The purpose of this document is to establish a process by which the membership to Masjid al-Muslimiin can be awarded, maintained, revoked and reinstated. The process established herein is to fulfill the needs of Article 6-B of the constitution and is fully compliant with the requirements of Article 7 of the constitution. The membership to the Masjid shall be open to all Muslims of Columbia, SC, and the surrounding areas irrespective of color, race, country of origin, language, education, nationality, and social status. The membership shall be awarded to all individuals who apply for it, meet the requirements, and are accepted by the Majlis ash-Shura.
1.0 Membership Application
1.1 All individuals who meet the "Qualifications and Requirements" as mentioned in Article 7 of the constitution and found also at www.almasjid.com/member_application_rules, are encouraged to apply for the membership of Masjid al-Muslimiin.
1.2 The Masjid’s administration will make membership applications readily available to the Muslim community of Columbia, SC and the surrounding areas. It shall encourage all qualified individuals to become active members of Masjid Al-Muslimiin. This includes but is not limited to the following:
* Make the application form readily available, and have a designated application drop-in box within the Masjid.
* Posting the membership form on the Masjid website, www.almasjid.com.
* Propagating membership by the Shura members to individuals who are qualified and are not currently members.
* Welcome and encourage new Muslims in the community to become members.
1.3 An individual interested in becoming a member shall complete the membership application form and submit it to the Masjid by dropping it in the designated application drop-in box at the Masjid, mailing it to the Masjid, or delivering it to a member of the Majlis ash-Shura.
2.0 Awarding Membership:
2.1 Upon submitting a completed application to the Masjid, an applicant will automatically become a “Probationary Member”.
2.2 An individual will become a fully qualified voting member when the following requirements are met:
* He/She has been a “probationary member” for six (6) months.
* He/She has fully paid all membership fees throughout the probationary period or has performed the approved form of community service in lieu of the membership fee.
* He/She has fulfilled the duties required as mentioned in Article 7-B of the constitution.
* The Shura approves him/her at the end of the six-month period.
3.0 Maintaining Membership
3.1 In order to maintain the membership, all members (probationary and full) will be required to meet the following:
* Pay a membership fee of $25 per month. The fee can be paid by check or money order (preferred method), or in cash.
* Checks and money orders should be clearly marked to indicate that it is towards membership fee and for a specific individual.
* Cash payments should be made directly either to the Imam or the treasure of the Masjid. A receipt for the cash payment will be issued by the treasurer. Cash payments towards membership dues, should not be dropped in any of the drop-in boxes at the Masjid.
* If an individual cannot afford the membership fee, he/she shall contact the Masjid administration to arrange for an approved form of community service in lieu of the membership fee. A membership fee waiver form will be completed and signed by the administration and the individual for the record.
* Full/probationary members will be responsible for paying their membership fee by the fifteenth (15th) day of each month.
* The treasurer of the Masjid will be responsible for maintaining the record of the membership fees, paid by the full/probationary members.
4.0 Revoking Membership:
4.1 The Shura will subject members, not complying with the requirements of Article 3.0 of this document and Article 7 of the Constitution, to a review of their membership.
4.2 If the review by the Shura concludes that a member is noncompliant with his/her membership requirements, the Secretary of the Masjid will notify the member, in writing, and arrange a mutually agreeable time for a conference with the Shura.
4.3 If the Shura concludes that the member has violated the membership requirements, his/her membership shall be revoked.
4.4 Non-compliance with the financial or approved form of community service requirements set forth in Article 3.1 for three consecutive months will cause an automatic revocation of full/probationary membership.
5.0 Reinstating Membership
5.1 A full/probationary member whose membership has been revoked will have the right to apply for reinstating the membership.
5.2 The process for reinstating revoked membership shall follow the same procedure that of a new membership application, as outlined in this document. The six-month probationary period may be waived at the discretion of Shura for reinstating membership.
5.3 The individual whose membership is being reinstated shall be liable to the back payment of any membership dues.
6.0 Privileges of the Membership
6.1 The rights and privileges of the members shall be in accordance with Article 7-C of the Constitution.
6.2 Probationary members shall have the same rights and privileges as full members except that they will not have the right to vote.