British Turks
Culture
Culture
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Traditional family values are considered to be very important for the Turkish community. Marriage in particular is seen as an important part of their social sphere, and considerable social pressure is put onto single Turks to get married. Thus, getting married and having a family is a significant part of their Turkish identity. Turkish parents consistently try to hold onto the cultural values in order to 'protect' these traditional values onto the younger generation. Young Turks from a very young age are encouraged to attend Turkish school to learn about the Turkish culture including folk dances, food, history and the language. The first generation generally maintains their culture rather than adopting the British social and cultural values. However, the younger generations have a desire to preserve parental values at home and to adopt some elements of the host culture outside the home.

### Language

The [Turkish language](/wiki/Turkish_language "Turkish language") is the main language spoken among the community in the United Kingdom, but a [Turkish Cypriot dialect](/wiki/Cypriot_Turkish "Cypriot Turkish") is also widely spoken amongst its community. The first generation and recent migrants often speak fluent Turkish and women within the community are particularly constrained by language limitations.

A new Turkish language, *Anglo\-Turkish* or also referred to as *[Turklish](/wiki/Turklish "Turklish")*, has been forming amongst the second and third generations, where the [English language](/wiki/English_language "English language") and the [Turkish language](/wiki/Turkish_language "Turkish language") is used interchangeably in the same sentences.

### Religion

[thumb\|left\|[Aziziye Mosque](/wiki/Aziziye_Mosque_%28London%29 "Aziziye Mosque (London)") in [Stoke Newington](/wiki/Stoke_Newington "Stoke Newington"), London.](/wiki/File:Aziziye_Mosque.jpg "Aziziye Mosque.jpg")
[thumb\|right\|[Suleymaniye Mosque](/wiki/Suleymaniye_Mosque_%28London%29 "Suleymaniye Mosque (London)") in [Dalston](/wiki/Dalston "Dalston"), London.](/wiki/File:Suleymaniye_Mosque_London%2C_E2.jpg "Suleymaniye Mosque London, E2.jpg")

The vast majority of the Turkish community are [Sunni](/wiki/Sunni "Sunni") [Muslims](/wiki/Muslim "Muslim"), whilst the remaining people generally do not have any religious affiliation. Nonetheless, even those who define themselves as not being religious feel that [Islam](/wiki/Islam "Islam") has had an influence of their [Turkish](/wiki/Turkish_people "Turkish people") identity. There is mostly a lack of knowledge about the basic principles of Islam within the younger generations. The young generation of the community tends to have little knowledge about their religion and generally do not fulfill all religious duties. However, the majority of young Turks still believe in Islam and the basic principles of the religion as it has more of a symbolic attachment to them due to traditional Turkish values.

In recent years there has also been a strong movement towards [religion](/wiki/Religion "Religion") by the community with the growth of Islamic organisations. The desire to retain an [identity](/wiki/Identity_%28social_science%29 "Identity (social science)") has increased the strength of [Islam](/wiki/Islam "Islam") among the communities. Clinging to traditions is seen as a way of maintaining [culture](/wiki/Culture "Culture") and identity.[THE TURKISH CYPRIOT COMMUNITY LIVING IN HACKNEY](http://www.cypnet.co.uk/ncyprus/people/Hackney%20Turkish%20Cypriot.doc)  Nonetheless, young Turkish Muslims are brought up in a more liberal home environment than other [British Muslims](/wiki/Islam_in_the_United_Kingdom "Islam in the United Kingdom"). Thus, there are many Turks, especially the younger generations, who do not abstain from eating non\-halal food or drinking alcohol, whilst still identifying as Muslim.

The establishment of [mosques](/wiki/Mosques "Mosques") has always been considered a priority within the Turkish community. The first Turkish mosque, [Shacklewell Lane Mosque](/wiki/Shacklewell_Lane_Mosque "Shacklewell Lane Mosque"), was established by the Turkish Cypriot community in 1977\. There are numerous other Turkish Mosques in [London](/wiki/London "London"), mainly in Hackney, that are predominantly used by the Turkish community, especially the [Aziziye Mosque](/wiki/Aziziye_Mosque_%28London%29 "Aziziye Mosque (London)") and [Suleymaniye Mosque](/wiki/Suleymaniye_Mosque_%28London%29 "Suleymaniye Mosque (London)"). Notable Turkish mosques outside London include Selimiye Mosque in [Manchester](/wiki/Manchester "Manchester"), Hamidiye Mosque in [Leicester](/wiki/Leicester "Leicester"), and Osmaniye Mosque in [Stoke\-on\-Trent](/wiki/Stoke-on-Trent "Stoke-on-Trent"). During the Turkish invasion into Syria in 2019, adherents prayed for the [Turkish army](/wiki/Turkish_Land_Forces "Turkish Land Forces") in a mosque under the guidance of the Turkish [Directorate of Religious Affairs](/wiki/Directorate_of_Religious_Affairs "Directorate of Religious Affairs"). As of 2018 there were 17 mosques under the control of the Directorate of Religious affairs.

Activities are held in many Turkish mosques in order to retain an Islamic identity and to pass these traditional values onto the younger generation. These mosques have introduced new policies and strategies within their establishments as they have recognised that traditional methods are not very productive within the British context. For example, one mosque has opened an independent primary school whilst another has been granted permission to register weddings in its mosque. Other mosques have even allowed the formation of small market places.


How do cultural values affect personal relationships among Turks?