The Process of Religious Institutionalization (Concept of Mosque) of Turkish in the US
Asst. Prof. Ozcan Gungor

Abstract
Turkish Muslims have been living in United States of America for more than a century and are still immigrating today. Although in number they are a large Muslim faith community, they lack a prominent social voice or network comparable to other Muslim ethnic groups. Despite the difficulty faced with anti-Muslim sentiments following the September 11th tragedy, Turks have made many positive advances in gaining stature. Although Turks have established both civil and religious foundations in the USA, plans for a structural establishment have been less successful. Turks who migrated to the USA after the 1960s began to realize that the lack of resources for practicing their faith is affecting their social values and identification. The need for faith based institutions became ever so urgent and they steadily continue to build. Despite the fact that Turks have not had a strong institutional base, the future for building new faith based centers is promising. It also seems as though the future leaders are brighter than their pioneers. This research will attempt to explain the stages of the process of institutionalization of Turkish Mosque or faith center, the foundational and emerging history, recent achievements, as well as the challenges of reaching each stage in order to carry out social and religious activities. How these challenges effect the community as a whole and how this process can eventually result in a more structural presence of Turkish Islam in USA will be discussed as well.

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