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DALTON ISLAMIC CENTER, INC., BYLAWS
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PREAMBLE The Dalton Islamic Center, Inc., is located at 2054 Dug Gap Road, in the City of Dalton, in the State of Georgia, in the United States of America. It is a non-profit, non-political, religious organization, that is not affiliated with or subordinated to any other organization either inside or outside the United States. The following articles have been written and adopted by the first Board of Directors of the Dalton Islamic Center, Inc., as the basic bylaws of the incorporation, and in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation of Dalton Islamic Center, Inc. The basic objective is to clarify how the Corporation is going to be administered and directed. The bylaws shall guarantee that the property of the Corporation and the facilities built on it are to function as an Islamic institution. No activities shall be allowed that may contradict with the Islamic teachings, as prescribed in the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah. The Dalton Islamic Center, Inc., is the collective property of the Muslim Community (waqf). It has been established to serve Muslims, particularly in meeting their religious, educational, social, and cultural needs. As a result, no clauses shall be altered or introduced to allow selling the property or any of its facilities for any reasons whatsoever.
ARTICLE I: Bylaws of the Board of Directors I.1 The affairs of the Dalton Islamic Center, Inc., referred to thereafter as the Corporation, shall be controlled and administered collectively by the Board of Directors, thereafter referred to as the Board, which shall be composed of five (5) members. The first Board, which has been elected by the General Assembly (members of the congregation) in July 2005, consists of five members. These are Hammad El-Ameen, Hassan El-Najjar, and Ahmed Salama (the two other names will be announced later). The Board shall meet within a month of being elected to elect a president (an Amir) and to assign responsibilities of members. The first meeting shall be presided by the eldest member until a president is elected. Then, the elected president presides over the meeting. The Board shall serve for two years. Then, new elections are to be held for a new board regularly during the month of September every two years. Upon the death, removal, resignation, or incapacity of any member of the Board, a majority of the then remaining members of the Board shall elect a successor, who will serve for the remaining period. A successor member who is elected by the majority of the Board members can also be removed by a majority of the Board members, if they deem that their decision is in the best interest of the Corporation. No elected member of the Board can be removed by other members without approval of the General Assembly. If majority of the Board members decide to remove a member, they have to ask for a vote on their decision from the General Assembly. A member of the Board shall be considered incapacitated if for any reason that member shall be unable to carry on the duties of his office. The remaining members of the Board shall declare him incapable of service by a three-fourth (3/4) vote. Any member of the Board of Directors may resign at any time by giving a written notice to the President or the Secretary of the Corporation. Resignations shall take effect at the time specified therein. I.2 The Board of Directors shall meet regularly, once a month, unless it is warranted to meet more than that. The President of the Board of Directors shall call for the regular and emergency meetings. A meeting can also be called for if majority of members agree to meet when the President is incapable to be present. The President shall consult with the Board members concerning the suitable time, place, and date of meetings, then notifies them with the results of his consultations. I.3 Decisions of the Board of Directors are made with a simple majority vote. In case of a tie-vote, as a result of absence of one Board member, the President’s side carries more weight. An absent member can delegate a vote, in writing, to another Board member. 1.4 Directors shall not receive any compensations for their services.
ARTICLE II: Responsibilities of the Board of Directors II.1 The Board of Directors is collectively responsible for the administration of the affairs of the Dalton Islamic Center, Inc. However, a division of labor among Board members facilitates the Board’s work. Thus, the Board shall create the positions that meet the needs of the Dalton Islamic Center, Inc. Some positions are of a permanent nature, such as the positions of the President, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations Director, and Education Director. Emerging responsibilities, such as building maintenance, landscaping, athletic activities, and social activities may be added to the responsibilities of the Board members, as these become necessary. Board members can seek help from others outside the Board to conduct their responsibilities, but they continue to be held responsible in front of the Board. II.2 The Board of Director shall elect a Vice President, who shall perform the functions of the President in case of the President’s incapacity, or if authorized by the President due to absence. The Board member who is elected as a Vice President shall assume other responsibilities as a Board members, as the Vice President position functions only in absence of the President. II.3 The President is the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation. In the absence of the President, the Vice President performs the duties of the President. In the absence of both of them, the Secretary shall perform the duties of the President. The President in collaboration with the Secretary is responsible for creating and maintaining a membership roster, which is updated whenever new members join the Congregation. II.4 The Secretary shall be the custodian of the minute books of the Corporation and shall accurately keep minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors. The Secretary is also responsible for keeping a membership roster, as agreed by the Board, and in collaboration with the President. II.5 The Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial affairs of the Corporation. The Treasurer shall accurately keep records of the revenues and expenditure of the Corporation. The Treasurer is also responsible before the Board to show absolute transparency. This includes writing reports to the Board regularly and on monthly basis. The Treasurer’s responsibility further extends to writing checks on behalf of the Corporation and signing them together with the President. II.6 The Public Relations Director shall be responsible for representing the Corporation to the public. This includes conducting contacts with other entities, dealing with the media, inviting members of other entities to the Corporation’s facilities, and visiting other interested entities. II.7 The Education Director shall be responsible for the educational affairs conducted in the Corporation’s facilities. This includes supervising school activities for children and Islamic studies for adults. The Education Director shall also cooperate with the treasurer in the financial affairs related to the educational activities of the Corporation.
