Growing Trend: Young French Muslims Relocate to Turkey for Islamic Lifestyle

Thibault (pseudonym), 32, has been "converted" to Islam for more than seven years and has been living in Istanbul for nearly eighteen months with his wife and their two children. This former baker from the Isère region confided to JDD that he first settled in Bosnia Herzegovina and Norway before joining Turkey. "We wanted to avoid assimilation, instill an Islamic education in our children to ensure that they remain Muslim for life," he explains.

The thirty-year-old does not regret his choice, despite some administrative difficulties related to obtaining the residence permit. For the past six months, he has been involved in the sale of a wide range of products (Korans, prayer rugs, abayas, Islamic rosaries, etc.) to a mainly French and Muslim clientele. "I am so overwhelmed by the demand that I can no longer meet all the orders, especially with Ramadan approaching," he rejoices.

To read: I apologize, but I don’t have any content to work with to create a headline. The original title, summary, and first paragraph are all blank in your request. Without specific information about the news story, I cannot generate an appropriate headline. If you provide the relevant details about the article, I’d be happy to craft a headline based on that information.

Contrary to the publications of the pro-government Turkish media outlets denouncing an "exodus" of Muslims fleeing "French Islamophobia" to Turkey, the phenomenon seems measured. At least a dozen French influencers of mostly North African origin have settled in Turkey over the past five years. They display their professional success, real or fictitious, in Erdogan’s country and offer advice on how to manage one’s professional and personal life well.

Zia, a 25-year-old Franco-Tunisian from Lyon, is one of these influencers. On her YouTube channel followed by more than 40,000 subscribers, she recounts how she and her Franco-Algerian husband settled in Turkey nearly two years ago. A "personal development" coach, she posts videos in which she gives advice to avoid falling into idolatry. Like her, many young French people of North African origin consider Turkey as a popular destination for two main reasons: it is a Muslim and economically developed country.