ARTICLE IV: THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Section 1. General Powers. The Board of Trustees shall constitute the governing body of the ICN. The Board of Trustees shall set the strategic direction of the ICN and have all powers necessary to carry out the purposes of the organization as set forth in Article I.

Section 2. Specific Duties of the Board of Trustees. In addition to any responsibilities necessary to carry out the purposes of the ICN, the Board of Trustees shall have the following specific duties which shall not be delegated:

• A. The Board of Trustees shall approve or reject any transaction that involves real property, including all purchases, sales, leases, and mortgages of real property.
  
  
• B. The Board of Trustees shall review, amend, and adopt an annual budget for the ICN at its first meeting each calendar year.
  
  
• C. The Board of Trustees shall adopt and, from time to time, review a fiscal policy for the ICN. Such policy shall govern internal fiscal controls, the obligation of ICN funds, approval of contracts, leases, deeds and mortgages, and other significant aspects of the fiscal operation of ICN.
  
  
• D. The Board of Trustees shall adopt and, from time to time, review and revise rules and regulations for the conduct of its business.
  
  
• E. The Board of Trustees shall hire and, when necessary, terminate the Director of Religious Affairs.

Section 3. Number of Trustees. The Board of Trustees of the ICN shall consist of not less than twelve and not more than twenty-seven Trustees. Upon adoption of this Constitution, the initial Board of Trustees of the ICN shall consist of twelve Trustees.

Section 4. Six Year Trustees. There shall be at least four Trustees appointed to the Board of Trustees by a majority vote of the membership to serve terms of six years, provided that the initial term for these Trustees following the adoption of this Constitution shall be seven years. Within sixty days after the adoption of this Constitution, the candidates for Six Year Trustee shall be presented to the membership by the outgoing elected Board of Directors (the shura) for the election of the first Board of Trustees of the ICN. Following the initial appointment of the Six Year Trustees, Six Year Trustees shall be elected by a majority vote of the membership from a slate of candidates presented to the membership by the Nominating Committee. Six Year Trustees shall be limited to two consecutive terms as Six Year Trustees. In general, the candidates for Six-Year Trustees shall meet the following criteria:

• 1. Each candidate shall be an ICN member who has served the ICN for at least six years and has made a substantial contribution to the ICN.
  
  
• 2. Each candidate shall be a practicing Muslim who has knowledge of the basic teachings of Islam and follows the Qur’an and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
  
  

Section 5. Four Year Trustees. There shall be at least four Trustees appointed to the Board of Trustees by a majority vote of the membership to serve terms of four years. At least one of the Four Year Trustees must be female. Within sixty days after the adoption of this Constitution, the candidates for Four Year Trustee shall be presented to the membership by the outgoing elected Board of Directors (the shura) for the election of the first Board of Trustees of the ICN. Following the initial appointment of the Four Year Trustees, Four Year Trustees shall be elected by a majority vote of the membership from a slate of candidates presented to the membership by the Nominating Committee. Four Year Trustees shall be limited to two consecutive terms as Four Year Trustees. In general, the candidates for Four-Year Trustees shall meet the following criteria: 1. Each candidate shall be an ICN member who has served the ICN for at least four years and has made leadership contributions to the ICN. 2. Each candidate shall be a practicing Muslim who has knowledge of the basic teachings of Islam and follows the Qur’an and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Section 6. Two Year Trustees. There shall be at least four Trustees appointed to the Board of Trustees by a majority vote of the membership to serve terms of two years. At least one of the Two Year Trustees must be female, and at least one of the Two Year Trustees must be a youth of any gender between the ages of 18 and 25. Within sixty days after the adoption of this Constitution, the initial candidates for Two Year Trustee shall be presented to the membership by the outgoing elected Board of Directors (the shura) for the election of the first Board of Trustees of the ICN. Following the initial appointment of the Two Year Trustees, Two Year Trustees shall be elected by a majority vote of the membership from a slate of candidates presented to the membership by the Board of Trustees. Two Year Trustees shall be limited to two consecutive terms as Two Year Trustees. In general, the candidates for Two Year Trustees shall meet the following criteria:

• 1. Each candidate must be an ICN member who has served the ICN for at least two years.
  
  
• 2. Each candidate must be a practicing Muslim who has knowledge of the basic teachings of Islam and follows the Qur’an and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
  
  

Section 7. Affiliated Trustees. Any organization formally recognized by the Board of Trustees as an affiliated organization of the ICN may have a Trustee seated on the Board with the Board’s approval. The Board of Trustees shall determine from time to time the requirements for other organizations to be formally recognized as an affiliated organization of the ICN. Trustees from affiliated organizations shall have such rights and obligations as are assigned to them by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees shall review the status of each affiliated organization and its Trustee every two years following formal recognition of the organization’s affiliated status.

Section 8. Terms. Each Trustee shall be elected to a term of either six, four, or two years as specified in Sections 4 through 6 of this Article. Six Year Trustees, Four Year Trustees and Two Year Trustees shall be limited to two consecutive terms in those positions. However, all Trustees shall be entitled to serve as many nonconsecutive terms to which he or she is elected.

Section 9: Elections. The election of the Trustees by the membership shall occur at a meeting of the membership or by mail-in ballot from a slate presented to the membership by the Board of Trustees or Nominating Committee, provided that the initial election of Trustees following the adoption of this Constitution shall occur at a meeting of the membership. The procedures for elections by mail-in ballot shall be determined by the Board of Trustees and revised from time to time.

Section 10. Vacancies. Newly created Trusteeships and vacant Trusteeships, whether created by removal of a Trustee for cause or any other reason, or the resignation or death of a Trustee, may be filled by a vote of the majority of the Trustees then in office. Any Trustee so appointed shall hold office until ratification of such appointment by the membership. The Board of Trustees shall fill each vacancy within sixty days after the removal, death or resignation of any Trustee.

Section 11. Resignation or Removal. A Trustee may voluntarily resign from the Board of Trustees for personal or health reasons. A Trustee may be removed from the Board of Trustees by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the other Trustees. Grounds for removal actions include (i) activities or character deficiencies which impair a Trustee’s ability to contribute to the purpose of the ICN; (ii) actions of a Trustee which conflict with the beliefs, teachings, and principles of Islam as contained in the Holy Qur’an or the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him); or (iii) a Trustee’s absence from more than three meetings in a calendar year.

Section 12. Chairperson. The Board of Trustees shall elect a Chairperson of the Board from among the Trustees. The Chairperson shall be the liaison between the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of the ICN and shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Trustees. The Chairperson shall serve for an initial one year term but shall be eligible for reelection to two additional consecutive one year terms. Section 13. Books of the ICN. The Trustees shall cause the books and records of the ICN to be kept and maintained at the ICN’s principal office.

Section 14. Compensation. The Trustees, as such, shall not receive any stated salary or compensation for their services, provided, however, that nothing contained herein shall be construed to preclude the Trustee from serving the ICN in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefore. Additionally, the ICN may pay or reimburse the reasonable expenses of each Trustee for attendance at the meetings of the Board of Trustees or the meetings of any committee formed by the Board of Trustees.