UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE ISLAMIC SOCIETY
Constitution
In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful
Preamble
Article A – Aims and Objectives
Article B – Membership and Subscriptions Article C – Structure
Article D – Annual General Meeting Article E – Open General Meeting
Article F – Finance
Article G – Disciplinary processes
Preamble
The name of the body shall be ‘University of Cambridge Islamic Society’ hereinafter referred to as ‘CUISoc’ or ‘ISoc’ or ‘the Society’.
Article A – Aims and Objectives
A.1 Mission: The University of Cambridge Islamic Society strives to create an environment of unity whilst catering to the academic, social and spiritual needs of Muslim students and encourages learning and discussion about Islam amongst its members and the wider community.
A.2 The aims and objectives shall be:
i. to support Muslim members of the University
ii. to encourage them to practice Islam
iii. to promote a positive image and understanding of Islam
iv. to develop activities to encourage Muslim students to engage with the CUISoc
v. to strive to always act in accordance with the injunctions of the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah vi. to encourage engagement with the wider community and issues of social justice.
Article B – Membership and Subscriptions
B.1 Any University of Cambridge student or member of staff is eligible to join CUISoc as a member, which entails addition to the Soc-cuiss mailing list by the society Secretary. Membership is free of charge.
B.2 Any other member of the public who is not a member of the University may join the CUISoc as an ‘affiliate member’ at the discretion of the Secretary. They are free to attend and engage in society events subject to the rules and traditions of the society but have no voting rights conferred upon them.
B.3 Only full society members may vote on any CUISoc matter. A member must be a member of the Society at least three weeks prior to a vote to be eligible to partake in it.
B.4 CUISoc is affiliated to and a member of Cambridge University Students’ Union. It will also work closely with organisations that enable CUISoc to pursue its aims as detailed in article A2.
B.5 Membership may be terminated at any time by written request to the Secretary. Any assets belonging to the CUISoc held by this member must be returned within seven days of membership termination having been confirmed.
Article C – Structure
C.1 The Society will function at three levels: the Shura (A majority of the elected members of the Executive Committee shall be full-time undergraduate or postgraduate students of the University), the Committee and the Ordinary Members.
C.2 Shura is the executive committee of CUISoc. It consists of:
i. President: the head of the society. They are the spokesperson of and are responsible for the management of the Society and make the final decision on all matters, with due deference to the opinions of the other Shura members. The President engages with other university bodies and external organisations including press releases/statements on behalf of the Society with due consultation with Shura.
ii. Vice-President: deals with the day-to-day operational aspects of the society. The Vice President monitors the activity of sub-committees and deputises for the President. They will stand in as acting President where the President is unable to complete a term of office. The Vice President is also responsible for press releases/statements on behalf of the Society with due consultation with Shura.
iii. Secretary: responsible for organising meetings of Shura, the Annual General Meeting and Ordinary General Meetings; publishing an agenda and minutes for each meeting; maintaining the membership lists and society database; and sending out a weekly bulletin and monthly prayer timetables to the CUISoc membership.
iv. Treasurer: deals with all financial matters of the Society; produces an annual budget; keeps accurate and up-to-date accounts of the Society’s income and expenditure; presents yearly CUISoc accounts to the Junior Proctor and the members of the Society at the AGM; manages the Sponsorship sub-committee.
v. Publicity Officer: manages publicity for the promotion of CUIsoc events. This includes maintaining all forms of ISoc social media and updating the website regularly.
vi. Student Affairs Officer: deals with welfare and issues related to Muslim students within the Society. The SAO organises Jummah prayers, orders society ‘stash’ annually for members and oversees the work of brothers’ and sisters’ social reps and the prayer room rep to see to the welfare needs of CUISoc members.
vii. Events Officer: responsible for managing the events held by the Society, they organise the Society’s weekly circles and are responsible for management of the Events sub-committee.
viii. Up to two additional members may be co-opted to the Shura who in the unanimous view of all Shura will bring considerable benefit to the Society with their participation. The Secretary must notify the membership of the co-optation of additional Shura members in the next weekly bulletin following the event. If ten voting members object to the appointment within seven days of notification, an OGM will be called within one month wherein their co-opted membership will be decided by a simple majority vote.
ix. Shura shall meet four times a term with a quorum of four Shura members. Decisions will require a two thirds majority, with the President holding a deciding vote.
x. If ten voting members petition the Shura, the issue raised must be discussed at the next meeting and a response given to the CUISoc.
xi. In addition there shall be a Senior Treasurer, who shall be a member of the Regent House, or other person approved by the Junior Proctor. The Senior Treasurer shall be appointed by the elected members of the Executive Committee and shall be ex officio a member of the Executive Committee. Shura will vote for a Senior Treasurer once a year, the announcement of which will be made in the AGM of that year. The decision will require a two thirds majority and pre-approval by the candidate(s). No amendment to this Constitution intended to remove the position of Senior Treasurer, to alter its prerogatives and duties, or to change the criteria and procedure for the appointment of a Senior Treasurer can be put to a vote without the prior written agreement of the Junior Proctor of the University of Cambridge
xii. Senior Treasurer: deals with auditing the society’s accounts once a year as well as offering general financial advice whenever necessary. The Senior Treasurer shall not be liable for any financial debt or other obligation of the Society unless he or she has personally authorised such a debt in writing.
