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This is Thaqalayn Muslim Association's Constitution for
the University of Toronto at Mississauga. This allows us to
function as a non-profit organization recognized by the
University of Toronto.
Article I - Name
The name of the student society shall be al-Thaqalayn
Muslim Association (TMA)
Article II - Our Purpose and Philosophy
2.1 TMA is a non-profit
organization, with a mission to follow and promote awareness
of the teachings of the Holy Qur'an and the Ahlul-Bayt
(peace be upon them). TMA also aims to endorse peace, unity
and cooperation amongst Muslims, while serving and ensuring
proper representation of the views, concerns and ideals of
the followers of al-Thaqalayn.
2.2 In addition, TMA aims to
dispel any myths, misconceptions, stereotypes and false
propaganda against Muslims in general, and in particular,
the Ahlul-Bayt (peace be upon them).
2.3 TMA is not affiliated
with any organization, nor is TMA affiliated with any
specific Marja' Taqleed. Rather, TMA acknowledges all of
them, both the alive (may Allah lengthen their lives) and
the dead (may Allah elevate their stations).
2.4 TMA does not associate
itself with any terrorist organization, and takes no
responsibility for the actions of any of its members, should
they be personally affiliated with one. TMA neither
subscribes to, nor endorses, such actions as they are both
inhuman as well as un-Islamic.
Article III - Definitions
3.1 The Holy Qur'an is defined as the final
revelation from Allah, exalted is He, given to Prophet
Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
as a guidance for mankind in all their secular and spiritual
affairs.
3.2 Based on the numerous authentic ahadeeth,
unanimously agreed upon by all Muslims, the Ahlul-Bayt
(peace be upon them) are defined as the family of Prophet
Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
and the 12 Imams, and thus consist of only the following 14
infallibles:
- A. Prophet Muhammad al-Mustafa (may the peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him)
- B. Fatima al-Zahra daughter of Muhammad (peace
be upon her)
- C. Ali son of Abu Talib (peace be upon him)
- D. Hassan son of Ali (pbuh)
- E. Hussain son of Ali (pbuh)
- F. Ali Zainul 'Abideen son of Hussain (pbuh)
- G. Muhammad Al-Baaqir son of Ali (pbuh)
- H. Ja'far as-Sadiq son of Muhammad (pbuh)
- I. Musa al-Kadhim son of Ja'far (pbuh)
- J. Ali ar-Ridha son of Musa (pbuh)
- K. Muhammad at-Taqi son of Ali (pbuh)
- L. Ali an-Naqi son of Muhammad (pbuh)
- M. Hassan al-Askari son of Ali (pbuh)
- N. Muhammad al-Mahdi son of Hassan (may Allah
hasten his reappearance)
Article IV - Membership
4.1 Membership of TMA will be open to all students
4.2 An annual membership of $5 is encouraged from
each member, notwithstanding any further donations that may
be made
Article V - Structure and Responsibilities of the
Executive Council
5.1 The TMA executive council shall consist of:
- A. President
- B. Secretary of Finance
- C. Events Coordinator
5.2 The 3 executive council members are the only
voting members of TMA
5.3 Duties and Responsibilities
A. The President shall:
- i. Strive to adhere to the Islamic code of
conduct at all times
- ii. Adhere to the teachings of the Holy Qur'an
and the Ahlul-Bayt (pbut)
- iii. Provide leadership and guidance to the
executive and general members
- iv. Act on all matters of general management
and supervision of the affairs and operations of TMA upon
the approval of the council
- v. Be a member of all standing committees
- vi. Serve as a voting official representative
of the students on all occasions
- vii. Enforce and maintain the by-laws and
policies of TMA
- viii. Chair each executive and general meeting
- ix. Serve as the chief advisor to the executive
council when required
- x. Be a cosigning authority to the Secretary of
Finance
B. The Secretary of Finance shall:
- i. Strive to adhere to the Islamic code of
conduct at all times
- ii. Adhere to the teachings of the Holy Qur'an
and the Ahlul-Bayt (pbut)
- iii. Act with the approval of the TMA executive
council on all matters concerning finance
- iv. Keep full and accurate accounts of all
receipts and disbursements of TMA
- v. Present the budget, financial status and/or
history of transactions to the executive council as deemed
necessary by the council
- vi. Work in association with all executive
members and present all matters involving financial
transactions to the executive members for approval
- vii. Be the official financial signing
authority
C. The Events Coordinators shall:
- i. Strive to adhere to the Islamic code of
conduct at all times
- ii. Adhere to the teachings of the Holy Qur'an
and the Ahlul-Bayt (pbut)
- iii. Conduct at least two large events
(preferably one in each semester) during the year
- iv. Be immediately responsible for policies and
events of a social/service nature established by the
council
- v. Act with the approval of the council on all
