2017 annual report - constant...

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

Islamic Society of Central Jersey

2017 Annual Report

Doc ID: ISCJ_AR_2017

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

Table of Contents

1. Trustees & Overseers 2017-2018 ............................................ 4

2. 2018 - General Body Meeting Agenda .................................... 5

3. Overseers Report .................................................................. 6

4. Overseers Notification Letter ................................................. 8

5. Candidates List ....................................................................12

6. Summary of Candidates Background & Services ...................13

7. Chairman’s Report ..............................................................19

8. President’s Report ................................................................21

9. Secretary’s Report ...............................................................23

10. 2017 General Body Meeting Minutes.....................................24

11. 2018 Proposed Operating Budget ..........................................33

12. 2018 Proposed Capital Budget ..............................................37

13. Estimated – Repairs & Maintenance .....................................38

14. Treasurer’s Report ...............................................................39

15. External Auditor’s Report ....................................................42

16. Imam’s Activities Report ......................................................61

17. ISCJ Committees & Group List ............................................63

18. Advertising Committee .........................................................61

19. Building Committee Report ..................................................63

20. Burial & Cemetery Report ...................................................64

21. Career Advancement Placement (CAP) Report .....................65

22. Communication Committee Report ......................................67

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

23. Constitution Committee Report ............................................69

24. Endowment Advisory Group Report .....................................70

25. Expansion Funding Group Report ........................................75

26. Free Tutoring Committee .....................................................76

27. Library Committee Report ...................................................77

28. Membership Committee Report ............................................78

29. Qur’an Academy Committee ................................................80

30. Religious Event Planning Committee ....................................82

31. Seminar Committee Report ..................................................84

32. Social Activities Report ........................................................87

33. Steering Committee Report ..................................................89

34. Weekend School Committee Report ......................................90

35. ISCJ LiT Committee ............................................................92

36. Zakat Committee .................................................................94

37. Miscellaneous Activity Report - Programs ............................95

38. Noor-Ul-Iman School Report ................................................97

39. History Project Report ....................................................... 117

Interactive Response Index.............................................................. 118

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

1. Trustees & Overseers 2017-2018

ISCJ Board of Trustees

Khalid Ozair Chairman

Arif Patel President

Omayma Mansour Secretary

Heba Macksoud Executive Secretary

Habib Ahson Treasurer

Tufail Tahir Trustee and NUI Board Liaison

Tabassum Khan Trustee

Mujib Rehman Trustee

Abbas Shaikh Trustee

ISCJ Board of Overseers:

Arifa Zaheer Chief Overseer

Atiya Aftab Overseer

Maryam Chebli Overseer

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

2. 2018 - General Body Meeting Agenda

Date: SUNDAY, APRIL 22, 2018 Time: 10:00 AM Place: ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF CENTRAL JERSEY 4145 US Highway 1, Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852

Time Agenda

10:00 AM VOTING MEMBERS’ REGISTRATION STARTS

11:00 AM QURANIC RECITATION AND DUA BY IMAM HAMAD CHEBLI

FIRST CALL FOR QUORUM (Upon achieving 5% quorum Registration) 1. A limited meeting may be started as soon as 5% of the quorum is met. a. All decisions require 2/3rd majority vote until 20% quorum is met and declared, then the meeting achieves Regular Status and all decisions thereafter are made by simple majority votes b. Overseers’ explanation of election/annual body procedures c. Chairman’s comments 2. Approval of last year’s Annual General Body Meeting Minutes 3. Status of Action items from the last year’s Annual General Body Meeting Minutes 4. Overseers’ presentation of all prospective candidates for election 5. Overseers’ explanation of Election Ballot and announcement that Election Ballot boxes are open 6. President’s Comments 7. Questions on last year’s Financial Statements 8. Treasurer’s presentation of proposed Operating and Capital Budgets 9. Discussion, modification if any, separate voting on the Operating and Capital Budget 10. Questions on other Reports included in the electronic mailed package (All Committee Chairs or their assigned Representatives shall be present to answer questions

12:00 PM SECOND CALL FOR QUORUM

1:00 PM RECESS FOR DHUR PRAYERS

1:30 PM MEETING CALLED TO ORDER THIRD CALL FOR QUORUM REMAINING ITEMS OF THE BUSINESS FROM THE ABOVE

2:30 PM FOURTH AND FINAL CALL FOR QUORUM TO VALIDATE VOTES CAST ELECTION BALLOT BOXES CLOSED (If the 20% Quorum is met, Overseers start counting the election ballots)

Conclusion with Dua MEETING ADJOURNED

4:00 PM OVERSEERS ANNOUNCE THE RESULTS OF THE ELECTION BALLOTS

Please note: In case of severe weather or an emergency of any kind in which the meeting and election need to be postponed, Sunday, April 29th, 2018, will be the alternate date with the same agenda.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

3. Overseers Report

Dear ISCJ Community Members: Assalaamu Alaikum,

Responsibility/Obligations of the Board of Overseers (BOO):

The main responsibilities of the Board of Overseers (BOO) are:

Organize, conduct and validate the annual election process.

