In New York, a Catholic seminary is being converted into an Islamic school
A Muslim association has acquired a former Catholic seminary in a New York suburb.
A Muslim organization has purchased the building of a former Catholic seminary in Bay Shore to open an Islamic boarding school. The deal, worth $5.2 million, has sparked protests from local residents in the New York suburb. This was reported by Long Island Business Insider.
The new owner of the Montfort spiritual center is the United American Muslim Association (UAMA). The organization acquired a three-story building of approximately 6,500 square meters, situated on a 14.6-acre plot. The former Catholic complex is planned to be used for the education and accommodation of 120 middle and high school-aged boys.
Residents of the Saxon Avenue neighborhood have strongly opposed the establishment of an Islamic educational institution. Signs reading "No Boarding School" have appeared on neighbors' properties, and a resistance group against the association's plans has been organized on social media.
The Catholic seminary in Bay Shore operated since 1926. Until 1972, a boarding school functioned on its grounds, and in recent decades the facility served as a retreat house for Catholic priests.
Representatives of the Muslim association, which has been engaged in youth education and providing for the religious needs of the community since 1980, have so far refrained from official comment.
As the Union of Orthodox Journalists reported, Muslims in Chicago are purchasing a Catholic church.
