Member organizations of the Gulenist Turkic American Alliance (formerly Assembly of Turkic American Federations)


Jan 11, 2011  last updated May 3, 2011
by C.A.S.I.L.I.P.S. - Citizens Against Special Interest Lobbying in Public Schools

In May 2010, a gala attended by a number of U.S. congressmen and senators was held in Washington D.C. to celebrate the creation of the Assembly of Turkic American Federations, which soon afterwards was renamed the Turkic American Alliance.  The event was reported in the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet under the heading "The Gulen movement plays big in Washington," and it was reported in this article that "Six Turkish-American federations, which have close proximity to Mr. Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric and the exiled leader of the Turkey-based religious Gülen Movement joined to form the Assembly of Turkic American Federations, or ATAF, a non-profit organization."

The connection of the ATAF (now Turkic American Alliance) and its member organizations with Gulen was openly admitted by Gulenists themselves.  As Hurriyet reported:

"The unexpected and sudden decision to combine all of their 180 organizations under one umbrella assembly was a surprising move, at any rate, for those who follow the Gülen movement closely and are aware about its cautious strategies and steps.  //  This decision of "combining all Gulen-related Turkic or Turkish associations and federations under one assembly,” was decided by Fethullah Gulen, another active member of the movement who came to the reception from a long distance said. 'This decision was too big to let other leading members of the Gulen Movement to take on. Gulen took the initiative,' said the well-connected member while listening to speakers at the reception."

The news outlet NorthJersey.com reported that "The ATAF is an umbrella for 150 separate local organizations around the country, including Koc's center, the Turkish Cultural Center in Ridgefield and the Pioneer Academy of Science in Clifton.  //   All are affiliated with Turkish Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen, Koc said. .... Koc said the new group's primary goal is to foster better understanding of Turkic people — a term that includes not only those from Turkey but also those from such countries as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — and cooperation between Muslims and other faiths.  //  It's not connected to the Turkish government or Turkish politics, he said.  But one person attending the reception, South Hackensack chemical importer Tarik Ok, said one reason the ATAF was forming now was, 'The government suggested we all go under one roof.'"  The individual named Koc referred to here is Levent Koc, Chief Executive of the Interfaith Dialog Center, a Gulenist organization in New Jersey.
A list of the member organizations listed on the Turkish American Alliance website is given here. The list below has substantial overlap with our previous webpage on Gulenist non-profits.  However, we felt this separate list would be of interest, given the public admission by two Gulenists as well as two newspapers that Gulen is connected to the Turkish American Alliance and its member organizations. 

There is a clear hierarchical structure, with the TAA branching into 6 member organizations, each of which in turn has its own member entities.

Between January and April 2011, the member organizations as displayed on the websites of the TAA changed, and the total number increased from 71 to 149.  Two lists are shown below, the first showing the TAA composition as of January 11, 2011, and the second showing its members as of April 28, 2011.  The significant changes in just four months illustrate both the rapid expansion and the extreme fluidity of Gulenist organizations (they are constantly forming, dissolving, reforming, and renaming themselves), a part of their strategy of deliberate ambiguity.


Turkic American Alliance     http://www.turkicamericanassembly.org

Membership shown on websites in January 2011

Total member organizations listed on website 6 + 12 + 11 + 9 + 8 + 12 + 13  = 71

Council of Turkic American Associations  (12)

  1. TABID New Jersey
  2. Turkish Cultural Center Boston
  3. Turkish Cultural Center Connecticut
  4. Turkish Cultural Center Pittsburgh
  5. Turkish Cultural Center New York
  6. TABID New York
  7. Interfaith Dialog Center NJ
  8. Brooklyn Amity School
  9. Pioneer Academy of Science
  10. Putnam Science Academy
  11. Universal Foundation
  12. Philadephia Dialog Forum

MAFTAA – Mid-Atlantic Federation of Turkic American Associations (11)

