A quiet Long Island neighborhood is bracing for a major transformation as residents push back against plans to turn a former Catholic seminary into an all-boys Muslim boarding school with an on-site mosque.
According to the Gateway Pundit, the proposed school on Long Islands south shore would house 120 teenage boys on a 13-acre waterfront property in Bay Shore, once home to a Catholic seminary, and has already sparked intense opposition at a five-hour town meeting where locals lined up to object. Neighbors say they are worried about increased traffic, the impact on their residential streets, and the possibility of a loud Muslim call to prayer being broadcast five times a day in what has long been a quiet, suburban community.
The New York Post reported that Fuming Long Island residents are fighting the opening of a Muslim boarding school for boys thats expected to house 120 teenage students claiming it will destroy a quiet suburban neighborhood. A group of Bay Shore homeowners argues that the plan for an overnight dorm violates local codes for Saxon Avenue, insisting that the project is incompatible with the areas single-family character.
The proposed use by the new property owner is far more intensive than what is appropriate for a quiet residential neighborhood, said Kevin Colgan, an Islip resident and leader of the Saxon Says No movement opposing the boarding school. Colgan added, 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, underscoring that residents see this as a rule-of-law issue, not a personal one.
The United American Muslim Association, partly based at the Suleymaniye mosque in Dix Hills, purchased the property from the Roman Catholic Montfort Missionaries for $5 million, signaling a significant institutional shift on the site. Clips from the heated town meeting, shared by Libs of TikTok and covered by CBS News New York, show a community determined to defend its zoning protections, even as many expect local officials to bow to political pressure and approve the project over neighborhood objections.
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