Islip zoning board blocks boarding component for proposed Muslim boys' school

The Islip Zoning Board of Appeals has voted 3-1 to block a boarding component for a proposed Muslim boys’ school on Long Island. While the school itself is permitted to operate as a day school under local zoning codes, the board ruled that housing up to 120 students overnight at the 13-acre waterfront property is not a permitted accessory use.

The United American Muslim Association purchased the site, a former Catholic seminary, for $5 million to establish an all-boys school focused on Islamic education. The decision reverses a previous interpretation by the town’s building division. The board determined that the boarding proposal failed to meet the criteria for an accessory use, which must be customary and clearly incidental to the principal use.

The ruling follows significant opposition from local residents, who raised concerns during a five-hour meeting regarding the proximity of the dormitory to a nearby senior living community. The Council on American-Islamic Relations stated it is reviewing the decision, with a spokesperson characterizing the situation as a matter of protecting religious freedoms and civil rights.