  1. Rumi Forum, Washington DC
  2. American Turkish Cultural Center of Richmond
  3. American Turkish Friendship Association
  4. Turkuaz Hampton Roads
  5. Institute of Islamic-Turkish Studies , Virginia
  6. TACTIC
  7. MARTI, Maryland Turkish American Inhabitants
  8. Divan Center, North Carolina
  9. Prospect Foundation, Kentucky
  10. DATCEF, Delaware American Turkish Cultural & Educational Foundation
  11. Pinnacle Academy

Turkish American Federation of Midwest  (9)

  1. Niagara Foundation
  2. Turkish American Society of Chicago
  3. Kyrgyz American Association
  4. Science Academy of Chicago
  5. Turkish American Chamber of Commerce
  6. Ahiska Turks Cultural Center
  7. Iowa Dialog Center
  8. Scioto Foundation
  9. Turkish-American Cultural Center Madison, Wisconsin

TAFS  - Turkish American Federation of Southeast   (8)

  1. Istanbul Center
  2. Knoxville Turkish Cultural Center
  3. Orlando Turkish Cultural Center  a.k.a. Orlando Culture and Dialog Center Inc. a.k.a.Nile Foundation  http://www.nilefoundation.com/
  4. Turkish Cultural Center Tampa Bay   www.tampaturkish.org
  5. Anatolia Cultural Center
  6. Peace Valley Foundation
  7. TACC (Turkish American Chamber of Commerce of Southeast)  http://www.taccsoutheast.com/
  8. SUD – Society of Universal Dialogue

Turkish Council of Americans and Eurasians   (12)

  1. The Institute of Interfaith Dialog
  2. Raindrop Turkish House
  3. TTACC (Texas Turkish American Chamber of Commerce)
  4. Shanyraq Kazakh Foundation  http://shanyraq.org/
  5. Atlas Foundation
  6. Azerbaijanian American Cultural Alliance
  7. Bosniaks Cultural Community of Houston
  8. Bluebonnet Learning Center
  9. Turkmen Young Scholars Association
  10. Raindrop Helping Hands
  11. Turkish American Women Association
  12. Citadel, ak.a. Houston Blue Mosque  http://www.houstonbluemosque.org/

West American Turkic Council  (13)

  1. Tolerance Foundation
  2. Rosegarden Turkish-American Cultural Center
  3. Pacifica Institute
  4. Sema Foundation
  5. Foundation for Inter-cultural Dialogue, Arizona
  6. Bay Area Cultural Connections
  7. Acacia Foundation
  8. Sierra Foundation, Nevada
  9. CATA Chamber – California Turkish American Chamber of Commerce
  10. CO-TA Colorado Turkish American Chamber of Commerce
  11. Mosaic Multicultural Foundation
  12. NOWTA – Northwest Turkish American Chamber of Commerce  http://www.nowta.org/
  13. The Multicultural Arch Foundation

Note that while according to Hurriyet (May 2010), the alliance consists of 180 organizations, and according to NorthJersey.com (May 2010) it has 150 members, only 71 member entities were listed on its website in January 2011.  It is difficult to count the number of Gulenist organizations in the United States, for several reasons.  Firstly, many have a "doing business as" name that is different from the name they used to incorporate.  Most are non-profit, but some are for-profit.  Some organizations have several divisions, and it is not always clear whether or not they should be counted as separate entities.  Further, there is not a one-to-one correspondence between corporate entities and websites.  Finally, not all Gulenist organizatons are incorporated; e.g., some are university clubs.

Membership shown on websites in April 2011

Total member organizations listed on websites 6 + 40 + 17 + 41 + 8 + 19 + 18  = 149

Council of Turkic American Associations  (40)   http://www.turkiccouncil.org/

The TAA website says "CTAA represents 43 member organizations in 9 states from Pennsylvania to Maine."  Together. the lists of member organizations shown on the TAA and CTAA websites indicate only 40.  It is unclear what the additional 3 organizations are, and why they are not mentioned on the websites.