matters concerning social activities
- vi. Advertise and promote TMA events to
non-Muslim and Muslim organizations belonging to other
schools of thought, with the approval of the council
5.4 Each of the executive members will have a term
of office equivalent to one year
Article VI - Accountability of the Executive and
General Members
6.1 If an executive member misses 2 consecutive or
3/5 meetings without due cause or reason as deemed
appropriate by the council, the said executive member will
be issued a warning
6.2 If an executive member misses 2 consecutive or
3/5 meetings without due cause or reason as deemed
appropriate by the council, and has already accrued one
warning, the said member will be dismissed from his/her
responsibilities upon the second infraction
6.3 If the council feels that an executive member
is failing to perform his/her required duties for reasons
not deemed as appropriate by the council, upon review and
further evaluation, the accused executive member will be
issued either
- A. A warning or,
- B. Immediate dismissal on behalf of the council
6.4 If a member has already accrued a warning with
respect to the performance of his/her responsibilities, and
the council still feels that s/he has not been fulfilling
his/her responsibilities, the member will be dismissed from
his/her responsibilities upon the second infraction
6.5 If a general member abuses their membership
under TMA, the executive council reserves the right to warn,
revoke or suspend their membership as determined by further
evaluation and review by the council
6.6 In the event that 3/4 of the general members
vote to have an executive member dismissed, their vote shall
be binding given that the reason for the dismissal is on
constitutional grounds
Article VII - Meetings
7.1 Executive meetings will be held on the first
Sunday of each month
7.2 Additional meetings may be held at any time
subject to each executive member being notified at least 48
hours in advance
7.3 Meetings may be called by any executive
member, provided that the aforementioned condition has been
met
7.4 All TMA members are welcome and encouraged to
attend all meetings, in an effort to maximize student input
7.5 All major issues decided upon by TMA will be
done so by a vote from the executive council
- A. All votes of the executive members are of
equal value
- B. A 2/3 majority is required for a decision to
be passed
- C. No executive member has the power to veto
any decision made by the council
7.6 During meetings, in the event of any
disagreement regarding religiously oriented matters,
unsupported and 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 council
Article VIII - Elections
8.1 Eligibility:
A. All members of TMA, provided they are willing
to abide by the Islamic code of conduct and fulfill the
duties established in Section 5.4, are eligible to run for
one of the three executive positions
B. A nomination form must be filled out and signed
by at least five other registered members
8.2 Elections will be held in May, with the exact
date to be set forth by the executive council
8.3 The executive council must appoint an
individual to serve as an Elections Officer
8.4 In order to become an Elections Officer, on
must:
- A. Be unbiased towards all candidates
- B. Be selected from either the general
membership or the executive council
- C. Not be an individual currently running for
the upcoming election
8.5 Responsibilities of the Elections Officer:
- A. To ensure a smooth and problem-free
transition from the current executive council to the new,
incoming executive council
- B. To appoint, with the approval of the exec,
other members of the general membership to assist in
his/her affairs with regards to running the election
Article IX - Amendments to the Constitution
9.1 Changes to the constitution can take place if
the majority of the executive members agree to the amendment
9.2 Religiously based disagreements regarding any
amendment shall be considered and referred to one or more
religious authorities unanimously agreed upon by the
directors
9.3 Proposals for amending the constitution can be
made by anyone in the general assembly, provided that they
are in concordance with Articles 1, 2, and 3 of the
constitution
9.4 All proposals must be seconded by at least 5
other TMA members
9.5 Once a proposal has been made, it may be
dismissed if:
- A. The executive council deems the proposal
contrary to Articles 1, 2 or 3, and/or any of the
subsections therein
- B. The executive council unanimously votes
against it
- a. In the event of B above, a further
petition of at least 10 TMA members will be necessary
for the proposal to be given a referendum.
9.6 If a proposal is not dismissed, the executive
council will be responsible for conducting a general
membership referendum on the issue
- A. A 2/3's majority from all members will be
necessary for the amendment to pass
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