International students studying at Turkish universities say they often experience racism and discrimination, the Bianet news website reported.
Students coming from countries such as Pakistan and Syria in particular said in addition to everyday challenges such as finding accommodation and language barriers, they experienced discrimination in accessing basic services.
The students said that due to the current housing crisis in big Turkish cities, it was even more difficult to find accommodation as a non-Turk. Shahbano K., a Pakistani who is currently a student at Istanbul University, said international students have to pay much higher rents than Turkish students.
He explained that many students do not speak Turkish, making it easier for them to be exploited by landlords and real estate agents.
“There isn’t a system that supports international students in these day-to-day challenges,” he said.
Isra Mubarak, another Pakistani national studying at Istanbul Bilgi University, said the immigration authorities were very rude and dismissive. “In in one incident I was literally thrown out of the building by an official because I was missing a document. I was shocked and didn’t have the opportunity to ask which document was missing,” she explained.
Students said they experienced similar incidents at banks when paying their tuition and that the tellers were often unwilling to serve them. One student from Lebanon said a bank employee refused to help him, whereas they served another student who had a US passport.
In addition to such problems, international students said Turkish students were reluctant to socialize with them. Students said they only came to campus to attend classes. “In the four years I studied here, I was only approached by a Turkish student once,” said Mariam C. from Lebanon.
Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian students said they often got comments on the color of their skin from Turkish students. “Sometimes they tell me I am too white to be from Pakistan,” said Isra Mubarak.
There are currently 650,000 international students enrolled in Turkish universities. Syrian students make up the largest group, followed by Azerbaijani and Turkmen nationals.