New York  (21)
  1. Turkish Cultural Center New York   http://www.turkishculturalcenter.org
  2. Turkish Cultural Center of Staten Island        http://www.tccsi.org
  3. Turkish Cultural Center Brooklyn  http://www.tccbrooklyn.org
  4. Turkish Cultural Center Queens  http://www.tccqueens.org
  5. Turkish Cultural Center Syracuse  http://www.tccsyr.org
  6. Turkish Cultural Center Buffalo http://www.tccbuffalo.org
  7. Turkish Cultural Center Rochester  http://www.tccrochester.com
  8. Turkish Cultural Center Ithaca  http://www.tccithaca.org
  9. Turkish Cultural Center Albany  http://www.tccalbany.org
  10. Turkish Cultural Center Long Island   http://www.tccli.com
  11. Turkish Cultural Center Binghamton  http://www.tccbinghampton.org
  12. Turkish Cultural Center Westchester   http://www.tccwestchester.net
  13. Turkish American Business Improvement & Development Council - New York  http://www.tabid.org
  14. TABID Queens  
  15. TABID Brooklyn
  16. TABID Staten Island
  17. TABID Westchester
  18. TABID Long Island
  19. TABID Manhattan 
  20. Universal Foundation   http://www.universalfoundationny.org/
  21. Brooklyn Amity School (logo is shown on TAA site under CTAA, yet for reasons unclear it is not listed as a member organization on the CTAA site itself)    http://www.amityschool.org/

New Jersey  (8)
  1. Turkish Cultural Center New Jersey  www.tccnj.org
  2. Turkish Cultural Center of Central Jersey  www.tccnj.org
  3. Turkish Cultural Center of South Jersey www.tccsj.com
  4. Interfaith Dialog Center  www.idcnj.org
  5. Pioneer Academy of Science  www.pioneeracademy.org
  6. Milky Way Education Center
  7. TABID (Turkish American Business Improvement &Development Council) New Jersey
  8. TABID South Jersey

Connecticut  (3)
  1. Turkish Cultural Center Connecticut  http://www.TurkishCulturalCenterCt.com 
  2. Putnam Science Academy  http://www.putnamscience.org
  3. Turkish American Business Improvement & Development Council  - TABID CT

Massachusetts  (3)
  1. Turkish Cultural Center Boston  http://www.turkishcenterboston.org
  2. Turkish Cultural Center Western Massachusetts  http://www.tccwesternmass.org
  3. Turkish American Business Improvement & Development Council  - TABID MA

Pennsylvania   (5)
  1. Dialogue Forum   www.dialogueforum.us/
  2. Red Rose Foundation  http://www.redrosefoundation.org
  3. Turkish Cultural Center Pittsburgh  http://tccpittsburgh.org/
  4. Lehigh Dialogue Center  http://lehighdialogue.org
  5. Turkish American Business Improvement & Development Council Pennsylvania


MAFTAA – Mid-Atlantic Federation of Turkic American Associations (17)  http://maftaa.org/
  1. Rumi Forum Washington DC    http://www.rumiforum.org/
  2. ATCCR, American Turkish Cultural Center Richmond   http://www.richmondtogether.com/
  3. American Turkish Cultural Center Charlottesville
  4. ATFA, American Turkish Friendship Association, Virginia   http://www.atfa.us
  5. ATFA, American Turkish Friendship Association, West Virginia
  6. ATFA, American Turkish Friendship Association, Delaware   http://www.atfade.org/
  7. Turkuaz Foundation Hampton Road(s)   http://turkuazfoundation.com
  8. Institute of Islamic-Turkish Studies Virginia   http://www.iitstudies.org/
  9. TACTIC DC, Turkish American Chamber of Trade Industry and Commerce (shown on TAA site as MAFTAA member, but not on MAFTAA website member list)
  10. MARTI, Maryland Turkish American Inhabitants
  11. Divan Center, North Carolina  http://www.divancenter.org/    (There is also a Gulenist Divan Cultural Center at Triad  http://www.divantriad.org/ but it is not shown as a MAFTAA member.) 
  12. Prospect Foundation Kentucky
  13. DATCEF, Delaware American Turkish Cultural & Educational Foundation
  14. Pinnacle Academy, Virginia  (shown on TAA site as MAFTAA member, but not on MAFTAA website member list)   http://pinnacleacademyva.com/
  15. Society of American Turkish Academicians
  16. Azerbaijani-American Cultural Association
  17. Eurasian American Cultural Association


