An estimated twenty thousand Bangladeshi students from New York City schools and colleges, who did not go back to their home country, are taking the current summer vacation to learn Islamic teachings in several local mosques.

Typically, Muslim parents send their children to mosques and madrashas (the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious) to receive an Islamic education and to mold their character, and behavior as the Quran and the Sunnah (Hadith) prescribe.

In the United States, many Bangladeshi children go from school to college with little time to learn about their religion. Although some parents hire religious teachers to come to their homes on the weekends, most are too busy with their jobs, resulting in a young generation who remains relatively uniformed about their religious teachings.

For this reason, concerned Imams from some of New York's 200 mosques, of which almost 70 are Bangladeshi, decided to make Islamic education available to anyone this summer vacation. Charging only $40 for two months of classes, the mosques offer a more affordable alternative to parents who want to endow their children with religious teachings. Most classes start at 9:00 a.m. and end before 1:00 p.m, with anywhere from 80 to 275 students in attendance.

Students are taught basic Arabic, the Quran, the Hadith, surah' Islamic rules ethics and the code of conduct so as to lead an Islamic way of life.

Imams from Bangladeshi-dominated areas such as Jackson Heights, Astoria, Jamaica, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Ozone Park, encouraged all the mosques of New York City to provide religious classes during the summer vacation.