In the name of Allah Most Beneficent, Most Merciful

CONSTITUTION
FOR THE
MUSLIM ASSOCIATION
OF
GREATER ROCKFORD

August, 2007
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 In the name of Allah Most Beneficent, Most Merciful

APPROVALS

President:____________________ Vice President:______________

Treasurer:____________________ Secretary:__________________

Board Member:________________ Board Member:______________

Board Member:________________ Board Member:______________

Board Member:________________

Constitution Amendment Ad- Hoc Committee:

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE #

ARTICLE I NAME 4

ARTICLE II NATURE 4

ARTICLE III HEADQUARTERS 4

ARTICLE IV PURPOSE 4

ARTICLE V MEMBERSHIP 5

ARTICLE VI BOARD OF DIRECTORS 5

ARTICLE VII EXECUTIVE BOARD & COMMITTEES 6

ARTICLE VIII FINANCES 7

ARTICLE IX GENERAL BODY MEETING 8

ARTICLE X RESIGNATION OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS 8

ARTICLE XI LOANS 9

ARTICLE XII ROCKFORD IQRA SCHOOL ESTABLISHMENT 9

ARTICLE XIII DISBURSEMENT OF COMMUNITY ASSETS 9

ARTICLE XIV AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION 9

ARTICLE XV DISSOLUTION OF MAGR 10

ARTICLE XVI AMENDMENTS TO THE BY-LAWS 10

ARTICLE XVII PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE 10

ARTICLE XVIII MUSLIM CEMETERY 11

ARTICLE XVIX ARBITRATION 11

Revision A April ‘91

Revision B April ‘96
Revision C July ’98
Revision D April ‘01
Revision E Oct ’02
Revision F August, 2007

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GENERAL
In this document, “shall” is used to express a requirement that is binding, “should” and “may”
are used to express recommended or suggested actions, and “will” is used to express a
declaration of intent.

ARTICLE I NAME

The organization shall be called “The Muslim Association of Greater Rockford” (MAGR),
commonly known as Muslim Community Center (MCC).

ARTICLE II NATURE

The MAGR shall be a non-profit religious organization in accordance with the teachings of the
Quran and Sunnah.

ARTICLE III HEADQUARTERS

The headquarters of the MAGR is located at 5921 Darlene Drive, Rockford, Illinois 61109.

ARTICLE IV PURPOSE

The MAGR is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, and religious purposes, within
the meaning of section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and shall be consistent with
the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah which shall include, but not limited to the following:
1. Help Muslims residing in Winnebago, Stephenson, JoDaviess, Boone and McHenry
counties in Illinois and Green, Rock and Walworth counties in Wisconsin (defined as Greater
Rockford) to carry out Islamic activities in pursuance of Islam as a complete way of life.
2. Strengthen Islam/Islamic bonds and understanding between Muslims in the Greater
Rockford area and from various parts of the world.
3. Promote Islamic understanding and friendly relations between Muslims, and Dawah
for non-Muslims.

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4. Arrange for continuing Islamic education and personal development in the
community.
5. Create educational programs for Muslim youth about faith and practice of Islam.
6. Strive to operate the Islamic Center for religious, social, charitable, educational and
other Islamic activities.

ARTICLE V MEMBERSHIP

1. Muslims of Greater Rockford, regardless of race, color, sect, gender or nationality

may be members of the MAGR.
2. The membership fee for all voting members shall be $200.00 a year per household,
or $100.00 a year per single member on a continuous basis payable on or before January 31, of
each calendar year. A new member in the community shall be eligible to vote 30 days after the
membership dues are paid. Members residing in the community who defaulted in paying their
dues for the previous two years shall be eligible to vote upon payment of all dues thirty days
prior to election date.
3. The Board of Directors with two-thirds (2/3) majority, may grant membership to
individuals who are unable to pay the membership fee, by volunteering, and who are beneficial
to MAGR.
4. All the voting members in good standing and in accordance with this constitution,
and MAGR by-laws, shall form the general body of the MAGR.
5. Any member working against the constitution of MAGR, harming directly or
indirectly the Islamic cause may not be eligible to vote or hold an office. The religious
committee will review the attitude and actions of that individual and make recommendations to
the Board of Directors. The individual has the right to appeal to the Board of Directors in
writing within 30 days.
6. The fiscal year for MAGR membership and budget shall be based on the calendar
year (January 01 through December 31).

ARTICLE VI BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The new Board of Directors shall be convened in the second week of January, after the
election.
All Board of Directors shall take an oath according to the Quran and the Sunnah in front of
the general body. They will perform their duties and functions honestly and faithfully to the
best of their abilities in accordance with the constitution of MAGR of Rockford.
1. The overall management of MAGR shall be the responsibility of the Board of
Directors.
2. There shall be a total of eleven (11) board members which include: 5 executive
members and 6 committee chairs.
3. Election of the board members shall be based on the following criteria:
a. Exemplary practices of Islam, dedication, knowledge and professional skills from
which MAGR can benefit.
b. In order to be eligible for nomination to run for the Board of Directors, one shall
complete the applicable form as described in addendum B of the by-laws.

