Thaqalayn Muslim Association at the University of Michigan - Dearborn

The official name of the student organization shall be Thaqalayn Muslim Association at the University of Michigan – Dearborn. The official abbreviation of the organization’s name shall be “TMA-UMD”.

Article II – Our Purpose and Philosophy

2.1       TMA-UMD is a non-profit organization, with a mission to follow and promote awareness of the teachings of the Holy Qur'an and the family of the Prophet and respectable companions.  TMA-UMD also aims to endorse peace, unity, and cooperation amongst Muslims and non-Muslims, while serving and ensuring proper representation of the views, concerns, and ideals of the followers of the Holy Quran and the Prophet’s family.

2.2       In addition, TMA-UMD aims to dispel any myths, misconceptions, stereotypes, and false propaganda against Islam and its teachings.

2.3       TMA-UMD takes no responsibility for the individual actions of any of its members. TMA-UMD strongly denounces all forms of extremism, which are inhumane as well as un-Islamic.

Article III – Definitions

3.1       The term “Thaqalayn” is literally defined as the “two weighty things”, referring to the Holy Qur’an and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad’s family.

3.2       According to the Islamic faith, the Holy Qur'an is the final revelation from God, given to Prophet Muhammad, as guidance for mankind.

3.3       The term “Prophet” refers to the appointed representatives of God on Earth for all of mankind, starting with Prophet Adam and ending with Prophet Muhammad.

3.4       The term “Imam” refers to the 12 appointed leaders succeeding Prophet Muhammad, starting with Imam Ali and ending with Imam Muhammad Al-Mehdi.

3.5       Based on revelations from God as well as numerous authentic sayings of Prophet Muhammad, the family of Prophet Muhammad consists of:

1.   Prophet Muhammad Al-Mustafa

2.   Lady Fatima Az-Zahra, daughter of Prophet Muhammad

3.   Imam Ali, son of Abu Talib

4.   Imam Hasan Al-Mujtaba, son of Ali

5.   Imam Husayn, son of Ali

6.   Imam Ali Zainul 'Abideen, son of Husayn

7.   Imam Muhammad Al-Baaqir son of Ali

8.   Imam Ja'far As-Saadiq son of Muhammad

9.   Imam Moosa Al-Kaadhim son of Ja'far

10. Imam Ali Ar-Ridha son of Moosa

11. Imam Muhammad Al-Jawaad son of Ali

12. Imam Ali Al-Haadi son of Muhammad

13. Imam Hasan Al-'Askari son of Ali

14. Imam Muhammad Al-Mehdi son of Hassan

Article IV – Affiliations

4.1            

 TMA-UMD shall be affiliated with the Thaqalayn Foundation of the United States and Canada, hereafter known as “TF”. TF is the parent organization of all the TMA chapters.

4.2            

TMA-UMD is not affiliated with any other organization, nor is TMA-UMD affiliated with any specific Reference Scholar.  TMA-UMD respects the work and opinions of all scholars.

Article V – Policies and Bylaws

5.1             The TMA-UMD Policies and Bylaws include the following:

1.   Islamic Code of Conduct

2.   Email/Social Networking Guidelines

3.   Financial Guidelines

Article VI – Membership

6.1             Membership of TMA-UMD will be open to all students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the University of Michigan - Dearborn. All UMD students are eligible to serve on the TMA-UMD executive board as defined in Article 6.5.

6.2             Members will be required to submit a membership form.

6.3             An annual membership of $10 is encouraged from each member, notwithstanding any further donations that may be made.

6.4             TMA-UMD will not discriminate against any member based upon that member’s gender, race, creed, color, religious affiliations, political affiliations, age, origin, disabilities, marital status, and citizenship, with respect to terms or conditions of membership as contained within this agreement.

6.5             Members and executives are not required to be Muslim; however, since the essence of the group is to promote the Islamic teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the family of the Prophet, the members and executives are required during events and meetings to conduct themselves according to the TMA-UMD Policies and Bylaws.

