History of Islam in Turkey

Islam in Turkey

Islam in Turkey is the largest religion in the country. The established presence of Islam in the region that now constitutes modern Turkey dates back to the latter half of the 11th century, when the Seljuks started expanding into eastern Anatolia.

According to religiosity polls, 97.8% of the population identifies as Muslim, and only 2% is non-religious. Most Muslims in Turkey are Sunnis, forming about 78% of the overall Muslim denominations. The remaining Muslim sects forming about 20% of the overall Muslim population consist of Alevis, Ja'faris (representing 4%) and Alawites (with an estimated population of around 1 million) which is about 1% of the overall Muslim population in Turkey. Figures on NDM's or Non-denominational Muslims vary with estimates ranging from 2 percent of the population to 14 percent of the population.

There are no official statistics of people's religious beliefs nor is it asked in the census. According to the government, 99.8%[I] of the Turkish population is Muslim (although some sources give a slightly lower estimate of 96.4 percent) with the most popular school of thought (madhab) being the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam. There are also a minority of Sufi and non-denominational Muslims.