C.3 In the case a member of Shura steps down or has a vote of no confidence passed against them: i) For the case where the member is the President:
The Vice President will take the office of Acting President until the end of the term of office.
ii) For any other office holder:
The Shura will ask for nominations for suitable candidates from CUISoc members. Existing Shura members are eligible to be considered for the vacant position. The member stepping down does not have a say in this decision-making process if a vote of no-confidence has been passed but may contribute otherwise. The membership of CUISoc will then vote upon the position.
C.4 The Committee comprises the full range of sub-committees. The sub-committees organise and co-ordinate events in their own sector. All CUISoc members are free to join any sub-committee and thereby join the Committee. The creation, compilation and removal of all sub-committees are to be decided by Shura. The heads of sub-committees can be selected by election by the voting members of CUISoc or appointed by Shura. The method of selection is at the discretion of Shura.
The procedure for election is outlined in ‘Cambridge University Islamic Society Elections Procedure’.
Article D – Annual General Meeting
D.1 An Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be called by Shura during Lent term to elect the next Shura.
D.2 All voting members of CUISoc are eligible to run for office provided they are to remain voting CUISoc members for their elected term.
D.3 Only voting members are permitted to partake in the elections procedure and AGM. Affiliate members are permitted to attend the AGM but not permitted to nominate candidates, run for positions or to vote.
D.4 A quorum to ratify decisions made at the AGM is a minimum of thirty voting members.
D.5 Shura must appoint an Elections Committee, to be announced sixteen days before the AGM, who will act as returning officers. The Elections Committee will comprise of two chairs (one male, one female) and two other voting members. The Committee must maintain impartiality in the run up to and throughout the AGM. They are ineligible to stand for election of any office during the AGM.
D.6 Details of the AGM and the elections procedure must be sent out to the membership at least fourteen days before the AGM. Applications for offices will be opened and all applications will be sent to the elections committee. There is no limit to the number of offices one person applies for. The deadline for submission of applications is ten days before the AGM.
D.7 The order and procedure for election are outlined in ‘Cambridge University Islamic Society Elections Procedure’. Voting in the AGM will be by Single Transferable Vote.
D.8 The time between the AGM and the end of Lent Term is the handover period. The existing Shura retain official responsibilities during this period. All changes in financial signatories, correspondence addresses and e-mail lists must be complete by the end of Lent Term. The office of the new Shura begins the day following the last day of Lent Term.
D.9 The Treasurer will e-mail the membership the financial accounts of the Society before the AGM. Paper copies will also be present at the AGM. The membership may question the outgoing Treasurer regarding the accounts.
Article E – Open General Meeting
E.1 An Open General Meeting (OGM) may be called by:
i) A minimum of ten voting members and must be announced to the CUISoc membership with at
least fourteen days’ notice.
ii) A minimum of three Shura members and must be announced to the CUISoc membership with at least seven days’ notice.
E.2 A quorum to ratify decisions at the OGM is twenty voting members. A chair will be elected at the start of the OGM. The chair has no voting rights during the OGM and does not count towards quorum.
E.3 An OGM may be called to discuss specific issues relating to the activities or governance of ISoc; such as (but not limited to):
i) Constitutional amendments
ii) Vote of No Confidence
iii) Accountability of the Shura
iv) Current and planned activities of the ISoc
E.4 Constitutional amendments:
i. must be submitted to Shura or the Elections committee and publicised to the ISoc seven days prior to the general meeting they are to be discussed in.
ii. Require a two-thirds vote of a quorate general meeting to pass.
Article F- Finance
F.1 The Treasurer is responsible for all financial matters of CUISoc. The Treasurer must maintain
regular, detailed accounts of all income and expenditure.
F.2 CUISoc members and any financial donors have a right to view the yearly accounts prepared by the Treasurer. Non-members of CUISoc may view the accounts at the discretion of the Treasurer.
F.3 The assets (for the sake of clarity to include all financial holdings) of CUISoc should be applied solely towards the promotion of the aims and objectives of the society.
i) None of the income or assets of the CUISoc may be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of profit to any member of the society. This does not prevent a member:
a) Purchasing goods or services: from receiving reasonable and proper remuneration for any goods or services supplied to CUISoc agreed in advance by a quorate Shura.
b) Selling goods or services: selling goods or services from CUISoc upon terms to be agreed in advance by a quorate Shura.
ii) In the event of any doubt pertaining to financial matters, the Treasurer must act in consultation with Shura.
iii) If the society undergoes dissolution, any assets will be handed to the Societies Syndicate for distribution amongst other registered societies.
Article G – Disciplinary Processes
G.1 The Society’s only disciplinary sanctions are to expel or to suspend a member whose actions are felt to be such as to bring the Society into disrepute, or to adversely affect the smooth running of the Society in a major way. Such expulsion or suspension can only be effected by a majority vote of all Executive Committee members, excluding the Senior Treasurer. In the event of an expulsion, the excluded member is required to return all equipment, documents and finances belonging to the Society within 7 days. He/she will not be entitled to any full or partial refund of annual subscriptions;
G.2 If the excluded or suspended member wishes to appeal the decision, that appeal should be made to the Senior Treasurer, who will consider all the facts, and whose decision will be final. An appeal as to the process of exclusion, but not a further investigation into the facts, may be lodged with the Junior Proctor.