Article VII – Executive Board

7.1             The TMA-UMD executive board shall consist of:

1.      President

2.      Vice President

3.      Secretary

4.      Secretary of Finance

5.      Director of Education

6.      Director of Student Relations

7.      Director of Marketing

8.      Director of Multimedia

9.      Ex-Officio

7.2             Powers and Responsibilities of the Executive Board:

1.      The President shall…

a.       Adhere to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the family of Prophet Muhammad

b.      Strive to adhere to all the TMA-UMD Policies and Bylaws

c.       Provide leadership and guidance to all TMA-UMD members

d.      Act on all matters of general management and supervision of the affairs and operations of TMA-UMD upon the approval of the executive board

e.       Serve as the official representative of TMA-UMD students on all occasions

f.        Enforce and maintain the TMA-UMD Policies and Bylaws

g.       Chair or appoint a chair for each executive and general meetingh.      Be a co-signing authority to the Secretary of Finance

i.         Act as or appoint the official spokesperson of TMA-UMD

j.         Assign work quota to each executive board member and enforce accountability according to the expectations and deadlines set forth

k.       Oversee and monitor all emails sent to the general list as well as provide consent for each email abiding by the Email Guidelines

l.         Meet with each executive board member periodically to ensure proper communication and transparency among the members of the executive board

2.      The Vice President shall…

 a.       Adhere to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the family of Prophet Muhammad

b.      Strive to adhere to all the TMA-UMD Policies and Bylaws

c.       Assist the President with all of his/her duties

d.      Take charge of the responsibilities of the President in his/her absence

e.       Be a co-signing authority to the Secretary of Finance in the absence of the President

f.        Shadow the President in all of his/her affairs

g.       Primarily focus on the internal affairs of the TMA-UMD executive board and assure work quota from all executive board members are met with the oversight of the President

h.      Meet the assigned work quota and deadlines issued by the President

3.      The Secretary shall…

a.       Adhere to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the family of Prophet Muhammad

b.      Strive to adhere to all the TMA-UMD Policies and Bylaws

c.       Record the minutes of each meeting and make them available to all TMA-UMD members

                                                                                                   i.      Minutes must include the recording of attendance of all members present as well as all matters discussed at the meeting including task assignments and deadlines

                                                                                                 ii.      Minutes must be approved by the executive board no later than the following meeting

d.      Make room arrangements

e.       Notify all members of all TMA-UMD activities, meetings, and events

f.        Meet the assigned work quota issued by the President

g.       Maintain the cleanliness and organization of the TMA-UMD cubical and storage areas

h.      Be familiar and up-to-date with all University of Michigan – Dearborn policies

4.      The Secretary of Finance shall…

a.       Adhere to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the family of Prophet Muhammad

b.      Strive to adhere to all the TMA-UMD Policies and Bylaws

c.       Act with the approval of the TMA-UMD executive board on all matters concerning finance

d.      Keep full and accurate accounts of all receipts and disbursements of TMA-UMD

e.       Present the budget, financial status, and/or history of transactions to the executive board as deemed necessary

f.        Work in association with all executive members and present all matters involving financial transactions to the President

g.       Be the official financial signing authority

h.      Meet the assigned work quota and deadlines issued by the Presidenti.         Be familiar and up-to-date with all financial polices of the University of Michigan – Dearborn.

5.      The Director of Education shall…

 a.       Adhere to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the family of Prophet Muhammad

b.      Strive to adhere to all the TMA-UMD Policies and Bylaws

c.       Coordinate and manage at least ONE educational event monthly during the fall and winter semesters of each school year

d.      Act with the approval of the executive board on all matters concerning educational events

e.       Present the event Master Plan and Checklist to the executive board by the assigned deadline

f.        Delegate tasks for the educational events to TMA-UMD members under the supervision of the President

g.       Be responsible for creating and maintaining TMA materials (Qur’ans, books, pamphlets, etc) for educating the University of Michigan- Dearborn campus community. All such matters should be initiated with the approval of the executive board

h.      Meet the assigned work quota and deadlines issued by the President

i.         Be familiar and up-to-date with all the University of Michigan – Dearborn policies

