Our Constitution

In this set of bylaws, unless the context otherwise specifies or requires:

1. “Committee” refers to all of the elected members of the society, including the Board of Directors and the General Committee Members;
2. “General Committee Members” refers to all the elected personnel of the Committee, excluding the Board of Directors;
3. “General Members” refers to the students of the University of Manchester that benefit from the Society, otherwise known as ‘attendees’;
4. “Volunteers” refers to any persons aiding the Society and the Committee, who may be recruited by the President at any time but will not hold any of the rights or responsibilities of the Directors / General Committee Members.

The affairs of the Society shall be managed by eleven (11) who serve on the Board of Directors and twenty-four (24) General Committee Members. All personnel of the Committee while in office must uphold the Society’s bylaws and adhere to Islamic practices.

The President of the Society must have been a previous Committee member within the last two (2) academic years.

After the election each of the Directors and General Committee Members shall serve a one (1) year term. A person who has held the position of President for two (2) years, will not be eligible to run for the position of President again, but is eligible to hold any other Director position.

The position of a Director / General Committee Member shall automatically be vacated:

1. if they are found to be a mentally incompetent person or becomes of unsound mind, affecting their ability to fulfil their Committee responsibilities;
2. if they are found guilty and in turn permanently expelled by the Disciplinary Committee;
3. if they resign their office, their resignation shall be effective at the time it is received in writing by the Secretary of the Society or at the time specified in the notice, whichever is later;
4. if a Special Resolution is passed removing them before the expiration of their term;
5. if they die.

A vacancy occurring in the Committee shall be filled as follows:

1. For vacancies within the Board of Directors, the vacancy shall be advertised internally to the Committee. Any General Committee Member is eligible to apply to fill this position. Volunteers shall not be eligible to fill in the position. An internal election will then be held to select the person to fill the position. There must be a minimum of seventy-two (72) hours of notice given to the Committee of the vacancy before the internal election is held. Only Directors / General Committee Members shall be eligible to vote in the internal election. A hustings may be organised if necessary.
2. For vacancies within the General Committee Members, all vacancies shall be advertised publicly all together to the General Members at the first General Members’ Meeting. All volunteers and General Members are eligible to apply to fill these positions. An internal election will then be held to select the persons to fill the positions. There must be a minimum of seventy-two (72) hours of notice given to the General Members of the vacancy before the internal election is held. The election must conclude before the start of the second semester. Only Directors / General Committee Members shall be eligible to vote in the internal election. A hustings may be organised if necessary.

Directors / General Committee Members shall serve without remuneration and no Director / General Committee Member shall directly or indirectly receive any profit from occupying their position; provided that a Director / General Committee Member may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred by the performance of their duties.

The Board of Directors of the Society may represent the Society and administer the affairs of the Society in all things.

The President and Treasurer must both authorise any expenditures on behalf of the Society for the purpose of furthering the objects of the Society.

The Board of Directors shall take such steps as they may deem requisite to enable the Society to acquire, accept, solicit or receive legacies, gifts, grants, settlements, bequests, endowments and donations of any kind whatsoever for the purpose of furthering the objects of the society.

The general election shall be held annually, to elect the Board of Directors, namely:

1. President;
2. Vice President Brother;
3. Vice President Sister;
4. Treasurer;
5. General Secretary;
6. Head of Services;
7. Head of Publicity;
8. Head of Student Affairs;
9. Head of Technology.

The General Members shall annually also elect twenty-four (24) General Committee Members to undertake the roles entrusted to the Committee. The Board of Directors will prescribe to the General Committee Members tasks and duties to undertake on behalf of the Society. All General Members are eligible to participate in the election of the Board of Directors and General Committee Members. Half of the positions of General Committee Members will be reserved for females. The second half of the positions of the General Committee Members will be reserved for males. If within the composition of the Board of Directors, one of the sexes is represented by two (2) positions or less, the Committee shall co-opt a member of the same sex from the General Committee Members to the Board of Directors using an internal election where only Directors / General Committee Members can participate. During the election, there should be an option to vote for reopening the nominations for each of the positions. Each person is limited to run for only one Director position in a single election. Somebody running for a Director position may also apply to run for a General Committee Member position: in the case where they are successful in being elected for the Director position, their application to run for General Committee Member is to be disregarded; in the case where they are unsuccessful in being elected for the Director position, their application to run for General Committee Member is then taken into account. If there is a draw between multiple people, where an equal number of votes is cast for each applicant, the winner is decided using an internal election where only Directors / General Committee Members can participate. The election of the Board of Directors and General Committee Members is defined by the Students’ Union Elections Schedule and Regulations. All voting during an election must be made anonymous, but measures must be put in place to prevent fraudulent votes. Campaigning during an election is prohibited and may lead to disqualification, as decided by the Disciplinary Committee. There are two ex-officio positions on the Board of Directors. Both positions are reserved for Directors / General Committee Members of any previous Committee and shall be appointed by the incoming President. One position is reserved for a male and the other for a female.

