To: All ISGH Members
CC: ISGH Executive Body; Ads & Directors, for posting on bulletin boards of ALL Masaajid; EC Members
From: Rashid Khokhar, Chairman EC 2008
Subj: PRELIMINARY Election 2008 Results
ISGH 2008 General Elections were concluded on Sunday 12/21/2008 night. This years elections were rather unique in that the voting schedule had to changed to comply with the provision in ISGH Constitution & Bylaws that requires the postponement of elections when election schedule clashes with one of the Eids.
With the help and cooperation of all the brothers and sisters of ISGH and the blessings of Allah-SWT, the elections went well and without any incident.
Following are the PRELIMINARY results that were announced at the end of ballot counting. EC wants to clearly enunciate the PRELIMINARY nature of results. Some counts were close and even required recount. These results are released at this time to avoid any undue speculations and rumors about the results. EC reserves ALL RIGHTS to correct/modify the results if such a need arises.
President Aziz Ahmad Siddiqi
General Secretary Kamal Husain
Dir North Roger Yelton
Dir SW Abdul Wahid Munshi
AD NW-BC Mohammad Amin Moola
PLEASE REMEMBER that above are the results for non Area Rep positions which were being contested. Several other non Area Rep positions were un-contested. Also, the Area Rep results are not included hare and will be announced in a day or so. The counts have been completed and just further checks are to be performed.
Wassalaam,
Rashid Khokhar
(for ISGH EC2008)
18 December 2008
To: All ISGH Members
CC: ISGH Executive Body; Ads & Directors, for posting on bulletin boards of ALL Masaajid; Candidates; EC Members
From: Rashid Khokhar, Chairman EC 2008
Subj: VOTING TIME EXTENSION TO 4:30 pm on Sunday 21 December 2008
Summary:
This Sunday (21 December 2008) is the General Election Day for ISGH. In order to accommodate as many voters as possible, the closing time for voting is hereby extended to 4:30 pm. Please note that the EC will accommodate each and every one of the potential voters who are in the voting area or within the Main Center premises by the closing time (4:30 pm). However, there will be no extension beyond the closing time specified herein.
Detailed Explanation:
In last couple of days, there have been some requests to change the closing time for voting on the ISGH General Elections Day (Sunday 21 December 2008). The suggested closing time most mentioned has been 5:00 pm. The predominant reason being forwarded has to do with the Sunday School activities and such. It should be noted that the EC can not accept this as a valid reason to change previously announced election activities and scheduling. This is an un-acceptable reason because it would be in direct conflict with the Constitution & Bylaws of the ISGH. The ISGH Bylaws state that all "non-election ISGH activities that are scheduled on that [the election] day and conflict with the elections shall be rescheduled". The EC is bound to strictly follow the C&B and therefore can not agree to the timing change due to school activities.
However, in as much as the voting times are the sole prerogative of EC; and the EC is very much desirous for as high a participation as possible, therefore EC in a meeting this (Thursday 12/18/2008) evening has agreed to extend the time as the middle ground of current and proposed time. Hence the new closing time shall be 4:30 pm.
It should also be pointed out that the election schedule had been announced, mailed to all members, and posted on the ISGH website as well as posted on bulletin boards of Masaajid for sometime now. Yet it is only in the last couple of days that there have been calls for time change/extension. Please remember that EC depends on all of us working together to conduct election in a manner that is not only absolutely fair, impartial, and transparent but is also one that is convenient and that we all can enjoy and feel good about and can use it as an occasion to learn from our differences of opinions as well as celebrate our commonality of purpose. In this regard, EC certainly looks forward to appropriate feedback at all times and any and all constructive critique and useful suggestions for future improvements are certainly very welcomed.
Thanks and see you all, in droves, on Sunday 12/21/2008. Please come by, mingle with others, meet some old friends you may not have seen for a while, partake some good eats from the food stall and spend a good day at ISGh Main Center. Of course as always, we ask your cooperation and patience and tolerance.
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08 November 2008
To: ISGH Members
CC: ISGH Executive Body, Ads & Directors, for posting on bulletin boards of ALL Masaajid
From: Rashid Khokhar, Chairman EC 2008
Subj: CHANGE OF SCHEDULE FOR ISGH ELECTION 2008
Summary:
Due to possible conflict with Eid-ul-Adha, the ISGH Elections' schedule is being changed as following:
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Meet the Candidate & Early Balloting
General Election Day
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14 December 2008
21 December 2008
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Timings on the balloting days and all other scheduled events remain same. Please visit the ISGH website for further information.
Detailed Explanation:
The ISGH Constitutions & Bylaws ("C & B") requires the ISGH General Elections to be held on the first Sunday of December every year. The C & B also requires that the Absentee/Early balloting be done one week before the General Election day. This year (2008), the first Sunday of December will be on December 7 and the Absentee/Early balloting day would then have been November 30.
As you all know, the Islamic Calendar year is about ten (10) days shorter than the Julian Calendar year. Consequently, about every 23 to 30 years, this has the potential of clash between Islamic month of Ramadan and the holidays of Eids and the balloting days. i believe, ISGH actually faced this situation about 7 years ago. To deal with such circumstances, an amendment was made to the C & B that provides for re-scheduling of the balloting days if such conflict is imminent.
When preparing the election package that was sent out by October 5, the EC had realized that the above mentioned clause may have to be invoked for the upcoming elections. As such, the EC performed a detailed analysis with the idea of keeping the ISGH elections as scheduled. EC was even prepared to wait out the next two months (of Shawal and Dhul-Qada) to see if the Eid-ul-Adha will be after the 7th of December. Fundamental point here was that according to Islamic calendar, three months can not be of same duration. We just had a 30 day Ramadan. so, there is/was a good chance of a mix of 29 and 30 day months to follow Ramadan. Even one 30 day month would have put the Eid-ul-Adha after 7 December. EC even discussed these matters and options with the Shura during the October meeting. However, any debate or further analysis was rendered moot when subsequently EC was advised of the fact that sometimes the Haj (Arafa) date has been changed even within the 10 days of Dhul-Hajja. Once this fact was brought to light, EC decided to change the schedule and not to risk an enormous confusion that will be faced if, when all is said and done, the Eid-ul-Adha turns out to be actually on 7 December.
The EC apologizes for any inconvenience that this change of schedule may cause to the ISGH members. Without a predefined calendar, however, there is no other alternative at this time and under these circumstances. It is ironic that it is difficult to put an Islamic date at the top of this notice or to state with certainly that the elections will be held on such and such Islamic date and for these dates to mean the same exact days for all of us. But that is the state of affairs at this time.
See you all at the ballots on December 14 or December 21 of 2008.
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