ARTICLE III: Membership III.1 The Dalton Islamic Center, Inc., shall be a membership corporation. The membership may also be referred to as the Congregation. Any natural person may become a member of the Congregation upon his or her profession of faith in the tenets of the Islamic religion, as prescribed in the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah. Membership is accorded upon his or her acceptance by the affirmative vote of a majority of the membership at any meeting of the Congregation, which has as one of its purposes the admission of new members. The prospective member is thereafter listed on the membership roster by the Secretary, and upon such prospective member’s agreement to adhere to the bylaws of the Corporation and US laws, without contradiction with the principles and teachings of the Islamic religion. III.2 Each active member of the Congregation, eighteen years old or older, shall have the right to vote and he or she shall have one vote. Active members are those who attend Friday services regularly. III.3 The membership (Congregation) shall meet every two years, during the month of September, for the election of the Board of Directors but may meet before that for the transaction of any other business. The Board of Directors shall declare the time, place, and date of such meetings. If the Board of Directors fails to designate the time, place, and date for a due Board election during the month of September every two years, the Congregation shall hold a meeting at its regular meeting place on the 3rd Friday during the month of October of that year, for the purpose of electing new Board of Directors. III.4 Special meetings of the membership may be called at any time by the Board of Directors or the President of the Corporation and shall be held at such time, place and hour as shall be designated in such notice. III.5. Each recorded member of the Congregation shall be notified of each membership meeting by announcement during regular weekly Congregational meetings, by a telephone call, or by a written notice. The President makes sure that each member is notified. III.6 At any meeting of the membership, a majority of those present and voting affirmatively shall govern any action or proposed action by the Corporation. The attendance in person of not less than a majority of the membership listed on the membership roster at the time of any annual or special meeting of the members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any such meeting. When a quorum, that is a simple majority of members, is present to organize the meeting, the members present may continue to do business at the meeting or at any adjournment thereof notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough members to leave less than a quorum. A majority of the members at any meeting, whether or not a quorum is present, may adjourn such meeting from time to time. III.7 The Board of Directors is responsible for hiring Imams and other Corporation employees. When an Imam is hired by the Board, he becomes the religious leader of the Dalton Islamic Center and its Mosque. The Imam shall NOT be a member of the Board of Directors. Although hiring or removing Imams is the responsibility of the Board of Directors as a whole, the Imam reports directly to the President. III.8 Neither the Imam nor invited religious speakers shall intrude politics in religious services. In particular, Friday service speeches should not include any incitement against governments, nations, religions, ethnic groups, or racial groups in the United States or anywhere in the world.
ARTICLE IV: Property Ownership IV.1 As mentioned in the Preamble, the Dalton Islamic Center, Inc., is the collective property of the Muslim Community (waqf). As a result, the Corporation, its property, and facilities located at 2054 Dug Gap Road, in the City of Dalton, shall not be sold or transferred to any other entity for any reasons whatsoever. IV.2 The Mosque and the Corporation facilities shall not be allowed to be used by members or non-members for sleeping or spending the night as long as security concerns persist.
ARTICLE V: Records V.1 The books and records of the Corporation may be kept at such places as the Directors may determine from time to time, or as otherwise directed by these bylaws.
ARTICLE VI: Corporate Seal VI.1 The Board of Directors shall provide a Corporate seal, which shall be in a form authorized or prescribed by law in the State of Georgia. The seal may be used in very limited cases and if only required.
ARTICLE VII: Fiscal Year VII.1 The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be set by the Board of Directors. Monthly and annual reports should be prepared by the Treasurer and the President, presented to the Board on regular basis, and made public to the Congregation.
ARTICLE VIII: Altering Bylaws VIII.1 With the exception of Article IV (Property Ownership), the Board of Directors shall have the power to alter and amend the bylaws or adopt new by laws to improve the functions and services of the Corporation, provided that the bylaws at no time shall contain any provision inconsistent with law or the Articles of Incorporation. Essential and worth reiterating is that the Board of Directors shall not alter Article IV.1 that states that the Corporation, its property, and facilities located at 2054 Dug Gap Road, in the City of Dalton, shall not be sold or transferred to any other entity for any reasons whatsoever. No other articles contradicting with Article IV.1 shall be adopted by future Boards. End of the By-Laws. *** This document was authored by Dr. Hassan Ali El-Najjar and adopted by the first Board of Directors of the Dalton Islamic Center, Inc., on Friday, 4th of Ramadan, 1426 Hijriah, 7th of October, 2005. The document benefited from by-laws of other mosques and was revised legally by an attorney. The first Board of Directors served for two years, between September 2005 and September 2007. It was composed of the following five members, in alphabetical order of last names: 1. Samir Abu-Hadba Secretary 2. Rami Azzouz Education Director 3. Hammad El-Ameen President 4. Hassan El-Najjar Public Relations Director 5. Ahmed Salama Treasurer *** On Friday, 9th of Ramadhan, 1428 Hijriyah, 21st of September, 2007, the second elections in the history of the Corporation were held after Friday prayers. Members of the Congregation elected the second Board of Directors to serve from September 2007 to September 2009. The second Board of Directors was composed of the following five people, in alphabetical order of last names: 1. Ezad Ahmed Public Relations Director 2. Rami Azzouz Treasurer 3. Hammad El-Ameern President 4. Tarek El-Sayed Secretary 5. Ahmed Salama Education Director ***
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