The Board of Directors is responsible for assigning roles and responsibilities to the General Committee Members. In case of the absence or inability to act of any Director / General Committee Member, or for any other reason that the Board of Directors may deem sufficient, the Board of Directors may temporarily delegate all or any of the powers of any such Director / General Committee Member to any other Director / General Committee Member.

All committee members shall sign this constitution upon being elected, agreeing to uphold the Society’s bylaws. This includes adherence to Islamic Jurisprudence.

Board of Directors:

1. President: They are the spokesperson, representative, and correspondent for the Society in external activities.
2. Vice President Brother: They shall be vested with all the powers and shall perform all the duties of the President (alongside the Vice President Sister) in the absence or inability or refusal to act of the President and shall perform such duties as may from time to time be prescribed by the board of directors. Assume overall responsibility of the affairs of the male Directors / General Committee Members of the Society. This position is reserved for males.
3. Vice President Sister: They shall be vested with all the powers and shall perform all the duties of the President (alongside the Vice President Brother) in the absence or inability or refusal to act of the President and shall perform such duties as may from time to time be prescribed by the board of directors. Assume overall responsibility of the affairs of the female Directors / General Committee Members of the Society. This position is reserved for females.
4. Ex-officios: They shall be vested with and may exercise all of the powers and perform all of the duties of the President in the absence of the President and both Vice Presidents, or inability or refusal of the President and both Vice Presidents to act in the capacity of President. The Ex-officios shall, at the Board's request, inform the Board of any actions taken by the Committee during the Ex-officios' term of office, and shall have such authority and shall perform such duties as may from time to time be prescribed by the Board of Directors.
5. Treasurer: They shall have the care and custody of all the funds and securities of the Society and shall deposit the same in the name of the Society. The Treasurer shall keep or cause to be kept the requisite books of account and accounting records.
6. General Secretary: They shall give or cause to be given notices for all meetings of the Board of Directors or Committee, and maintain the minute books of the Society and the documents and registers related to the work of the Society.
7. Head of Services: They will be responsible to ensure that the general needs of Muslim students are catered for by the Society. This includes but is not limited to, welfare, accommodation, prayer hall management, halal food provisions, etc., as well as specific needs of International and Post-Graduate students.
8. Head of Publicity: They shall hold the responsibility of all public promotion of the society, through any means deemed appropriate. This includes any form of media relations.
9. Head of Student Affairs: They shall hold the responsibility of all political engagement with the Student Union and the University. They shall advise the Board of Directors on Union policies and activities as well as liaise with the Union Executive and staff with relation to any work affecting the Society and Muslim students.
10. Head of Technology: They shall hold the responsibility to deal with all matters relating to technology within the Society and shall be responsible for maintaining and upholding the digital functions of the Society.

Further roles are to be appointed by the President to the General Committee Members, including the following:

11. International Officer: They will be responsible for ensuring that the Society is catering for the needs of International Muslim students.
12. Post Graduate Officer: They will be responsible for ensuring that the Society is catering for the needs of Post-Graduate Muslim students.
13. Inclusivity Officer: They will be responsible for ensuring that the Society is inclusive to all demographics on campus.
14. Welfare Officer: They will be responsible for ensuring that Society is catering to the mental and physical well-being of Muslim students at the University.
15. Returning Officer: They will be responsible for organising the General Members’ meetings as well as any internal or general elections.

Additional roles are to be appointed by the President to the General Committee Members or Volunteers, including the following:

16. Community Officer: They will be responsible for any community outreach work that the Society conducts.
17. Prayer Hall Managers: They will be responsible for the maintenance of the University’s main prayer hall, including but not limited to: organising donation collections, Friday congregational prayers, daily prayer timetables, etc. There will be two Prayer Hall Managers (one position for a male, and one position of a female), each responsible for their respective section of the prayer hall.

A Director / General Committee Member who in any way directly or indirectly has a vested interest in a contract, proposed contract or relationship (be it professional, academic, personal or religious) with the Society is required to disclose this fact to the Board of Directors. No such Director / General Committee Member shall be involved in any decision to approve any such contract or relationship.