6.      The Director of Student Relations shall…

a.       Adhere to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the family of Prophet Muhammad

b.      Strive to adhere to all the TMA-UMD Policies and Bylaws

c.       Keep in communication with all other student organizations under the supervision of the President as well as gather all contact information for each respective organization as requested

d.      Coordinate and manage at least ONE social every other month during the fall and winter semesters of each school year

e.       Coordinate and manage at least ONE community service every other month during the fall and winter semesters of each school year

f.        Present the event Master Plan and Checklist to the executive board by the assigned deadline

g.       Delegate tasks for the social and community service events to TMA-UMD members under the supervision of the President

h.      Meet the assigned work quota and deadlines issued by the President

i.         Be familiar and up-to-date with all the University of Michigan – Dearborn policies

7.      The Director of Marketing shall…

 a.       Adhere to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the family of Prophet Muhammad

b.      Strive to adhere to all the TMA-UMD Policies and Bylaws

c.       Be responsible for advertising all TMA-UMD events following the event Master plan and Checklist

d.      Be responsible for designing a TMA-UMD tri-fold containing new executive board information as well as details of TMA-UMD related events for each new school year

e.       Be responsible for TMA-UMD presence at the Day Sale Lottery at the beginning of the fall and winter semesters

f.        Be responsible for coordinating promotion tables and bake sales

g.       Coordinate the design and distribution of all TMA-UMD apparel

h.      Work in accordance with Director of Multimedia regarding online marketing

i.         Meet the assigned work quota and deadlines issued by the President

j.         Be familiar and up-to-date with all the University of Michigan – Dearborn policies

8.      The Director of Multimedia shall…

a.       Adhere to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the family of Prophet Muhammad

b.      Strive to adhere to all the TMA-UMD Policies and Bylaws

c.       Maintain and update the TMA-UMD website (www.umd.thaqalayn.org) on a weekly basis

d.      Deal with all matters concerning the website and email accounts

e.       Be responsible for taking photos at all TMA-UMD events

f.        Record all TMA-UMD events through audio and video as deemed necessary

g.       Be responsible for uploading all meeting minutes, photos, statements, video/audio, as well as updating the TMA-UMD website calendar

h.      Work in accordance with all other executive board members on all multimedia related work

i.         Meet the assigned work quota and deadlines issued by the President

9.      The Ex-Officio shall…

 a.       Adhere to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the family of Prophet Muhammad

b.      Strive to adhere to all the TMA-UMD Policies and Bylaws

c.       Act as an advisor to the executive board

d.      Be the liaison between TMA-UMD and TF

e.       Maintain relations with TMA-UMD alumni

f.        Be responsible for heading the TMA-UMD Alumni Advisory Committee

g.       Handle disputes in regards to internal accountability measures only in the case of an appeal

h.      Have the power to vote in an executive board decision in the case of a tie

7.3             Each of the executive board members will have a term of office equivalent to approximately one year.

Article VIII – Ad-hoc Committees

8.1             Committees may be created and dissolved on an as-needed basis.

8.2             All members of TMA-UMD are encouraged to participate in at least one committee.

8.3             Committee chairs will be chosen by the President with the approval of the executive board.

8.4             The chairs will be held accountable to the same standards applied to the executive board.

Article IX – Accountability of the Executive and General Members

9.1             If an executive member misses a meeting/event without the consent of the President, he/she will receive a warning as deemed necessary.

9.2             If an executive board member fails to perform his/her required duties for reasons not deemed as appropriate by the President, the following procedure will be taken:1.      An initial warning will be issued.

2.      If the accused executive board member continues to fail in performing his/her required duties, a second warning will be issued. In addition, there will be a closed impeachment hearing between the accused executive board member and the remaining executive board members.

3.      If the accused executive board member continues to fail in performing his/her required duties after the impeachment hearing, the member will automatically be relieved of his/her duties.

a.       The accused executive board member may choose to appeal any accountability measure to the Ex-Officio, who will handle an unbiased investigation of the measure taken.

9.3             If a general member does not comply with the TMA-UMD Policies and Bylaws, the executive board reserves the right to warn, revoke, or suspend their membership.

Article X - Meetings

10.1           TMA-UMD meetings will be held once a week during the fall and winter semesters and twice a month during the summer semester.

