Our Constitution

The Constitution Committee is an Ad-hoc committee appointed by the Board of Directors

Constitution Of The Islamic Association of Greater Detroit

Preamble
The Quran in its scope is the full and final divinely revealed constitution for mankind. It is also the text book of the Muslim Iman (faith) and the source book of Islamic laws, rules and regulations for the Muslims. The Islamic Association of Greater Detroit unequivocally affirms Quran and the Sunnah as its eternal and ultimate constitution. The Association further affirms that the masjid will remain open for prayers to all Muslims. Following are lesser laws, rules and regulations meant for the governance of the Association’s affairs in accordance with the teachings of the Quran and the Sunnah.

Article 1: Name:
The Organization shall be called The Islamic Association of Greater Detroit, hereafter referred to as “The Association.”

Article II: Headquarters:
The Association shall have its headquarter at the Masjid located at 865 West Auburn Road, Rochester, MI 48307

Article III: Nature:
The Association shall be non-profit, Islamic Religious Organization, pursuant to IRC 501 (C) (3).

Article IV: Purposes:
The purposes of the Association shall be:
a. Carrying on religious, educational, social, civic, charitable, literary, athletic, scientific, research and other Islamic activities;
b. Strengthening fraternal bonds and brotherly relations among Muslims;
c. Promoting friendly relations between Muslims and non-Muslims;
d. Presenting Islam to people of other faiths;
e. Furthering co-operation among the existing Muslim organizations and communities.

Article V: Membership
a. Regular Member: Any Muslim aged 18 years and more, who believes that there is no one who is to be worshipped except Allah and that Mohammad Bin Abdullah (peace be upon him) is His last and final Prophet and Messenger and accepts the purposes of the Association, shall be eligible to become regular member subject to the conditions as laid down in the by-laws.
b. Junior Member: Any Muslim who is less than 18 years of age and accepts the purposes of the Association shall be eligible to become the junior member subject to the conditions as laid down in the by-laws.
c. Associate Member: All other persons who accept the purposes of Association shall be eligible to become Associate members subject to the conditions as laid down in the by-laws.

d. Honorary Members: Persons who by judgment and discretion of the Board of Directors have rendered an outstanding contribution to the purposes of the Association shall be conferred Honorary membership.

Article VI: Structure The Association shall consist of the following:
a. General Body
b. Board of Trustees
c. Board of Directors
d. Executive Committee

Article VII: General Body
a. The General Body shall consist of all the regular members of the Association.
b. Annual General Body meeting shall be held in December of each year for the purposes of:
. confirming the members of Board of Directors and Board of Trustees who are elected that year;
. presentation of annual reports by Board of Directors and its Committee;
. conducting any other business deemed necessary.
d. Special General Body meetings may be called by the Board of Directors or not less than one third of regular members.

Article VIII: Board Of Trustees The Board of Trustees shall consist of five elected regular members who shall fulfill the following requirements:
a. They shall be regular members of IAGD, in good standing, for at least 36 consecutive months prior to the election.
b. They shall be bonafide citizens or permanent residents of the United States and residents of the State of Michigan.
c. They shall meet at least once every three months to review the affairs of the Association.
d. There shall be no compensation for services rendered to the Association by the Board of Trustees.
e. They shall be elected by the Board of Directors for terms as outlined in Article XII. of this constitution.

Article IX: Board Of Directors
The Board of Directors shall consist of nine elected regular members, four of which shall comprise the Executive Committee of the Association. The appointed Imam shall be non voting ex-officio member of the Board of Directors to act as a religious consultant. The affairs of the Association shall be managed by its Board of Directors in consultation with the Board of Trustees. The elected members shall fulfill the following requirements:
a. They shall be regular member of IAGD, in good standing for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the election.
b. They shall be bonafide citizens or permanent residents of the United States and residents of the State of Michigan.
c. The Board of Directors shall meet at least once every month.
d. There shall be no compensation for services rendered to the Association by the Board of Directors.
e. They shall be elected by mail balloting for terms as outlined in Article XII. of this constitution

Article X: Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of the following office bearers:
a. President
b. Vice-President
c. Secretary
d. Treasurer
The Executive Committee shall be responsible for execution of the policies of the Association and achievement of the Association’s purposes as outlined in Article IV of this Constitution

Article XI: Duties And Responsibilities

Section 1. Board of Trustees:
The Board of Trustees shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
a. The Board of Trustees shall act as guardian of the masjid located at 865 W. Auburn, Rochester, MI. It shall also act as guardian of any other real estate, or business venture of IAGD and all the funds of the Association.
b. They shall review and approve or disapprove by simple majority the annual budget of IAGD duly prepared and submitted by the Board of Directors
c. They shall review and approve or disapprove any transaction of real estate, including selling, buying, financing and construction when properly prepared and submitted by the Board of Directors.

d. They shall confirm the appointments, sign the contracts and approve the salaries of the employees of the Association when recommended by the Board of Directors.
e. The Board of Trustees shall elect a chairman and a Secretary from among themselves.
f. The chairman shall conduct the meeting and the secretary shall keep the record of the proceedings.

