMT+3
Ayten Onyıl, who arrived in Germany for work in 1965, speaks about her experience, in Berlin, Germany, Oct. 29, 2020. (AA Photo)
Ayten Onyıl, who arrived in Germany for work in 1965, speaks about her experience, in Berlin, Germany, Oct. 29, 2020. (AA Photo)
by DAILY SABAH Oct 29, 2020 3:04 pm
RECOMMENDED
Emine Şanlıtürk (L) is photographed in her hairdressing salon, Karaman, central Türkiye, April 24, 2023. (AA Photo)

Turkish hairdressers gather in Karaman to raise awareness for organ donation

organ-donation

Fifty-nine years ago, Germany and Turkey signed a “guest worker” deal that saw an influx of Turkish workers to the country and despite hostilities, they remain the largest diaspora in the European country with around 3 million people.

Germany turned to Italy, Greece, Spain and lastly to Turkey to cover its labor force deficit after World War II and on Oct. 30, 1961, the two countries officially launched a migration scheme. Turks from all across the country flocked to Germany to work in factories and a “family reunion” scheme in 1973 enabled them to relocate their families too. These people and their descendants now have German citizenship.

Yet, endemic xenophobia against Turks lingers in the country where the Turkish diaspora has vastly contributed to the economy first as workers and in later years, as business owners. First described as “auslander,” or foreigner, and then "menschen mit migrationshintergrund," or people of immigrant background, Turks were never quite embraced by Germany. However, in recent years, descendants of “gastarbeiter (guest workers)” have been making a name for themselves in an array of fields from politics and sports to science.

The Turks have faced brutal attacks since the 1990s, including arson targeting Turkish residences in Molln and Solingen. Then came a string of murders committed by the National Socialist Underground (NSU), a neo-Nazi gang that slaughtered eight Turks between 2000 and 2007. In 2019, four Turks were killed in a racist terrorist attack in Hanau. Their places of worship have often been targets of racist attacks and recently, German police were condemned for a raid on a Turkish mosque in Berlin. Studies show Turks often face discrimination in education, at work and in their social lives.

Before xenophobia, one of the biggest challenges was the language barrier, something Ayten Onyıl knows very well. She was 28-years-old when she came to Germany for work in 1965. Now 83, the Turkish woman recounts her first days in the country. She says she managed to overcome the language barrier by learning basic German on her own in a few months.

Onyıl, like many others in the first years of the deal, was planning to stay in Germany for a short time. “I was thinking to save enough money to buy a house back in Turkey. I even sent a telegram to my family that I would not stay here long,” Onyıl, who spent the next 55 years in the country, said. “I had a good job and in time, I got used to being in Germany. When my children were born, I decided to extend my stay. Now, Germany is my second homeland,” she told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Thursday.

In her first years, Turks were the minority. “I used to be surprised when I come across someone speaking Turkish,” she recounted.

For Tayfun Keltek, the language barrier actually later turned into an advantage. The head of the Integration Council of the state of North-Rhine Westphalia says preserving Turkish is important for the community, but Germans failed to grasp its importance. “Mother language is a benefit for us, but people saw it as an obstacle to success. Being bilingual is a good thing, but Germans did not see its importance,” he told AA. Keltek, who hails from Sivas in central Turkey, worked as a teacher for years in Germany. He says Turkish culture was ignored and at times, “blocked” by the German community. “This created a sentiment in the Turkish community that they were ‘unwanted’ in Germany. There is rampant racism on this issue. I try to explain to Germans that having two cultures is a benefit,” he says.

RECOMMENDED
Emine Şanlıtürk (L) is photographed in her hairdressing salon, Karaman, central Türkiye, April 24, 2023. (AA Photo)

Turkish hairdressers gather in Karaman to raise awareness for organ donation

organ-donation
  • shortlink copied
  • Last Update: Oct 29, 2020 5:56 pm
    RELATED TOPICS
    fight-against-terrorism DEUTSCHE-BANK US-LIBYA-RELATIONS
    KEYWORDS
    germany turkish guest worker diaspora turkey xenophobia national socialist underground
    The Daily Sabah Newsletter
    Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey, it’s region and the world.
    You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
    A general view of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum in Purple Mountai, Nanjing, China. (Photo courtesy by Ahmet Faruk Işık)

    Seed of modern Turkish diplomacy in China: Nanjing city

    Nanjing
    Brazil's Dani Alves in action during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between Brazil and South Korea at Stadium 974, Doha, Qatar, Dec. 5, 2022. (Getty Images Photo)

    Dani Alves remains in jail as new rape case's harrowing details unfold

    DANI-ALVES

    Excavations in Istanbul unearth statue of Greek deity Pan

    pan

    'Ulysses of Istanbul': Celebrating James Joyce's masterpiece

    james-joyce
    No Image
    World’s fastest growing cities in last 2 decades
    PHOTOGALLERY
    • POLITICS
    • Diplomacy
    • Legislation
    • War On Terror
    • EU Affairs
    • News Analysis
    • TÜRKİYE
    • Istanbul
    • Education
    • Investigations
    • Minorities
    • Diaspora
    • World
    • Mid-East
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • Africa
    • Syrian Crisis
    • İslamophobia
    • Business
    • Automotive
    • Economy
    • Energy
    • Finance
    • Tourism
    • Tech
    • Defense
    • Transportation
    • News Analysis
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Fashion
    • Science
    • Religion
    • History
    • Feature
    • Expat Corner
    • Arts
    • Cinema
    • Music
    • Events
    • Portrait
    • Performing Arts
    • Reviews
    • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Motorsports
    • Tennis
    • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Op-Ed
    • Reader's Corner
    • Editorial
    • Photo gallery
    • Jobs
    • privacy
    • about us
    • contact us
    • RSS
    © Turkuvaz Haberleşme ve Yayıncılık 2021