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4. The general body will elect members to the Board of Directors.
5. The Board of Directors shall be elected for a term of two years. During this period
any vacant position shall be filled through nomination by the Executive Committee and decided
by majority votes, voted on by the Board of Directors.
6. The general functions of the Board of Directors are defined as below:
a. Overall policy making for MAGR.
b. To formulate and approve the amendments to the constitution proposed by 2/3 majority of
the general body.
c. Appropriate funds and expenditures for capital projects and to approve the annual budget of
MAGR.
d. Handle appointment of the religious director (Imam) and/or any other paid employees of
MAGR.
e. Detailed functions are elaborated in the by-laws
7. An elected director in violation of the guidelines may be removed from directorship by
simple majority vote by the general body, after recommendation from the Board of Directors.
8. An unelected director in violation of the guidelines may be removed from directorship by
simply majority vote by the Board of Directors.
9. The board and committees shall meet at least once a month to monitor the affairs of MAGR
and to make decisions. Simply majority of the Board of Directors shall provide the necessary
quorum.

ARTICLE VII EXECUTIVE BOARD AND COMMITTEES

1. Executive Board:
a) The Executive Board shall consist of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and
Rockford Iqra School Establishment (RISE) Chairman.
b) Due to the extensive work that must be conducted by the Board of Directors, the executive
board members shall not be chairman of any committee except the RISE Chairman and Vice-
President.
c) The President can call an Executive Board meeting at any time to discuss and vote on
issues.
2. Committees:
a) All committees will be chaired by a board member and the sister committee will be chaired
by a sister member.
b) Individuals, including board members, can participate in no more than two committees.
c) All of the committees shall function independently, within the guidelines, established by the
Board of Directors. All committees will consist of a minimum of five (5) members, including
the chairman, approved by the board.

d) The following committees shall be formed from among the voting members:
(aa) Building
(bb) Fundraising

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 (cc) Public Relations/Social Affairs/Civil Rights
(dd) Religious Affairs/Dawah
(ee) Rockford Iqra School Establishment
(ff) Sisters'
(gg) Sunday School
(hh) Youth/Volunteer
No additional committees shall be formulated under any circumstance, without
the prior approval of the Board of Directors, and 2/3 majority quorum of the
general body, except ad-hoc committees.
3. Hand-over Procedure:
A public meeting will be held within thirty (30) days after election. In such
meeting the incoming Board members will take an oath to discharge their
responsibilities to the best of their abilities in compliance with the constitution.
At that time, the Board will present a summary of the financial status and
progress to date.
All officers shall observe the following hand over procedure:
a) The outgoing Directors shall hand-over all the files, documents, keys and
other property of MAGR at their disposal to the incoming Directors.
b) A list containing unfinished business, outstanding accounts and other
pertinent matters shall be given to the respective incoming Directors.
c) All Directors shall keep records of their activities and hand it over to their
successors.
d) Handing and taking over of the documents will be signed by both the
outgoing and incoming Directors in the presence of the general body (By-laws
addendum C).
e) If a board member continues in the same capacity for another term, he must
file a copy of all the records in the master file cabinet from the previous years.

ARTICLE VIII FINANCES

1. Finances, budgeting, business management and reporting shall be the overall

responsibility of the Board of Directors.
2. The source of income shall be annual dues, rental income, donations and any other
income from members.
3. Announcements shall be made at the time of fundraisers to mark donations into the
following categories: Zakat, Sadaqa, Iqra School, MAGR, and other intended projects.
4. All funds collected for a specific purpose; unless a scope of the project is no longer
valid then it will go to the religious committee to make a decision then that decision will be
passed to the General body and a 2/3 majority vote from the General Body will authorize it’s
use for a different beneficial cause within the goals and objectives of MAGR.
5. No part of the net earnings from MAGR shall benefit or be distributed to Board
members.
6. No substantial part of the activities of MAGR shall be a carrying on of propaganda, or
an attempt to influence legislation. MAGR shall not participate or intervene in the publishing
or distribution of statements, or any political campaign on behalf of candidates for public
office.

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7. Notwithstanding, any other provisions of this constitution, MAGR shall not carry out
any un-Islamic or unlawful activities not permitted in the State of Illinois.
8. Internal Audit:
a) An Internal Audit Team shall audit the accounts every 6 months, and submit the
report to the Board of Directors for rectification of errors and to report any expenditures not
stated in the constitution.
b) A copy of the internal audit report shall be displayed every March and
September of each year.