Turkish American Federation of Midwest (41)   http://www.turkishfederation.org/

Illinois
  1. Turkish American Society of Chicago (TASC)
  2. Niagara Foundation
  3. Islamic Society of Chicago
  4. Chicago Turkish American Chamber of Commerce (CTACC)
  5. Ahiska Turks Cultural Center
  6. Science Academy of Chicago (SAC)  (also using name Science Academy Private School with name change on logo)
  7. Kyrgyz American Association
  8. Turkmen American Student Organization
  9. Turkish American Academics of Midwest

Indiana
  1. Niagara Foundation Indianapolis
  2. Niagara Foundation Lafayette
  3. Niagara Foundation Bloomington
  4. Turkish American Society of Indiana

Iowa
  1. Iowa Dialog Center
  2. Niagara Foundation Des Moines
  3. Turkish American Society of Iowa

Michigan
  1. Niagara Foundation Detroit
  2. Niagara Foundation Lansing
  3. Turkish American Society of Michigan
  4. Bosnian American Great Lakes Society of Friendship and Culture

Minnesota
  1. Northern Lights Society
  2. Niagara Foundation Minneapolis
  3. Turkish American Society of Minnesota 

Missouri
  1. Niagara Foundation St. Louis
  2. Turkish American Society of Missouri    http://www.tasom.org

Nebraska
  1. Niagara Foundation Omaha
  2. Niagara Foundation Lincoln
  3. Tajik American Association

Ohio

Only 7 organizations are shown on the TAFM website; 3 branches of the Turkish American Society of Ohio are shown, one with unspecified location, and the Columbus and Cleveland branches.  However, Turkish American Society of Ohio has 5 known branches; it is presumed here that the Dayton, Central Ohio and Northern Ohio branches are also members of TAFM even though the TAFM website does not indicate this.
  1. Scioto Educational Foundation   http://www.sefohio.org/
  2. Niagara Foundation Columbus   http://columbus.niagarafoundation.org/
  3. Niagara Foundation Cleveland
  4. Niagara Foundation Toledo
  5. Turkish American Society of Central Ohio   http://www.taaco.org/
  6. Turkish American Society of Northern Ohio   http://www.taaco.org/
  7. Turkish American Society of Ohio Dayton  http://www.tasodayton.org/
  8. Turkish American Society of Ohio Columbus    http://tasocolumbus.org
  9. Turkish American Society of Ohio Cleveland  http://www.tasocleveland.org/

Wisconsin
  1. Niagara Foundation Madison
  2. Niagara Foundation Milwaukee
  3. Harmony Foundation
  4. Madison Turkish American Culture Center   http://www.taccmadison.org


TAFS  - Turkish American Federation of Southeast   (8)

