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Diyanet Center of America (DCA) is a non-profit organization based in Lanham, Maryland serving the needs of the Turkish American populace and Muslims in general in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The center holds regular Friday congregational prayers, Ramadan dinners, religious holiday celebrations (including Birth of Prophet Muhammad) and various other social, cultural, and religious activities.
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The center benefits from its proximity to the nation's capital, various federal and state institutions, and schools.
The complex consists of five main buildings, an underground parking garage, and a geothermal well field on a 15-acre site. The five buildings are a mosque constructed using 16th century classical Ottoman architecture, a cultural center building, a guest house, a fellowship hall with a restaurant and shops, and a recreational building housing a Turkish bath, an indoor pool, and a sports center.
History
The organization was established as the Turkish American Islamic Foundation in 1993, and as the scope of services expanded it was renamed to the Turkish American Community Center (TACC) in 2003. Along with the completion of a comprehensive construction project, the center was renamed to its assumed business name of Diyanet Center of America, which receives major support from Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), an institution of the Government of Turkey.
Affiliated mosques
In the media
The local Muslim population was excited about plans to establish a new complex. However, the center also came to the attention of some anti-Islam factions and evangelical groups with opposition pages on their websites.