Effective June 1, 2012
Article I. Meetings. A General Meeting of ISILS will be held at least every three years, on the occasion of an international conference on Islamic law, the precise time and place of such meeting to be determined by the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall announce General Meetings to the membership at least ninety days in advance. A Business Meeting will be held at every General Meeting. At Business Meetings three members of the Board of Directors and fifteen other individual members shall constitute a quorum.
Article II. Membership. The membership fee will be set by the Board of Directors, with a reduced rate for students. The membership fee, which is for a three-year period, is due as of January 1st of every third year, starting January 1, 2005. Dues that are not paid on or before April 15 of the year in which membership is renewed are delinquent. Any member who is delinquent in the payment of dues or any member who joined less than 120 days before the Business Meeting is not eligible to vote at a Business Meeting.
The membership of ISILS shall be composed of the following classes:
A. Regular members — Persons who pay the membership fee set by the Board of Directors;
B. Student members — Persons who present evidence that they are currently students regularly enrolled in an institution of higher learning and who pay a reduced membership fee.
All members shall have the right:
i. to attend Business Meetings of ISILS;
ii. to receive ISILS’s electronic newsletter as it is made available;
iii. to participate in the website and other services provided by ISILS to the membership.
Article III. Finance. The fiscal year of ISILS shall be the calendar year. Receipts from dues, income from investments not designated for specific purposes, interest on bank accounts, and gifts, endowments, legacies and all other receipts not designated for specific purposes shall be placed in a General Account available for appropriations to the annual budget.
Article IV. Officers.
1. Executive Officers; Board of Directors.
1.1 Positions. The Executive Officers shall be the President and the Secretary. The members of the Board of Directors shall be the Executive Officers and three General Members.
1.2 Terms. The President shall be elected for a term of three years, and may not stand for re-election until after at least one intervening three-year term. The Secretary and the General Members shall serve for a term of six years, without limit on terms served consecutively. Positions with six-year terms shall be staggered so that two of them fall vacant every three years. There is no remuneration for the position of Executive Officer or General Member. All terms shall commence on the day following the end of General Meeting at which the election occurs.
1.3 Appointment. A nominating committee of three regular members appointed by resolution of the Board of Directors shall submit to the Secretary a slate of candidates (from among the membership) for all vacant positions six weeks prior to the Business Meeting at which elections for the Board shall take place. Four weeks prior to the Business Meeting, the Secretary shall announce to the membership the slate of nominees, with biographical information. A nominee for a position on the Board must have shown a past commitment to the Society, including attending at least one conference and Business Meeting prior to the conference during which the elections take place. A member may also be nominated for any vacant position by the petition of at least twenty members, if such petition is received by the Secretary at least one week prior to the Business Meeting. At its discretion, the Board may allow additional nominations from the floor at the Business Meeting.
1.4 Resignation and Removal. Any member of the Board of Directors may be removed from office by the unanimous vote of the other members of the Board or by a petition signed by 51% of the current membership. Any member of the Board of Directors may resign at any time. In the event of removal, resignation or other vacancy however arising, the remaining Board of Directors may by resolution appoint an individual to serve in the vacated position until the next Business Meeting, at which time a member shall be elected to that office for its remaining term.1.5 Powers. The Board of Directors shall have all powers and authority necessary for the management of the business property and affairs of ISILS and to do such lawful acts and things as it deems proper and appropriate to promote the objectives and purposes of the organization. If or when applicable, the Board shall approve an annual budget which may be revised by the Board during the fiscal year. It shall appoint delegates of ISILS and all members of committees whose election is not otherwise provided for in the Constitution and By-Laws. It may appoint such new committees and delegates as are necessary and may grant them such authority as is required to further the purposes of the ISILS.1.6 Regular Meetings of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall meet during the General Meeting, preceding the Business Meeting of ISILS, and may schedule other regular meetings as necessary.1.7 Special Meetings of the Board of Directors. Special meetings of the Board of Directors for any purpose or purposes may be called at any time by the President. Such meetings shall be held upon not less than three days’ notice given personally or by telephone or electronic communication or facsimile. Such notice shall specify the time and place of the meeting.1.8 Action Without Meeting. The Board of Directors or any committee of the Board of Directors may act without a meeting if, prior or subsequent to such action, every member of the Board or committee shall consent in writing to such action. Such written consent or consents shall be filed with the minutes of the meeting. A vote on the exclusion of a member may be taken, however, only at a meeting.1.9 Meeting by Telephone. The Board of Directors or a committee of the Board of Directors may meet by means of a telephone conference call or any other means of communications by which all persons participating in the meeting are able to hear each other.1.10 Quorum. At duly called meetings of the Board of Directors, a majority of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The act of the majority of those present at a Board meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the Board of Directors except where some other vote is required by these By-Laws or the Articles of Incorporation. In the event of a tie vote during a meeting of the Board, the President’s vote will break the tie.Article V. Duties of the Board of Directors.1. The President shall be the chief executive officer of the organization and shall chair all Board meetings and Business Meetings.2. The Secretary shall have charge of the records and general correspondence of ISILS, keep the membership lists, collect dues, and maintain custody of all funds of ISILS. At the Business Meeting the Secretary shall submit a report covering the actions of the Board of Directors since the previous meeting. An annual report shall be filed by the Secretary before March 15 with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.3. The General Members shall be responsible to advise and assist the President and Secretary with all Board business, as delegated by the President. The President may assign responsibilities to individual General Members, such as overseeing the ISILS website.
Article VI. Amendments. These By-Laws may be amended only by vote of a majority of the entire Board of Directors. Members of the Board must submit proposals for changes in the By-Laws to the Secretary in writing at least three weeks before the Board meeting at which they are to be considered, unless such notice is waived by unanimous vote of the Board. Amendments shall become effective when ratified by a majority vote of a Business Meeting at which a quorum is present.
Adopted on the 10th day of July 2009, to be effective as of the 16th day of July 2009.