Section II. Board of Directors:
The Board of Directors shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
a. Plan, manage and execute the activities so as to accomplish the purposes and objectives for the Association.
b. Implement the constitution.
c. Carry out policies and decisions of the General Body.
d. Appropriate funds for various activities in consultation with the Board of Trustees.
e. Recommend appointments and salaries of the employees of the Association to the Board of Trustees for its approval.
f. Establish procedures in routine matters and recommend amendments to the by-laws according to the Constitution.
g. Establish procedures for voting and hold elections according to the by-laws.
h. Elect members of the Board of Trustees as outlined in Article XII. of this constitution.
i. Elect members of the Executive Committee as outlined in Article XII. of this constitution.
j. Review and approve or disapprove IAGD membership applications.
Section III. Executive Committee:
The office bearers of the Executive Committee shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
A. President: The President shall:
· Be responsible for general management of all activities of the Association.
· Implement the constitution of the Association by formulating the overall plans, policies and organizing the efforts and resources.

· Call and preside over the meetings of the Board of Directors, Executive Committee and General Body.
· Designate members and/or seek outside help to carry out any special task.
· Present the Annual Report to the General Body.
· Be the spokesman, representative and correspondent in all external affairs.
· Co-ordinate activities with all other Muslim Organizations.
H. Vice-President: The Vice-President shall:
· Act on behalf of the President in his absence.
· Assist the President in carrying out his duties for accomplishing the purposes of the Association.
C. Secretary: The Secretary shall:
· Prepare, circulate within thirty days and maintain the minutes of all Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and General Body meetings.
· Prepare the agenda and notify the Board of Directors, Executive Committee and the General Body of the scheduled meetings.
· Be responsible for correspondence of the Association.
· Be responsible for maintaining a list of the regular members of the Association.
E. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall:
· Maintain records of all financial transactions of the Association.
· Collect and deposit all funds received on behalf of the Association in the Asset account of the Association.
· Prepare the budget of the Association for the approval of the Board of Directors.
· Prepare the Annual Financial Statement and present it in the General Body meetings.

Article XII: Elections And Terms Of Office
The members of the Board of Directors shall be elected by the regular members of the Association by mail balloting for the terms as outlined in this Article. The members of the Board of Trustees shall be elected by the Board of Directors of the Association for the terms as outlined in this Article.

Section I. Election Committee:
a. An Election Committee shall consist of three regular members of IAGD who shall be members in good standing for atleast 24 consecutive months.
b. The election Committee shall be appointed by the Board of Directors for the purposes of searching and seeking nominations from regular members for various offices of the Association, and conducting the election by mail in accordance with the procedures outlined in the by-laws.
c. The Election Committee shall present the results of the election to the General Body at its regular annual meeting.

Section II. Election of Board of Trustees
The initial five members of the Board of Trustees shall be elected by the present Board of Directors by a simple majority vote for a period of time as described below:
.
a. One member for a period of two years.
b. One member for a period of four years.
c. One member for a period of six years.
d. One member for a period of eight years.
e. One member for a period of ten years.
f. One member, after the initial elections, shall be elected by the Board of Directors every two year for a ten years term.
g. The members of the Board of Trustees shall not be elected for any other office of the Association while serving their terms on the Board of Trustees.

Section III. Election of Board of Directors
A. Three members shall be elected every year for a three years term by a majority vote.

Section IV. Election of Executive Committee
A. The four members of the Executive Committee shall be elected by the Board of Directors from the elected members of the Board of Directors for a period of one year.

ARTICLE XIII: Vacancy
a. In case a vacancy occurs in the office bearers of the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors shall be authorized to fill in such a vacancy from among the elected members of the Board of Directors by a simple majority vote. The new office bearer shall fulfill the balance of the term for the office bearer he replaced.
b. In case a vacancy occurs in the Board of Directors, the Board of Director shall be authorized to fill in such a vacancy by a simple majority vote. The new member shall fulfill the balance of the term for the Director he replaced.
c. In case a vacancy occurs in the Board of Trustees, the Board of Trustees shall be authorized to fill in such a vacancy by a simple majority vote. The new member shall fulfill the balance of the term for the Trustee he replaced.

ARTICLE XIV: Finances
a. The finances of the Association shall be budgeted for the fiscal year by the Board of Directors and approved by the Board of Trustees.
b. The Board of Directors shall accept or designate any member to accept contributions and donations from the sources consistent with the purpose of the Association.
c. A financial statement shall be presented by the Treasurer in the Annual General Body meeting for the information and approval of the members.
d. A fiscal year for accounting purposes shall be from January 1 to December 31.
e. For accounting purposes, the Association shall maintain two accounts designated as: 0 Asset Account ii) Operating Account.
f. All contributions and donations received by the Association shall be deposited in the Asset Account.
g. Board of Trustees shall be authorized to transfer funds from Asset Account to Operating Account.
h. Disbursement of funds from Asset Account shall require the joint signatures of the Treasurer and the Chairman of Board of Trustees or in the absence of the Chairman, the signature of the Secretary of the Board of Trustees shall be required.
i. Disbursement of funds from the Operating Account shall require the joint signatures of the Treasurer and the President of the Association or in the absence of the President, the signature of the Vice-President shall be required.