ARTICLE IX GENERAL BODY MEETING

1. Every two years a general body meeting shall be held within the first week of
December to elect Directors and conduct any necessary MAGR business. Special
meetings of the general body may be held when necessary upon a minimum of a
two week notice to the general body. The agenda should be posted one week prior
to the meeting.
2. A general body meeting shall be called by the Board every March/April and
September/October, to discuss the agenda, community issues, financial status and
to provide information regarding board activities.
3. The quorum for a general body meeting shall be 2/3 of the total voting
membership.
If the quorum is not met in the first meeting then another meeting shall be called
within 30 days.
4. In the second meeting business shall be conducted, and the total members present
shall form the quorum.
5. Signatures from 30 members along with specific reason(s) for calling a meeting
must be given in writing to the Board four (4) weeks prior to the intended meeting
date.

ARTICLE X RESIGNATION OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS

1. A board member may resign by submitting in writing to the President a detailed explanation
for his resignation. In case the President decides to resign, he must submit his resignation to the
Secretary. The Board must approve all resignations by a simple majority within thirty (30)
calendar days.

ARTICLE XI LOANS

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1. Personal loans of any nature shall not be given out except emergency loans.
An application must be filled out and approved by 2/3 majority of the Board of
Directors.
2. Charity/Zakat fund shall be established for emergency needs for community members and
Muslims at large.
3. MAGR shall never take out an interest-bearing loan or indulge in an interest-bearing
transaction.

ARTICLE XII ROCKFORD IQRA SCHOOL ESTABLISHMENT

1. The Board of Directors shall comply with the guidelines, rules and regulations concerning
the operation of Rockford Iqra School Establishment (RISE).
2. RISE will work as an autonomous body, working directly under MAGR and responsible to
the general body. RISE will be responsible to submit reports and accounts to the MAGR
Board. RISE will be responsible for screening, appointing school staff, and the day to day
functioning of the school. Any legal matters shall be referred to the Board of Directors; all
functions, protocols and duties are elaborated in the by-laws.
3. RISE must present a budget to the MAGR Board by February for the upcoming year.
4. Dissolution of Rockford Iqra School Establishment is bound by the dissolution of MAGR.

ARTICLE XIII DISBURSEMENT OF COMMUNITY ASSETS

Community assets such as furniture, public address system, keys, or any other item which
belongs to MAGR, will be given out only if the criteria described in Article X of the by-laws
are met.

ARTICLE XIV AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

The constitution can only be ratified once every two years.

1. Any proposed amendment to the constitution by the general body will require
signatures from 1/3 of the total voting membership and a specific reason(s) for an
amendment(s) must be given in writing to the Board of Directors 4 weeks prior to
the intended meeting date.
2. The Board of Directors must approve the proposed amendment by 2/3 majority
vote before being presented to the general body.
3. Amendment to the constitution can also be initiated and presented by the Board of
Directors to the general body.
4. In either case (as described in items 1 and 3), the proposed amendment(s) shall be
incorporated only if approved by 2/3 majority vote by the general body quorum.
5. The quorum will be defined as per article IX, numbers 3 & 4 in the constitution.

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ARTICLE XV DISSOLUTION OF MAGR

1. Upon the dissolution, MAGR shall pay or make provisions for the payment of all
liabilities, and dispose of all the assets according to the decision of a 2/3 majority
vote by the general body quorum.
2. The assets shall be disbursed exclusively to Islamic charitable, educational and
religious organizations as shall at that time qualify as an exempt organization(s)
under section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or corresponding
provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law), as the Board of
Directors shall determine.
3. The Winnebago County court, as said, may dispose of any assets not disposed of
by the Board of Directors exclusively for Islamic purposes and to Islamic
organizations.

ARTICLE XVI AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS

The Board of Directors may:

1) Adopt by-laws, rules and regulations to regulate its functioning and decision
making
2) Conduct MAGR affairs
3) Define the duties of all appointments including the elected officers and paid
employees
4) Review by-laws every two years to accommodate changes if necessary.
5) Carry out the wishes of the general body in accordance with the constitution.
The by-laws, rules and regulations shall immediately become effective when ratified by
simple majority of the Board of Directors, and simple majority of the quorum of the
general body as stated in article XI, numbers 3 & 4.

ARTICLE XVII PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

Meetings of the general body, committees and the Board of Directors shall be conducted
in accordance with the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah. The minutes of all
the Board meetings shall be posted on the bulletin board for members to
review.

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ARTICLE XVIII MUSLIM CEMETERY

MAGR shall maintain a Muslim cemetery within the premises of Arlington Cemetery,
located at 6202 Charles Street, Rockford, IL. 61108. The rules and regulations for the
Muslim Cemetery are incorporated in the by-laws and set forth by MAGR. In addition,
funeral services will be contracted out for the convenience of MAGR members.

ARTICLE XIX ARBRITATION

In the event of any unresolved conflict within MAGR, after a minimum of three sincere
attempts by the Board of Directors, the Executive Board may seek assistance from the general
body. The Board of Directors will ask the general body to choose an ad hoc committee to
resolve the conflict.

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