The Constitution

You can download a pdf copy here.

Article 1

(It is the practice of those) Who preach the messages Of Allah, and fear Him and fear none but Allah. And enough is Allah to call men to count. (Al-Ahzab: 39)*

Aims and Purposes

The goal of the Johns Hopkins Muslim Association (herewith referred to as JHUMA) is to create a stronger bond among Muslims in and around the Baltimore Area. We wish to provide correct and authentic information, for both Muslims and non-Muslims, regarding true Islamic theology and the Fundamentals of our Faith. Through our endeavors we hope not only to dispel any false and derogatory ideas towards Muslims and Islam but also to spread the True word and preach the Grace and Mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah knows best.

JHUMA is also responsible for:

   * Promoting unity and joint action among the Muslims on campus, off campus and in the surrounding communities.
   * Conducting social, religious and other activities in the best traditions of Islam.
   * Arranging and holding congregational prayers and Islamic religious festivals at appropriate times.
   * Promoting friendly relations between Muslims and non-Muslims.
   * Endeavoring to make Islamic teachings known to interested non-Muslims.
   * Upholding Islamic values.

Article 2

For Muslim men and women,- for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in Charity, for men and women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah's praise,- for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward. (Al-Ahzab: 35)*

Membership

The membership of JHUMA shall be open to full-time undergraduate and graduate students, studying at the Johns Hopkins University.

A member shall be any student who wishes to be a member of the association, and agrees to obey the constitution and the generally accepted practices of the association.

An active member shall be any undergraduate or graduate student who has attended more than 4 activities of JHUMA, not counting jum'ah prayers. Only active members are eligible to vote in the elections.

Article 3

And We appointed, from among them, leaders, giving guidance under Our command, so long as they persevered with patience and continued to have faith in Our Signs. (As-Sajdah: 24)*

Executive Board (EB) Structure and Duties:

JHUMA shall be managed by an executive board (EB) consisting of 7 functionaries, making a total of 13-15 members. These positions shall be held and elected by the undergraduate members of the JHUMA. All members of the EB, individually and collectively, shall endeavor to implement the goals and objectives of JHUMA. Towards this end, they shall:

Define and decide on internal and external policies of JHUMA
Decide on funding and allocating funds.
Abide by all EB decisions.
Never miss EB meetings in a row.
Vote on all issues brought before the EB.
Consult with the JHUMA Advisor and Chaplains.

All positions are open to both males and females.

The EB must appoint one to three freshmen representatives based on an application process by the end of the first semester.

The term for the elected officers will begin on May 1^st, and will last exactly one year.

Functionaries:

President
Vice President
Treasurer
Webmaster
General Secretary
External Community Relations: 2 (recommended: 1 female, 1 male) (ECR)
Internal Community Relations: 2 (recommended: 1 female, 1 male) (ICR)
Class Reps: 5-6 (1 Senior, 1 Junior, 1 Sophomore, 1-3 Freshmen [to be determined at start of Fall semester])

Non-Board Positions:

Anchors: for Quran Study, Study Together, Monday Maghrib, Dawah Table
Facilitator Team: for Jum’a Café, Social Activities, Islam Study
Campus Ministries Advisor

*Note: Non-Board Positions, with exception of Campus Ministries Advisor, are examples of roles that General Body members can assume towards establishing regularly scheduled JHUMA activities.

Functions and Responsibilities

President:

Builds a supportive community amongst JHUMA members.
Attends Student Activities Commission (SAC) meetings
Organizes JHUMA Executive Board meetings.
Oversees operations of subcommittees.
Leads production of big Events
Responds to local and international current events relating to Muslims with consultation of ECR, VP, and Advisors
Promotes JHUMA internal and external community building through

Vice-President:

Assists President in his/her responsibilities
Coordinates Alumni Relations between ECR representative, Treasurer, Webmaster, and Secretary.

Treasurer:

Attends SAC meetings
Manages JHUMA Ledger
Approves and issues reimbursement checks
Submits proposals for funding
Works with President, VP and ECR in fundraising
Maintains bank account
Prepares financial statements

Webmaster:

Maintains JHUMA website
Keep information current
Maintains Alumni Information Database and webpage
Posts minutes on website
Maintains membership information

Secretary:

Records minutes of EB and General Body meetings
Emails announcements to general body members
Co-signs for bank transactions
Corresponds with Alumni Class Representatives.
Coordinates Alumni Relations between ECR representative, Treasurer, Webmaster, and VP.