The TAA website says "Turkish American Federation of Southeast (TAFS) is a newly established federation whose members consist of Turkish and Turkic organizations in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee and has 22 members throughout the southeast."  However, the TAA site shows logos for only 8 organizations, and the TAFS website gives no membership information whatsoever.  The identity of the other 14 member entities is unknown.
  1. Istanbul Center   http://www.istanbulcenter.org/
  2. Knoxville Turkish Cultural Center   http://knoxvilleturkish.org/
  3. Orlando Turkish Cultural Center  a.k.a. Orlando Culture and Dialog Center Inc. a.k.a.Nile Foundation  http://www.nilefoundation.com/
  4. Turkish Cultural Center Tampa Bay   http://www.tampaturkish.org
  5. Anatolia Cultural Center   http://www.anatoliacenter.org/
  6. Peace Valley Foundation  http://www.peacevalleyfoundation.org/
  7. TACC (Turkish American Chamber of Commerce of Southeast)  http://www.taccsoutheast.com/
  8. SUD – Society of Universal Dialogue   http://www.universaldialog.org/

TCAE - Turkish Council of Americans and Eurasians   (19)  http://www.turquoisecouncil.org/

A number of organizations are no longer shown as members on the website of the TCAE, yet their logos are still shown on the TAA website.  The following list combines the TCAE members shown on both the TCAE and TAA sites.

  1. The Institute of Interfaith Dialog   http://www.interfaithdialog.org/
  2. Raindrop Turkish House Austin   http://www.raindropturkishhouse.org/austin
  3. Raindrop Turkish House College Station  http://www.raindropturkishhouse.org/collegestation
  4. Raindrop Turkish House Dallas   http://www.raindropturkishhouse.org/dallas
  5. Raindrop Turkish House El Paso   http://www.raindropturkishhouse.org/elpaso
  6. Raindrop Turkish House Houston (Bellfort Ave)   http://www.raindropturkishhouse.org/
  7. Raindrop Turkish House Houston (Kinghurst St)
  8. Raindrop Turkish House Lubbock   http://www.raindropturkevi.org/lubbock/
  9. Raindrop Turkish House San Antonio   http://www.raindropturkishhouse.org/sanantonio
  10. TTACC (Texas Turkish American Chamber of Commerce)  http://www.ttacc.org/
  11. Shanyraq Kazakh Foundation  http://shanyraq.org/
  12. Atlas Foundation  http://www.atlaslouisiana.org/
  13. Azerbaijanian American Cultural Alliance   http://www.aacalliance.com/
  14. Bosniaks Cultural Community of Houston
  15. Bluebonnet Learning Center   http://www.bluebonnetlearningcenter.com/
  16. Turkmen Young Scholars Association
  17. Raindrop Helping Hands    http://raindropturkevi.org/helpinghands/
  18. Turkish American Women Association   http://tawadallas.org/
  19. Citadel, ak.a. Houston Blue Mosque  http://www.houstonbluemosque.org/

West American Turkic Council  (18)  http://www.watc.org/

The TAA website says that "West American Turkic Council  (WATC) is serving 21 affiliate organizations representing 12 states in the West..."  However, the WATC website shows only 18 member organizations.  The identity of the remaining 3 member entities remains unknown.

Arizona  (2)
  1. Foundation for Intercultural Dialog FID   http://www.fid-az.org/
  2. Sema Foundation   http://semafoundation.org/

California  (8)
  1. Pacifica Institute - Orange County   http:/www.pacificainstitute.org
  2. Pacifica Institute – Los Angeles
  3. Pacifica Institute – San Diego
  4. Pacifica Institute – Silicon Valley
  5. Pacifica Institute – Sacramento
  6. Tolerance Foundation   http://www.tolerancefoundation.org
  7. CATA Chamber   http://www.catachamber.org
  8. BAYCC  http://baycc.org

Colorado (2)
  1. Mosaic Foundation  http://www.mosaicfoundation.org/
  2. CO-TA   http://www.co-ta.org/

Nevada  (2)
  1. Sierra Foundation      http://www.sierraf.org/
  2. Pacifica Institute – Las Vegas

Oregon  (1)
  1. Rosegarden   http://rosegardencc.org

Utah  (1)
  1. Pacifica Institute-Utah dba Multicultural Arch Foundation

Washington  (2)
  1. Acacia Foundation   http://www.acaciafoundation.org/
  2. NOWTA   http://www.nowta.org