Long Island residents are attempting to combat the opening of a Muslim boarding school for boys. The school is expected to house 120 teenagers and will operate in what was formerly a Catholic boarding school from the 1920s until 1972.
The building was purchased from the Roman Catholic Montfort Missionaries by the United American Muslim Association for $5 million.
“The proposed use by the new property owner is far more intensive than what is appropriate for a quiet residential neighborhood,” said Islip resident Kevin Colgan, who also leads the anti-boarding school movement in the area, as per the New York Post. “This is about protecting the integrity of our zoning laws — not opposing any individual or organization — zoning laws exist to preserve the character, integrity, and quality of life within our neighborhoods while ensuring that land uses are appropriate for their surroundings.”
Another resident fighting against the boarding school said, according to CBS News, “We don’t want 120 high school kids living here, roaming the area,” one person said.
“It’s gonna be too much traffic right here on the main road,” resident John Elmonuc stated.
Meanwhile, when an Islamic institution attempted to move into Texas, Governor Greg Abbott (R) said the university lacked the ability to operate. “[T]he use of a protected term such as ‘university’ without a certificate of authority is a violation of section 61.313 of the Texas Education Code. Such a violation subjects a person to criminal liability,” Abbott wrote in a letter to the “Texas American Muslim University at Dallas” in May.
The institution has since deleted its website.