A General Members’ meeting must be held twice a year: the winter meeting must occur before the conclusion of the first semester, and the annual meeting must occur before the conclusion of the second semester; the exact time and date is to be decided by the Board of Directors. The chairperson of the meeting must be somebody who is neutral to any of the motions being proposed, and they must not be running for any positions in any upcoming elections. All voting during an election must be made anonymous, but measures must be put in place to prevent fraudulent votes. Each director is required to present a report outlining their work as well as the work of the General Committee Members who received delegated tasks. An opportunity to present, debate and vote on any constitutional amendments must be given at both General Members’ Meetings. An opportunity for General Members to give feedback and ask questions to the Committee must be given at both General Members’ Meetings. A Hustings may be included in both General Members’ Meetings as part of any ongoing elections.

At least ten (10) days' written notice shall be given to the General Members of the Meetings’ details, as well as information regarding how to submit any constitutional amendments.

1. Any motion mandating an addition, deletion, or edit of any bylaw within the Society’s constitution, or any motion mandating the Committee to undertake a specific policy or task.
2. Any General Member can propose a motion.
3. At least thirty (30) signatures are required for a motion to be accepted to be proposed, debated, and voted on at a Members’ Meeting.
4. Motions need to be handed in to the Secretary, with evidence of the minimum number of signatures, at least three (3) days prior to a Members’ Meeting.
5. The Head of Publicity must advertise to the General Members on how to submit motions to the Secretary at least ten (10) days prior to the Members’ meeting.
6. All General Members of the Society are eligible to participate.
7. At least forty (40) participants must be present for the motion to pass.
8. At least half (½) of the Committee must be present for a motion to pass.
9. A majority of two thirds (⅔) is required for a motion to be passed.

1. Any emergency motion mandating an addition, deletion, or edit of any bylaw within the Society’s constitution, or any emergency motion mandating the Committee to undertake a specific policy or task.
2. Any director can organise a Special Resolution meeting to propose a motion at any time.
3. Motions need to be handed in to the Secretary at least forty-eight (48) hours before a Special Resolution meeting is held.
4. Information regarding the Special Resolution meeting must be given to the Committee at least forty-eight (48) hours before a Special Resolution meeting is held.
5. Only Directors / General Committee Members are eligible to participate.
6. At least thirty (30) participants must be present for a motion to pass.
7. A majority of three-quarters (¾) is required for a motion to be passed.

Any Committee minutes and Financial Statements must be made available upon request.

A financial summary must be presented at the General Members’ Meetings, whereby the financial status of the Society will be explained proportionately to the funds at the beginning of the Committee's term.

If a member of the Committee is accused of misdemeanour, misappropriation of funds, fraud, corruption, violation of the constitution or guidelines agreed upon by the Committee, or cover-up of such offences, a complaint must be made to the Disciplinary Committee in writing.

The Disciplinary Committee should consist of the President, the two Vice Presidents, and the two Ex-Officios; unless any of the mentioned persons are the accused or have any conflict of interest, in which cases the Board of Directors would vote in their replacement.

All evidence must be factually based and no evidence based on hearsay can be accepted by the Disciplinary Committee.

An investigation should commence to collect details and verify the complaint. Both the accused and the accuser have the right to present their case in person or in writing to the Disciplinary Committee.

If found guilty, the Disciplinary Committee could take one of the following actions:

1. A written warning
2. A suspension
3. Permanent Expulsion

The decision has to be communicated in writing to the Committee and General Members. With regards to matters that might potentially damage the reputation of the guilty party in question, the Disciplinary Committee is mandated to present the results in a sensitive manner.

The guilty party can appeal the decision through the Students’ Union.

Contracts, documents or instruments in writing requiring the signature of the Society shall be signed by the President and the Treasurer of the Society and all contracts, documents and instruments in writing so signed shall be binding upon the Society without any further authorization or formality.

All acceptance of monies, reimbursements, or orders for the payment are required to be signed off by both the President and the Treasurer; unless the transaction exceeds the amount of 750GBP, in which case it will also require a signature from one of the Ex-Officios.

No monies of the Society may be held in any business or personal accounts and must be held in the Students’ Union bank account or any other charity / organisation which has an active contract with the Society. Upon termination of a contract with any charity / organisation, all monies and assets must be transferred to the Students’ Union’s holdings.

The financial year of the Society shall begin and terminate with the corresponding dates of the start and end of the term of the President, as scheduled by the Students’ Union.