Work with Board of Trustees (BOT) to organize and conduct the Annual General Body and Town Hall

meetings

Investigate and resolve issues of concern and complaints brought to its attention. Mediate and reconcile

between members and segments of the Society as needed.

Work with the Trustees to select the executive committee (Chairman, President, Secretary, Executive

Secretary, Treasurer, Liaison to NUI Board and ISCJ member to NUI Board)

Attend BOT meetings; and make sure that the decisions undertaken by BOT are consistent with ISCJ

Constitution and by-laws.

At least one member of the BOO has been present in all the BOT meetings, except in month of February due to

family emergency. We hereby report to the ISCJ community the elected BOT members conducted all business

and handled all matters with mutual consultation and carried out their activities pertaining to the running our

institution in accordance with the requirements as set forth in the Constitution.

All members of the BOT and BOO functioned in accordance with our Constitution and took great care to make

decisions that helped to the growth of ISCJ.

The BOO applauds all the members of the BOT for their work, contributions, and hours of commitment to ISCJ.

Proper due-diligence was exercised before approving any actions to make sure it was in the best interest of ISCJ

and are following the constitution and other regulations. This has resulted in keeping ISCJ strong and an

important part of Muslim community in central Jersey.

Below are accomplishments of the Board of Overseers:

Worked with the BOT to facilitate the selection the Executive Committee on June 3, 2017.

Organized and conducted the Town Hall meetings as required by the Constitution on October 14, 2017

and February 4, 2018. These meetings were moderated by the Overseers between the BOT and general

body. The meetings were primary focused on the ISCJ current activities, financials, masjid and future

expansion planning and general state of the ISCJ society. The Town Hall meeting allowed for a question

and answer session.

Reviewed a fact-finding request from a member to look into the communication and internal audit

process. The BOO report was completed and presented to the member and President in December 2017.

The BOO received and reviewed several complaints and resolved each in manner consistent with the

Constitution with the best of our ability. These concerned matters relating to election protocol, action of

President in handling ISCJ affairs, accounting and internal audit procedures, and access to meeting

minutes records. Issues that are under review or outstanding will be reported once resolved in future

reports.

Organized the candidate’s nomination process for the election to be held on April 21 and 22, 2018.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

BOO closely worked with BOT and Constitution Committee as they passed the Board resolution to allow

voting to begin on Saturday preceding the General Body Meeting. This was stated on the notification of

the meeting to the General Body on February 4, 2018.

The BOO approved the Bylaw amendment to section 2, which was approved by both BOT and

Constitution Committee by majority vote of the full body (as per Bylaw section 6(k)). This modification

allows quorum calls to be made on one-hour intervals and fourth and final call to be made no later than

five hours from announced commencement time in the notification of the meeting to the General Body.

(See attached Resolution).

As per the Constitution, a nominee many not be a member of other boards affiliated with ISCJ. The BOO

modified the nomination form to clearly state that in order for the nominee to be eligible, they must resign

from the other Board before they can run for ISCJ election.

Below are some recommendations that Overseers would like to make:

The recent amendments and the resolutions should be added to the ISCJ Constitution and the updated

document be posted on our website.

The BOO procedure to conduct elections should be updated to include nominee withdrawal date. On the

BOO Elections Activities Schedule there should continue to have a “Finalized Qualified Candidate List”

but after the nominee withdrawal date, there should be a “Finalized Ballot” date.

The conflict of interest, code of ethics and responsibilities for BOT and BOO should be consolidated into

a single document for signatures.

Progress was made in the planning of future expansion projects, the Memorandum of Understanding and

Lease Agreement with NUI. The BOT and NUI Board should continue to work together making this a

priority. This will strengthen the relationship between NUI and ISCJ and be used as a reference to clarify

any questions or issues.

Annual General Body Meeting and ISCJ Elections:

The BOO has the responsibility to facilitate the ISCJ Elections and Annual General Body Meeting each year.

The Overseers began this process in early December 2017. A schedule was created with the BOT on a date to

hold the Elections/General Body meeting. This date was agreed to be April 22, 2018.

BOO worked with the Membership Committee to get the final list of all paid members as of December 2017. A

letter was mailed to all paid ISCJ members in the first week of February announcing the election process and

calling for nominations as required. This letter was also emailed to ISCJ Adhan email list recipients.

An important task was to contact all nominees who qualified to run for BOT and BOO positions to submit their

background, education and work experience and involvements with ISCJ. These were summarized and posted on

bulletin board, containing pictures of candidates, and incorporated into the General Body Meeting report.

We would like to thank Allah Almighty foremost and then our community members for entrusting us with this

responsibility and giving us the opportunity to serve ISCJ. We pray that Allah Almighty continues to guide our

leadership and our community and to keep our institutions established with justice and fairness and remain

strong and open till the Day of Judgment - Ameen!