External Community Relations (ECR):

Works with ECR to organize the Orientation BBQ, promoting JHUMA to the general JHU community.
Plans and implements creative ways to educate the JHU community about Islam (e.g. Fast-A-Thon, Tabling (“Dining Hall Dawah”), “It’s Eid: Eat,” Ramadan Countdown, Spring Fair, etc.)
Plans and implements activities to develop good relations with other groups on campus. (e.g “Invite Night” inviting another group to a JHUMA activity.)
Promotes JHUMA participation in campus activities, especially charity events (e.g. JHUMA collective goal of donating 100 hours to volunteer work each semester; volunteer meter displayed on website.)
Coordinates JHUMA assistance and attendance to IFC activities.
Plans and Implements Inter-MSA activities.
Promotes Volunteerism in the JHUMA in creative ways, e.g. organizing SHADOW WEEK.
Works with Webmaster to keep website information current and promote ECR activities.
Works with VP, Treasurer, Webmaster, and Secretary in developing and implementing Alumni Relations. (e.g. organizing an Alumni Iftar, appealing for funds)
Produces and Distributes materials for ICR activities with consultation from Advisor and President. (e.g. signs, name tags, brochures, fliers, gifts, etc.)

Internal Community Relations (ICR):

Plans and Implements activities geared toward developing friendships and a supportive community through education and kindness.
Produces and Distributes materials for ICR activities with consultation from Advisor and President. (e.g. signs, name tags, brochures, fliers, gifts, etc.)
Plans and implements Ice-Breaker games at General Body Meetings.
Recruits Freshmen Representative applications.
Makes sure JHUMA members know JHUMA calendar of events.
Recruits speakers for and organizes Jum’a Café and Islam Study.
Organizes JHUMA Social Activities.
Promotes and facilitates Internal Volunteering (e.g. help someone assemble/move furniture, tutoring, etc.)
Recruits and trains Anchors for Quran Study, Prayer in Congregation Initiatives, and Study Support Initiatives.
Recruits and trains Facilitators for Jum’a Café and Islam Study discussions for Fall and Spring semesters.
Recruits and greets Imams for Jum’a Prayers, maintains Imam contact information, sends thank you cards and invitation to Spring Banquet.
Organizes Ramadan iftars, facilitates the community atmosphere through meet and greet protocols, leading iftar with a du’a, organizing efficient food distribution, encouraging members to help with clean-up.
Interviews/reviews questionnaires for members’ mid-year JHUMA review with help of JHUMA Advisor.
Actively invites suggestions or concerns and promptly and appropriately responds, with consultation from JHUMA President, JHU Chaplains, and JHUMA Advisors.
Encourages and facilitates JHUMA members to contribute their interests and talents to the organization.
Plans and Implements Senior Send-Off BBQ.

Class Representatives (1-3 freshmen, 1 sophomore, 1 junior, 1 senior):

Participate fully in all EB meetings.
Fill temporary openings of other elected officers as necessary.
Choose either ECR or ICR committees to help with their functions.

Non- Executive Board Positions:

Anchors and Facilitators: These positions are available to JHUMA members at large. They will be trained by the ECR and ICR and follow the prescribed protocol. These shall be semester-long positions. Anchors for Quran Study, Study Support Initiatives, Prayer in Congregation Initiatives, Da’wah Table. Facilitators for Jum’ah Café, Social Activities, and Islam Study.
Alumni Class Representative: Outgoing Senior Class votes for one permanent class representative. Responsibilities:
JHUMA Advisor, Campus Ministries Board Member: The Advisor shall serve the JHUMA community by seeking out and responding to member concerns and interests regarding the organization. The Advisor helps to facilitate programs that meet these needs and interests. The Advisor assists in encouraging an inclusive environment, where every student, regardless of level of religious commitment, knowledge, or denominational affiliation feels a valuable part of the community. The Advisor interfaces with the Campus Ministries Board and Chaplains to serve the best interests of JHU student population, responding to immediate crises and general life issues. The Advisor works with other Campus Ministers to create an environment of respect for religious diversity through education, mutual assistance, and kindness. The Advisor shall work with the JHUMA Executive Board to promote mutual understanding between student organizations.

