Source: The New York Times

On November 10, 1998, the New York Times published an article concerning the growth of Islamic schools in the New York metropolitan area, which are flourishing with a curriculum that offers religion and Arabic classes along with a traditional academic curriculum. As recently as three years ago, fewer than 200 children attended private Islamic schools in New York City and Long Island. Now, over 2,400 children in 13 schools in New York and Long Island are educated in a Muslim environment. In addition to those numbers, New Jersey now has 10 private Islamic schools. Spurred by the vast immigrant population in the New York area, these schools can't grow fast enough for the demand. Al Noor School in Brooklyn, the New York area's largest Islamic private school, accommodates 600 students, but many more would like to attend. Nidal Abuasi, principal of Al Noor, stated: "We turned down 400 kids because we don't have space....We have people who come hoping we have space even if their child has to be demoted to a lower grade."