{"id":5241,"date":"2026-07-24T10:39:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T10:39:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5241"},"modified":"2026-07-24T10:39:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T10:39:20","slug":"long-island-residents-fume-over-all-boy-muslim-boarding-school-in-residential-neighborhood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5241","title":{"rendered":"Long Island residents fume over all-boy, Muslim boarding school in residential neighborhood"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Fuming Long Island residents are fighting to the opening of a Muslim boarding school for boys that\u2019s expected to house 120 teenage students \u2014 claiming it will destroy a quiet suburban neighborhood.<\/p>\n

Read more Comptroller Mark Levine\u2019s truth telling could make him the real anti-Mamdani<\/a><\/p>\n

A group of Bay Shore homeowners claims the proposal for an overnight dorm is illegal under codes for the suburban Saxon Avenue, on a 13-acre waterfront property that housed a Catholic seminary years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe proposed use by the new property owner is far more intensive than what is appropriate for a quiet residential neighborhood,\u201d Kevin Colgan, an Islip resident and leader of the anti-boarding school movement in the neighborhood, known as \u201cSaxon Says No,\u201d said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about protecting the integrity of our zoning laws \u2014 not opposing any individual or organization \u2014 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,\u201d Colgan said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Opponents are pushing the town of Islip\u2019s Zoning Board of Appeals to shut down plans for the property, which was sold in June. <\/p>\n

The United American Muslim Association, a group partly based out of the Suleymaniye mosque in Dix Hills, scooped up the sprawling property from the Roman Catholic Montfort Missionaries for $5 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At Tuesday\u2019s zoning board meeting, several members of the board signaled that they think the proposed dorm is legal under town law. The meeting lasted more than five hours as hundreds of angry residents packed Town Hall.<\/p>\n

Read more Illinois worker trapped inside 130-foot-tall gas station sign for nearly 7 hours \u2014 but still manages to give thumbs up<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen my family chose to purchase this home 10 years ago \u2014 we relied on the zoning protections when making one of the largest investments of our lives \u2014 a community of single-family homes where the zoning was intended to preserve its residential character,\u201d said Anna Chan, who lives across the street from the proposed school.<\/p>\n

Locals speaking at the meeting said they felt the school\u2019s opening would hurt the integrity of the neighborhood, and that their residential area is no place for a school of this scale.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Most complaints centered around their belief that a boarding school, regardless of any religious affiliation, shouldn\u2019t be opened in a residential neighborhood as it would cause an increase in noise and create traffic jams, as other residents had unanswered questions regarding a daycare center for small children that would be opening with the proposed school.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA boarding school with the noise that 120 teenage boys can generate in a recreational area \u2014 would you want that in your backyard?\u201d asked Isla Belkitis, who lives near the site.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Supporters of the school, along with attorney Samuel L. Bifulco, who represents The United American Muslim Association, said the proposal under town code is perfectly legal, and that strict rules on the students would keep them from causing a nuisance.<\/p>\n

The nonprofit\u2019s goal, he said, is to open a school on the shuttered property to provide a \u201ccomprehensive spiritual and academic training of its students,\u201d including full-time Islamic-centered schooling, early childhood education and community programs.<\/p>\n

Read more Sorry, haters, Christopher Nolan\u2019s Odysseus is no wimp \u2014 but a hero for our times<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Residents of a Long Island town are fighting a proposed Muslim boarding school for boys expected to house 120 teenage students \u2014 claiming it’s illegal to open in the neighborhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-long-island"],"yoast_head":"\nLong Island residents fume over all-boy, Muslim boarding school in residential neighborhood - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5241\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Long Island residents fume over all-boy, Muslim boarding school in residential neighborhood - 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