Article 4

It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision: if any one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path. (Al-Ahzab: 36)*

Decision Making Process

Decisions are made by a simple majority vote of the EB. In the event of a tie, the President is the tiebreaker and the EB complies with the decision. It is at the discretion of the EB whether or not Freshmen Representatives can vote.

In the case of a dispute over a religious matter, the President and EB may approach two previously agreed upon Islamic consultants for arbitration. If both consultants advocate a certain position, a decision based on that position stands despite any majority vote to the contrary. If the two consultants differ in their position, the original majority vote stands.

In all votes called, abstention is allowed. However, a minimum number of three members of the EB must vote.

All decisions must be based on Holy Quran and Sunnah.

Article 5

Narrated Ma'qil bin Yasar (r.a.) I heard the Prophet (s.a.w.) saying, "Any man whom Allah has given the authority of ruling some people and he does not look after them in an honest manner, will never have even the smell of paradise. (Sahih Bukhari: Kitab Al-Ahkam)**

Impeachment

Any EB member can propose an impeachment. Grounds for impeachment are as follows:

Failure to fulfill duties.
2 unexcused absences in EB meetings.
Participation in unislamic activities.
Unislamic conduct.

Unislamic activities and conduct are those delineated by the Holy Quran, Sunnah, Qiyas and Ijma' Ulama'.

If the impeachment proposal has been accepted by a simple majority, the impeached officer will be suspended from office.

One week will be granted to the impeached officer to prepare a defense, after which the EB will vote on removal from office. The impeached officer may not participate in this vote. He/she can only be removed by a unanimous save one vote from among the remaining EB members.

Article 6

Reelection

Reelection will be held as per Article 7.

Reelections will be held only for permanent vacancies (e.g. resignation, removal).

Article 7

Elections

All active members are allowed to nominate and vote for offices, including active seniors.

Only active members are allowed to run for offices. Graduate students are not allowed to run for offices, nor may they vote.

The candidate for the office of the President must be a Muslim.

The governing EB must announce the election 15 days prior to the general elections.

Election process:

Nominations will be collected as early as 30 days prior to the elections.
Only if the candidate loses, he/she is eligible to run again for another office.
The candidate MUST be present on the day of the elections.
Votes will be counted by 2 volunteers and they should not be:
The governing EB must take all necessary steps to ensure the fairness and transparency of the elections.
The order of the elections will be:

All candidates will be selected for office by a single transferable vote system.

Any issues with the election must be submitted in writing within one week of the election. The General Body meeting to discuss and decide upon issues will be held no later than two weeks after elections. Any actions decided to redress issues must be approved by a four fifths majority vote.

Article 8

Miscellaneous

By the second EB meeting:

* The EB will decide on standing rules, which will expire at the end of their term.

* The EB will also agree upon a prioritized list consisting of at least 3 Islamic consultants and two Islamic sources to refer to, in the case of a dispute as per Article 4. If a consultant is unavailable, the next one on the list should be consulted. The first two on this list must be agreed upon by a unanimous save one vote.

* Frequency of EB meetings and whether or not they are open to non-EB members (if meetings are closed, then frequency of General meetings) must be specified.

Article 9

Amending the Constitution

A General Body meeting must be held at least once per year to discuss any amendments to the Constitution. Any active member may propose an amendment.

Four fifths of those present must approve the proposal before it can become an amendment.

At any point throughout the year and active member may propose an amendment to the EB. It is at the EB's discretion to as to when the proposal is addressed. However, it must be addressed by the end of the EB's term.

Amendments

* (4/1/02) In case of resignation, that EB member must provide a minimum of two weeks period before he/she officially leaves his/her duties. The particulars of the transfer of responsibilities for that two weeks will be determined by the EB on a case by case basis. Refer to Article 6.

* (4/1/02) Should a person resign from his/her position on the EB, that person is not allowed to serve for that position for that academic year and the following year. (Added to Article 6)

* (4/1/02) Should a EB entertain the notion of deviating from the Constitution, a general body meeting must be held to approve such a deviation with a 4/5 majority of the general body.

* (4/21/06) A new structure to the Shura/EB was made supplanting the previous one. Adjustments throughout the constitution were made solely to reflect the change and maintain internal consistency. Please refer to the former constitution for the previous Shura/EB structure.

Reference

translation is taken from The Meaning of The Holy Quran, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, 4th Ed.,Herndon, VA, 1989

translation taken from Summarized Sahih Bukhari, Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan, 1st Ed., Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 1996