Ahmadiyya Muslim Students' Association (AMSA)
Last active term
Club Name
The name of the club will be Ahmadiyya Muslim Students' Association (AMSA). We are not agent or representative of the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA), and our views and actions in no way represent the WUSA.
Governance
The club will uphold the values, mission, and mandate of both the University of Waterloo (UW) and WUSA through following the directives outlined in the WUSA Clubs Manual, all WUSA By-Laws, Policies, and Procedures, as well as all policies and procedures outlined by the UW Secretariat. Furthermore, the club will abide by all laws of the Region of Waterloo, Province of Ontario, and Government of Canada. All club matters will ultimately be governed by the WUSA Clubs Manager.
Purpose
The purpose of the club is to gather University of Waterloo students, staff, faculty and members of the UW community at large to
We are a theological, cultural and religious organization, which is mainly devoted to promote universal religious appreciation, awareness and tolerance on-campus and around the globe. We foster an understanding and appraisal of the world-wide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, its beliefs, ideology and philosophy.
In addition we also help an understanding of the beliefs, teachings, and philosophy of all the other major world religions to promote interfaith respect:
i) To highlight the common beliefs of all major world religions and philosophical traditions.
ii) To discuss the doctrines, origin and teachings of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
iii) To emphasize and discuss the similarities between Ahmadi Muslims and followers of other religions of the world and to explore how understanding and respect for each other's faith can be brought about to eliminate religious intolerance and malice among people of all religions and philosophical traditions.
iv) To look into the origin and teachings of all religions, and to use the commonality of origin to foster better understanding among Ahmadi Muslims and other people and to promote an acceptance of universality of fundamental rights to the freedom of conscience.
v) To point out current world problems and suggest solutions to these problems, as offered by different religions and systems of ethical philosophies.
vi) To investigate the implications of science on religion with particular emphasis on the Ahmadi Muslim perspective, but with openness to dialogue with people of all religions and philosophical traditions with reasoned position as to the relationship between religion and empirical science, logic and scientific ethics.
vii) To add diversity to the existing religious organizations present on campus in the interest of promoting an environment for a decorous dialogue
viii) To inquire why religious persecution is on the rise in the world and suggest solutions to remedy the ever deteriorating situation in the world.
ix) To expound Islamic teachings and beliefs in the Holy Quran and Islamic traditions from the Ahmadiyya Islamic perspective.
x) To commemorate the contributions to humanity, society and world peace made by the founders and followers of all world religions
xi) To educate and enlighten the general body of AMSA about the teachings and philosophies of Islam and Ahmadiyyat, as well as encourage the practice of Islamic teachings (such as prayers, fasting and recitation of the Holy Quran).
Club events, activities, and/or initatives will include
Friday prayers must be held on a regular basis. If for some reason, the quorum cannot be met, then at least Zuhr prayers must be offered on Friday afternoons in congregation.
Other activities include:
Ask Islam event: Event for students and the university community to ask their fellow students questions regarding Islam, other religions, and our thoughts regarding misrepresentation of Islam in the world today!
Book stall set-up displaying the books of the Promised Messiah, and other religious scholars writings pertaining to Ahmadiyyat, Islam and general books for spiritual enlightenment and knowledge
Membership Structure
The club will be fully inclusive and welcoming to both its current and potential membership. New membership is welcome and accepted at any time during a club’s active term. Eligible club members may be current: WUSA Members, as outlined by the WUSA By-Laws; UW graduate students; UW staff or faculty; and/or members of the UW community at large, as defined in the Clubs Manual.
Only current UW students (graduate or undergraduate) may hold voting membership within the club. UW Staff, faculty, and members of the UW community at large may hold non-voting membership within the club. (If Applicable) UW undergrad students who are eligible to obtain voting membership in the club who do not wish to pay the club membership fee at the time of joining may hold non-voting membership within the club. Voting membership can be obtained for said members by paying the membership fee.
At least two thirds of the club's membership must be current UW students (graduate or undergraduate).
Membership Fee
Executive Officers
The majority of executives will be current UW students (graduate or undergraduate). The club president will be a current UW undergraduate student. All club executives will be elected, not hired or appointed. The term of office for all executive positions is one academic term, as outlined by the UW Registrar’s Office. All club decisions will be determined by executive vote, as no executive officer (not even the President) holds decision making power for the collective.
The President ensures that:
- The club operates according to the guidelines of its constitution and some agreed upon guidelines for running a meeting, such as Robert's Rules of Order;
- The club works towards its objectives as agreed upon by the membership; and
- Their successor is trained.
The President is a signing authority.
The Secretary ensures that:
- Records of what the group has done are maintained, distributed, and are accessibile to all the members;
- Meeting minutes/notes are recorded and made available to all voting members;
- All club correspondence is monitored and brought to the attention of the appropriate person(s);
- Their successor is trained.
