By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-09-25 00:35:52 | Updated at 2026-09-25 01:10:22
38 minutes ago
Fury has erupted in the suburbs of New York after a Christian building was converted into all-male Islamic school.
The Montfort Spiritual Center - a former Catholic school in Islip, Long Island, was previously acquired by the United American Muslim Association, with plans to accommodate 120 students in on-site dormitories next to a care home for the elderly.
However, Islip's Zoning Board of Appeals voted three to one on Tuesday to overturn an earlier ruling that allowed the United American Muslim Association to run a boarding facility at its new school on a 13-acre waterfront campus.
The reversal came after board members faced five consecutive hours of questioning from local residents during a heated July session, according to a board spokesman.
"The Zoning Board of Appeals voted three to one to reverse the Building Division's interpretation and determined that the proposed boarding component is not a permitted accessory use to the parochial school under the Town's zoning code," the board said.
The Islamic school for boys will still be permitted to operate on the site, though pupils must leave at the end of each school day rather than living there.
In its formal ruling, published on Thursday, the board clarified the scope of its decision.
"The question before the Board is not whether a parochial school is a permitted principal use within the District [Town code] expressly permits such use," the board wrote.
The Montfort Spiritual Center, an ex-Catholic school, was previously acquired by the United American Muslim Association
The decision went on to say that the board had concluded "only that the property owner has not demonstrated that the proposed residential boarding component satisfies the requirements of [Town code] under the facts presented."
The outcome represents a remarkable victory for campaigning residents.
Multiple board members had signalled during the July hearing that they considered the dormitory arrangement was legal under existing regulations.
Hundreds of locals had voiced their objections to the boarding plans, with the overwhelming majority of concerns centring on the disruption that a large group of teenage students could cause in a tranquil neighbourhood.
The July meeting itself became disorderly, with certain attendees removed from the venue after being accused of Islamophobia.
The reversal came after board members faced five consecutive hours of questioning from local residents
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"I don't care what religion the school teaches, it could be Jewish, Catholic, whatever... We just don't want it imagine the noise of 120 school children day and night," said one resident who gave her name only as Barbara.
The site has a lengthy educational history, having previously functioned as a Catholic boarding school from the 1920s through to 1972.
Its main building, spanning roughly 73,000 square feet, was subsequently used as accommodation for Catholic priests before standing vacant for decades.
The United American Muslim Association acquired the property in June with ambitions to run early years programmes alongside teaching for pupils in years 7 through 12, as well as hosting community events.
New York City is home to around 750,000 Muslims - roughly nine per cent of the Big Apple's total population
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Monthly tuition fees are expected to range from approximately $750 (£567.52) to $1,250 (£946).
Whilst the school itself remains authorised to proceed, the prohibition on residential boarding significantly curtails the scale of the association's original vision for the campus.
New York City is home to around 750,000 Muslims - roughly nine per cent of the Big Apple's total population.
GB News has approached the United American Muslim Association for comment.
