Buses from New York, New Jersey, Virginia brought Turks in to see the opening of the Turkey’s $110 million gift to the Muslims and people of the United States. The local American Muslim community was also well represented.
Signage lined Goodluck Road welcoming the President. Traffic crawled, as cars looked for parking. The underground parking at the center was blocked off and parking was arranged at the Duval High School parking lot.
Freshly planted tulips and bulbs bloomed in the majestic complex which features a masjid in the Uthmani style, a multi-purpose cultural center, Islamic Research library, banquet hall, indoor pool, basketball court, and fitness center.
The largely Turkish crowd held up ‘We love Erdogan’ and ‘I love Turkiye’ signs straining to catch a glimpse of the hugely popular leader. Young men carrying bouquets of flowers waited for the arrival of the President. Erdogan was joined by Dr. Mehmet Gormez, Turkey’s president of religious affairs at its highest religious authority.
“Never feel ashamed because somewhere remotely located on this Earth has been committing murders under the name of Islam,” said Gormez. “Those homicidal organizations have nothing to do with Islam.”
The crowd cheered, "We are proud of you, Mr. President" in Turkish, as Erdogan approached the stage set up in front of the courtyard of the masjid.
International dignitaries as well as state and local officials gathered in the VIP section. President Erdogan took American leadership to task on the anti-Muslim rhetoric coming from the presidential candidates.
“It is very interesting and shocking for me to see some of the presidential candidates here in the United States using these allegations and using these labels against Muslims openly and on a continuous basis,” Erdogan said.
Umm Khalid took a taxi to the center from her home in Montgomery County and stood in line for three hours to see the grand opening. She is a Somali grandmother and her grandchildren attend the weekend Islamic School at the Diyanet Center. “The Ummah needs this,” she said, grateful that there was a strong Muslim leader who can stand up for Muslims worldwide. “ I don't feel tired; I haven't seen a gathering like this since Eid,” she added.
Rushern Baker III, the County Executive of PG County attended the event. County Councilman Todd Turner represents the area. “Prince George’s County is rich with diversity and our immigrant community is an integral part of the fabric that makes our country great. We welcome the Diyanet Center as a venue of peace and expect it will offer important opportunities for county residents to enhance their understanding of the Turkish culture,” he said.
“I am watching the statements of some US presidential candidates with astonishment. Muslims are fundamental elements of America. Nobody can force Muslims to make a choice between being a Muslim or an American,” Erdoan said.
“It is unacceptable for the Muslims of the world to be forced to pay the price of a horror of a pain and suffering created by a handful of terrorists, infamous terrorists here in the aftermath of 9/11,” he stressed, in the aftermath of several terrorist attacks in his own nation. He shared that his administration had intelligence on the Brussels attackers and even had captured one, but the Belgian government cleared him for release.
"Terrorism will never have a religion, will never have a nation, will never have a nationality, nor will it ever have a root or ethnicity," Erdogan said.
Aylin* drove from New York and was very upset that she could not see the President speak as many of the spectators were fenced behind the press pool. The tiered stand blocked the view of the crowd who had been waiting for hours in the rain to catch a glimpse of Erdogan. Sections with better views remained empty and were blocked off by security. Many attendees complained about the lack of organization at the points of entry.
“It was very exciting seeing so many Muslims around me but it was very crowded and unorganized because the general public could not see the President as he was speaking,” said Zahra, a student from a local school. Neighbors were given passes to see the ceremony. There was tight security provided by TSA and secret service, as every attendee was checked. However, at a certain point security stopped checking people and let a sudden mass of people inside.
Aside from the permanent collections in the museum, the “Ak- Nebi” (Love of the Prophet) calligraphy exhibition, was shown as part of the opening ceremony. The collection has toured the world.
Another highlight for the attendees was the recitation of verses from Surah al Imran in the Quran by President Erdogan while inside the masjid complex. Enthralling worshipers with his recitation, the president sat near the ornate, marble minbar, designed and made in Turkey like the doors and other decorative features of the grand masjid.
Fentress Architects led the design of the complex set on a 14-acre site. The traditional architectural design was provided by Hassa Architecture based in Istanbul. Hilmi Senalp, the chief architect of the project, had stated earlier that the complex was built to represent the “külliye” tradition, a complex of social and religious buildings that were common in Ottoman times. “Külliye was the basis for Muslim urban development as it combined structures for religious, social, economic and public health needs of the community with a mosque, madrasa [school], public kitchen, hospital, bathhouses and marketplace. So, we based our design of the site on this concept,” he said. He added that “the center is important for both better representation of the Turkish and Muslim communities and for addressing the needs of the community here. It is a mixture of traditional Turkish architecture and American construction experience. It will enrich American history [with] culture and civilization,” said Senalp.
“People of all races, religions and backgrounds gathered for the grand opening of this beautiful mosque and cultural center. What a peaceful morning to remind all of us that it is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept and celebrate those differences,” said attendee Aleena Hasnain.
“May this center bring prosperity to all the civilizations on the face of the earth and all the local communities in Maryland,” Erdogan said to the crowd.
Name changed for privacy*
Comments powered by CComment