- • Shall be responsible for keeping track of new students joining AMSA at University of Waterloo
- • Shall keep notes and records of all activities of AMSA and would present a monthly summary
The Secretary is a signing authority.
The Treasurer ensures that:
- The club's WUSA bank account and all financial transactions for the club are monitored and verified;
- All club revenues are collected, deposited into the club's WUSA bank account, and reconciled correctly and within a timely manner;
- Club cheque requests are submitted correctly and in a timely manner; and
- Their successor is trained.
- • Shall be responsible for maintenance of all proper record of all incomes and expenses. At the end of the Treasurer’s term, the records are to be handed over to the new Treasurer.
- • Shall present a monthly report of all financial transactions that took place during the proceeding month, and advise on current financial status
The Treasurer is a signing authority.
It is important to assure that the person with the most information and/or knowledge in the club is not the full-time chairperson. Therefore, the club will occasionally rotate the role of chairperson among voting members.
Meetings
General Meetings
The club will hold monthly general meetings. Quorum for general meetings will be 15 voting members of 20% of voting membership (whichever is more).
Executive Meetings
The club will hold monthly executive meetings. Quorum for executive meetings will be 2 executives or at least 51% of the executive body (whichever is more).
The first meetings (both general and executive) of the following term will be arranged by the outgoing executive. At said meetings, subsequent meeting dates and locations will be set. Meeting dates and times will be forwarded to voting members by:
- Phone
Emergency meetings can be called by an executive via:
- Phone
and must be sent to the appropriate members at least 48 hours prior to the meeting time.
ELECTION PROCESS
Elections shall take place at the end of each term for the following academic term. Only University of Waterloo students who are members of the club can vote. Club members must be notified, by email, two weeks in advance of the meeting where executive elections will take place. The term of office shall be for one term. An executive can only hold office (any position) for a total of up to three terms.
Nominations for executives can be made from any club member. The majority of executives must be undergraduate University of Waterloo students. The successful candidate will be the one with the most votes. In the case of a tie, a re-vote will take place until the tie is broken.
IMPEACHMENT AND DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES
A movement to impeach an executive officer may be made by any executive officer or by petition of at least five voting members. When the motion is made the Clubs Manager will be informed. An emergency general meeting will be called as soon as is reasonably possible. No club funds will be spent until the issue is resolved.
At the impeachment meeting, the individual(s) who initiated the process will state their case. Afterwards, the officer(s) under impeachment will have an opportunity to defend their position(s) on the matter.
There will then be a question and answer period followed by the selection process for a Chief Returning Officer (CRO) who will oversee the voting process to ensure the decision is fair and democratic. Any executive officer who is neither the initiator nor subject of the impeachment may volunteer as CRO. If there is no such officer, then any voting member of the club present at the meeting may volunteer. If there are multiple volunteers, then the CRO will be selected based on a simple majority vote cast by secret ballot and tallied publically by the chairperson of the meeting. If there is no such volunteer for CRO, then the meeting will be at a standstill until either an eligible executive officer or voting member volunteers.
The vote will be by a “YES/NO” secret ballot, tallied publically by the CRO. If at least two thirds of the votes are for impeachment, then said officer will immediately be stripped of their position. The remaining executive may choose to call an immediate by-election to replace the newly vacant executive officer position.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
A claim against any executive officer or club member regarding a potential conflict of interest can be made by any executive officer or by petition of at least five voting members. If such a claim arises, then said individual(s) under suspicion have the opportunity to remove them self (or themselves) from said potential conflict without acknowledging intention of wrongdoing. In the event the claim is contested, then the Clubs Manager will be informed and an emergency executive meeting will be called to determine the validity of the claim. Executive officers who have a claim against them cannot vote to determine the validity of said claim. If executive quorum is not possible due to the removal of said vote(s), then an emergency general meeting will be called and the same proceedings described for impeachment will be used to determine the validity of the claim.
If the claim is validated and there is suspicion of intentional wrongdoing, an immediate impeachment proceeding may be called by any executive officer or by petition of at least five voting members, of whom are not named in the claim. If it is determined that a club member is involved in intentional wrongdoing, the impeachment proceeding will be called to determine said member’s club status.
AMENDMENTS
Constitutional amendments may be proposed by any executive officer or by petition of at least five voting members. The amendment will then be voted on by referendum. The voting procedure will be the same as for the impeachment process. If the vote passes, the amendment and the vote will be forwarded to the Clubs Manager for final approval. If the Clubs Manager approves, then the constitution will be amended and any changes will be inserted into the constitution.
A motion to officially close the club will follow the same procedure as a constitutional amendment. If such a motion passes, then the club will be purged from the clubs system.
AFFILIATIONS
No organization(s) is/are currently affiliated with this club.