Oxford Muslim Society Constitution
ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION
OMS Constitution
ARTICLE I: NAME
- The society shall be a non-profit organization, and shall be called “Oxford Muslim Society” hereafter called the society.
- A Muslim is any person who believes in Allah as the only supreme being and creator of the universe and Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) as his last messenger to whom the Holy Qur’an was revealed as the last book of Allah.
ARTICLE II: PURPOSES
- Make Islam better understood among Muslims and non-Muslims.
- Establish an Islamic educational center for Muslim children.
- Provide guidance and orientation to new Muslims coming to Oxford.
- Cooperate with all other Islamic organizations which have similar purposes.
- Provide and maintain a place of worship (mosque) for Muslims.
- Carry on religious, charitable, civic, social, literary, athletic, scientific, research activities, and other matters of realizing Islam as a complete way of life.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
- Eligibility: Any Muslim, male or female, is eligible for FULL membership in the society upon:
- Staying permanently in Oxford for over 6 months in a twelve month period; and
- Payment of the membership fees.
- Any Muslim seeking to be a member of the society must register their name and email to the executive committee.
- Classes of membership
- Full(voting) members: Full membership is available to any Muslim, 18 years or older, living in Oxford, Mississippi.
- Associate (non-voting) members: Associate membership is available to those who are not eligible for full membership.
- Membership Fees:
- Membership fees, as determined in the by-laws, are due by the 1st of July of each calendar year.
- The membership dues could be paid up front; or
- Paid in monthly or other installments.
- If the full yearly membership is paid up front, the member will obtain the right to vote immediately for that year.
- If paid in monthly installments or otherwise, the member obtains the right to vote only once the full membership price due has been paid.
- If the full fee is not paid before the 1st July of the next year, the member does not obtain the right to vote, and no refund is given.
- Termination of Membership:
- The membership shall be terminated if:
- Membership fees are not paid by the end of July.
- A member resigns or left Oxford.
- A member is convicted by two-thirds of the full members as committing deeds insulting to the society.
- The membership shall be terminated if:
ARTICLE IV: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
- Executive committee members will be elected from full members of the society who have been full voting members for at least 2 years consecutively.
- The executive committee will consist of a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, public relation coordinator, a head of social programs, a head of cultural programs, a head of service for the masjid and a women’s representative. A total of 9 members, with all members are sharing equal votes.
- The members of the executive committee shall be elected by a majority vote and removed by a two-thirds majority vote from the votes collected during the voting period.
- Election of the president, treasurer the head of social programs, and the Women’s representative shall be held during the first two weeks of March of odd years while elections of the vice president, secretary, public relations coordinator, the head of cultural programs and the head of service for the masjid shall be held during the first two weeks of March of even years.
- Most Executive Committee Members can only be elected to serve for two consecutive 2-year terms at a time. If any Executive Committee Member serves these two consecutive terms, they must step down from reelection or take part in the Executive Committee for a term of two years. The President is allowed to serve three consecutive terms in their position rather than the two-term limit placed on the other Executive Committee Members.
- Once the two years after the three consecutive terms have passed, the affected former executive committee member can run for election for the executive committee again.
- If after stepping down, no other person seeks to fill the vacant position, the following may occur:
- For the presidency, the standing vice president will take up the former president’s responsibilities along with their own, until the vice president’s terms end or a new president is elected
- For all other Executive Committee positions, the vacant position will be filled by a presidential appointment for that term only, and if there is still no interest in the position once the term ends, there will be a general body meeting to decide if the position should be removed completely
- Clauses of Impeachment
- The Process to impeach any Executive Committee Member may begin if:
- 4 other executive committee members desire to impeach; or
- A full voting member brings signatures from 40% of other full voting members in support of the executive committee member’s impeachment
- Once the Impeachment process has begun the following occurs:
- A Quorum General Body Meeting is to be held where:
- The executive committee member up for impeachment has the opportunity to defend themself
- A representative of the members desiring impeachment may argue why the executive committee member should be impeached
- A Quorum General Body Meeting is to be held where:
- Following the general body meeting a vote will be conducted among all full voting members who would like to participate, and if ⅔ of the vote is for impeachment, then the executive committee member is removed from their position, and the vacant position will be treated as if the member had stepped down with no replacement.