10.2           Executive members are required to attend all meetings.

10.3           Executive board meetings may be called by the President at any time subject to each executive member being notified at least 24 hours in advance.

10.4           All major decisions can only be voted on by the executive board. All other issues can be voted on by general members if deemed appropriate by the President.1.      All votes of the executive members are of equal value.

2.      A simple majority is required for a decision to be passed.

3.      No executive member has the power to veto any decision.

10.5           In the event of any disagreement regarding religiously oriented matters, non-referenced personal opinions will not play a role in any decisions or conclusions reached. Disagreements may be posed to one or more religious authorities unanimously agreed upon by the executive board.

Article XI – Elections

11.1           Procedure:

1.      The executive board must appoint an individual to serve as an Elections Officer no later than the last Friday of February of the school year.

2.      Announcements for the elections shall be issued no later than March 1^st of the school year.

3.      Nominations shall begin no later than March 15^th of the school year.

4.      The acceptance period shall last no more than one week.

5.      It shall be the responsibility of the current executive board to hold a Meet the Candidates Forum, open to the TMA-UMD general body.

6.      The new executive board shall be voted in no later than the first week of April of the school year.

7.      The outcome of the elections will be determined by a simple majority vote of the TMA-UMD active membership and the TMA-UMD executive board.

a.       In the case of a tie, the current TMA-UMD executive board will vote with a simple majority decision.

b.      The newly elected executive board will assume their duties after the winter semester of the school year.

c.       Each newly elected executive board member is expected to shadow the previous board members, respective to their positions, as well as attend the TMA-UMD orientation held in the beginning of the summer.

d.      Results of the election shall not reveal the number of votes each candidate receives.

11.2           Eligibility:

1.      All current student members of TMA-UMD, provided they are willing to abide by the TMA-UMD Constitution as well as the TMA-UMD Policies and Bylaws, are eligible to participate in the TMA-UMD elections.

a.       In order to be eligible to vote, one must be an active member of the TMA-UMD general membership.

                                                                                                   i.      An active TMA-UMD member is defined as a member of the general body who has attended at least 2 full meetings as well as volunteered at a TMA-UMD event by no later than March 1^st of the school year.

b.      In order to be eligible to run for an executive board position, one must be an active member of the TMA-UMD general membership as well as have attended at least 4 full meetings and volunteered in at least 2 TMA-UMD events and must have been nominated by at least three other TMA-UMD active members by no later than March 1^st of the school year.

                                                                                                   i.      No candidate is allowed to accept more than one position in which they were nominated for.

                                                                                                 ii.      In order to be eligible to nominate, one must be a TMA-UMD active member.

c.       In order to become an Elections Officer, one must:

                                                                                                   i.      Be unbiased towards all candidates.

                                                                                                 ii.      Be selected from the general TMA-UMD membership.

                                                                                               iii.      Not be a member of the executive board.

                                                                                               iv.      Not be an individual currently running for the upcoming election.

11.3           Responsibilities of the Elections Officer:

1.      Ensure a smooth and problem-free transition from the current executive board to the new, incoming executive board

2.      Appoint, with the approval of the executive board, other members of the general TMA-UMD membership to assist in his/her affairs with regards to running the elections.

12.1           Any amendments to the constitution must be presented as a formal written proposal to the executive board.

12.2           Religiously based disagreements regarding any amendment shall be considered and referred to one or more religious authorities unanimously agreed upon by the executive board.

12.3           Proposals for amending the constitution can only be made by TMA-UMD active members, provided that they are in concordance with Articles 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the constitution.

12.4           All proposals must be endorsed by at least 5 other TMA-UMD active members.

12.5           Once a proposal has been made, it may be dismissed if the executive board unanimously votes against it.

1.      In the event that 12.5 occurs, a petition of at least 10 TMA-UMD active members will be necessary for the proposal to be given a referendum.

12.6           If a proposal is not dismissed, the executive board will be responsible for conducting a general membership referendum on the issue:

1.      The executive board will call a general body meeting where the proposal will be presented, discussed, and voted on by all active members present.

2.      In order for the amendment to pass, it must receive a 2/3rds majority vote of the active members present at the designated general body meeting.