ARTICLE XV: Amendments
a. Any proposed amendments to the constitution shall be presented in writing to the Secretary 90 days prior to the Annual General Body meeting.
b. The Board of Directors, after considering and approving the proposed amendments by a simple majority vote, shall obtain the General Body’s approval by mail balloting.
c. An affirmative vote by two-third majority of the regular members shall be necessary for the adoption of any amendment to the Constitution.
d. No amendment contrary to the teachings of Quran and the Sunnah shall be entertained.

ARTICLE XVI: Quorum
a. The presence of at least one-third of regular membership at any General Body meeting shall constitute the quorum for the meeting.
b. The presence of at least four-fifth of the members of Board of Trustees at any Board of Trustees meeting shall constitute the quorum for the meeting.
c. The presence of at least two-third of the members of Board of Directors at any Board of Directors meeting shall constitute quorum for the meeting.

ARTICLE XVII: Procedures
a. All meetings of the Board of Trustees, the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee and General Body shall be held in accordance with, established and recognized parliamentary procedures.
b. The junior, associate or honorary members shall have right to participate in the General Body meetings, but they shall not have right to vote, or to hold any office.
c. Each person who is a regular member in good standing for 90 days shall have right to vote.

ARTICLE XVIII: Dissolution In case of dissolution, the funds and the other assets of Association, after defraying all the outstanding debts and liabilities, shall be donated to any registered tax-exempt Islamic Organization by the Board of Trustees pursuant to IRC 501 (C) (3).

The By-Laws Of The Islamic Association Of Greater Detroit

ARTICLE I: Membership

Section 1. Application:

A. A regular member shall: fulfill the requirements as outlined in Article V of the Constitution. submit the IAGD membership application.
B. A regular member shall:
· Fulfill the requirements as outlined in Article V of the Constitution.
· Submit the IAGD membership application form with the Secretary of the Association for the approval of the Board of Directors.
· Pay the membership dues for the fiscal year as decided by the Board of Directors.
C. A junior member shall:
· fulfill the requirements as outlined in the Article V of the Constitution.
· submit the IAGD membership application form, jointly with his or her parents or otherwise, with the Secretary of the Association.
D. An associate member shall:
· fulfill the requirements as outlined in the Article V of the Constitution.
· submit the IAGD membership application form with the Secretary of the Association.
· pay the membership dues for the fiscal year as decided by the Board of Directors.

Section II Rights and Privileges
a. A regular member shall have full voting rights provided that he has been member in good standing for not less than 90 consecutive days prior to the time of the vote.
b. A junior member, associate member or honorary member shall not have the right to vote or to hold an office in the Association.
c. All members shall be eligible to receive Islamic literature as may be distributed by the Association.
d. All members shall receive a non-transferable membership for the fiscal year.

Section III Termination of the Membership
a. Upon charges brought against any member, in writing and filed with the Secretary, and upon hearing by the Board of Directors constituting the quorom at any regular or special meeting called for such purpose, a member may be expelled or suspended. A member so expelled or suspended upon written request filed with the Secretary may appeal to the Board of Trustees for reinstatement of his membership. The decision of Board of Trustees shall be final and binding.
b. Any member may resign by filing a written resignation with the Secretary but such resignation shall not relieve the member of the obligation to pay dues, assessments or other charges theretofore accrued and unpaid.

ARTICLE II: General Body
a. The general Body meeting shall be held at such place and time as the Board of Directors designate

b. The notice of a General Body meeting shall be mailed to each member at the address shown on the mailing list not more than thirty days prior to the date of the meeting and not less than ten days prior to the date of the meeting.
c. If there is no quorum present, the President will adjourn the meeting for thirty minutes. On reconvening, the members who are present, will constitute the quorum. However, only election results and finance reports will be presented. No new business will be entertained

ARTICLE III: Elections
a. Individual regular members shall cast one vote provided they have been member for not less than 90 consecutive days prior to the time of the mailing of the ballots for election.
b. The ballots for election shall be mailed to qualified regular members on record by the Election Committee at least 30 days prior to the date of Annual General Body meeting.
c. The last date for receiving the duly marked ballots shall be the seventh day prior to the date of the Annual General Body meeting.

ARTICLE IV: Record Maintenance Section 1: Records and Books The Association shall keep correct and complete records of the business of the Association. Such records and books will be available for inspection, upon request and reasonable notice, to both regular and associate members.

ARTICLE V: Amendments To By-Laws These by-laws may be amended or repealed, and new by-laws may be adopted by a majority of the Board of Directors, present at any regular meeting provided that at least one week written notice of intention is given. Such amendments must be ratified by a simple majority of the regular members present in the following General Body meeting