- The Impeached executive committee member will not be eligible to run for any position until two years have passed since their impeachment.
- The Process to impeach any Executive Committee Member may begin if:
- Types of Decisions
- There are three types of decisions that the executive committee can make:
- Day-to-Day operations: The executive committee will have the full discretion to make decisions regarding the day-to-day operations of the society.
- Minor Projects: For any minor project to be performed, the executive committee must hold a general body meeting informing the society of the project, and to occur the minor project must obtain a simple majority vote from full voting members.
- Major Projects: For major projects to be performed, the executive committee must hold a quorum general body meeting informing the society of the project, and to occur the major project must obtain a 75% majority vote from full voting members.
- The type of decision is to be determined and classified under the executive committee’s discretion.
- There are three types of decisions that the executive committee can make:
ARTICLE V: ADVISORY BOARD
- The Executive Committee has the discretion to appoint certain full members of the society who are determined to have sufficient knowledge, by the executive committee members, to an advisory board whose goals are the following:
- Advise the executive committee in matters related to religious, educational, cultural, and other community related topics
- Advise the Imam on religious issues and other activities
- If the Advisory Board believes that the Executive Committee is erroneously using their advice, they may use the mechanisms put in place for impeachment or calling a general body meeting to bring their concerns to the society as a whole.
- A Full member is not allowed to be part of the advisory Board and the executive Committee at the same time.
ARTICLE VI: MEETINGS
- The general body consisting of full members and associate members shall meet periodically, at least once a year, in a general session for an annual report by the executive committee.
- The executive committee shall be empowered to call a general body meeting by notifying all members by emails at least one week prior to the date of meeting.
- The executive committee shall be required to call for a general body meeting within two months of submission of a written petition signed by 20% of the voting membership. The date and the purpose of the meeting shall be conveyed to each member by emails at least one week prior to the meeting.
- Alternatively, if the advisory board calls for a general body meeting due to the belief that the executive committee is wrongly ignoring their advice, the advisory board has the power to call for a general body meeting, where full members will vote on the resolution on the issue between the advisory board and the executive committee.
- If a meeting is called in this way, no member of the advisory board or the executive committee can vote on the issue at hand
ARTICLE VII: QUORUM
- General body meeting: Two-thirds of the total voting members of the society shall constitute a quorum. If a second meeting is called for the same purpose due to a lack of quorum, the quorum requirement shall be waived.
ARTICLE VIII: FINANCES
- Full membership fees will be determined by the by-laws.
- Associate members are not required to pay fees.
- The society may accept any contributions from any source consistent with its purpose.
- The assets of the society shall be under the control of the executive committee.
- All transactions of the society must bear the signatures of both the president and treasurer.
ARTICLE IX: BY-LAWS
- The first elected executive committee, after adoption of this constitution, shall pass By-Laws for the society within ninety days.
ARTICLE X: AMENDMENTS
- An acceptable proposed amendment to the constitution or the By-Laws must be signed by at least one third of the full members and must be submitted in writing to the executive committee.
- Any such amendment must be presented for consideration by the general body in a meeting within ninety days of the receipt by the executive committee.
- An affirmative vote by two thirds of the full members present in the general body meeting shall be required for adoption of all amendments.
ARTICLE XI: DISSOLUTION
- The society may be dissolved by a vote of four-fifths of the full members of the society.
- Upon the dissolution of the society, the executive committee, on a majority decision, after paying all liabilities of the society, shall disposes of all assets for the purpose of the society or to such Muslim organization or organizations organized for religious purposes.