Arifa Zaheer, Chief Overseer

Atiya Aftab, Overseer

Maryam Chebli, Overseer

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

4. Overseers Notification Letter

February 4, 2018

Annual Meeting General Body Meeting and Election Nomination Process Announcement

To Members of the Islamic Society of Central Jersey:

Assalaamu Alaikum. The Board of Trustees and Overseers have agreed to hold the General Body Meeting and

Elections on Sunday, April 22, 2018, 10 am (voting shall also take place on Saturday, April 21, 2018, 1 to 5 pm),

Insha’Allah. Therefore, it is time to initiate the nomination process. The term of the following three members of the Board of Trustees will expire this year: Omayma Mansour, Arif Patel, Abbas Shaikh The term of the following two Overseers will also expire this year: Atiya Aftab, Arifa Zaheer Attached to this letter, please find a nomination form to be filled out and submitted to the ISCJ office by Sunday, February

25, 2018. Last day for candidates to withdraw nomination will be Saturday, March 3, 2018. Please contact the nominee to

ensure that he/she accepts the nomination, and ensure that the nominees for the Board of Trustees and Board of Overseers

fulfill the following constitutional requirements: Be a citizen of the USA domiciled within the vicinity of the ISCJ

Has been a voting member in good standing for at least three (3) consecutive years

Have effectively served the ISCJ for a minimum of at least two years, during which he/she has substantially

participated in the activities of any of the committees (ISCJ Standing Committee, ISCJ Weekend School PTA,

Youth Group and Clinic, etc), or have previously served as an appointed or elected ISCJ BOT for any length of

term.

Not be a close relative as defined by the ISCJ constitution of any existing and continuing Trustee or Overseer.

Please note, per ISCJ Constitution the nominee for Overseers has to prepay Membership fees before he/she can be

eligible for nomination. (Whereas BOT nominees have the privilege to pay later, up to December 31st of this year).

Shall not be a full time / part time paid employee for the ISCJ or any affiliates, or a paid contractor / consultant

working for the ISCJ or its affiliates.

Shall not be a member of other boards affiliated with the ISCJ. In order for the nominee to be eligible they must

resign from the other board before they can run for ISCJ election.

As per the new bylaws, all candidates will be required to sign the ISCJ Conflicts of Interest and Code of Ethics

document upon accepting their nomination and each year if they are elected. The document has been posted on the

bulletin board and copies are available in the office. An electronic copy can also be requested at [email protected].

The introduction of candidates will take place on Saturday, April 7, and Sunday, April 8, 2018 during the weekend

seminar, Insha’Allah. Kindly make an effort to attend so you can get to know the candidates. Also, please check the

membership list at the ISCJ to ensure that your name appears on the list. Again, mark your calendars for the General

Body Meeting and Election which will take place on Sunday, April 22, 2018 (voting shall also take place on Saturday,

April 21, 2018), Insha’Allah. Assalaamu Alaikum, Arifa Zaheer (Chief Overseer), Atiya Aftab (Overseer), Maryam Chebli (Overseer)

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

5. Candidates List

As Salaamu Alaikum Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Members of the ISCJ nominated members to run for positions as the ISCJ Board of Trustees and Board of

Overseers. The Board of Overseers, using the criteria set forth in the Constitution, determined the eligibility of

those nominated. After carefully reviewing the records, the Overseers conclude the following nominees are eligible

candidates for the ISCJ Elections on Sunday, April 22, 2018, Insha’Allah.

Candidates for Board of Trustees (Vote for up to 3):

Candidates for Board of Overseers (Vote for up to 2):

As a reminder, the introduction of candidates will Insha’Allah take place on Saturday, April 7th at 3pm and

Sunday April 8th at 9:45am during the weekend school seminar.

Kindly make an effort to attend these sessions to get to know the candidates. Again, mark your calendars for the

General Body Meeting and Election, which will take place Insha’Allah on Sunday, April 22, 2016.

Jazakum’Allahu Khairun,

Arifa Zaheer(Chief Overseer), Maryam Chebli (Overseer), Atiya Aftab (Overseer)

Naeem Akhtar BOT

Muhammad Ashraf BOT

Heba El-Khateeb BOT

Omayma Mansour BOT

Abbas Shaikh BOT

Mohommed Siddiqui BOT

Ahamed L. Ali BOO

Siddika Pasi BOO Saffet Catovic BOO

Siddika Pasi BOO

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

6. Summary of Candidates Background & Services

ISCJ 2018 Board of Trustees and Board of Overseers Candidates

Candidate Introductions will take place on Saturday April 7 and Sunday April 8, 2018

Naeem Akhtar Br. Naeem is an attorney practicing criminal law, estate planning, corporate law, and litigation.

He is contracted to provide criminal defense services to several municipalities. He manages a wrongful

conviction program designed to identify and exonerate individuals wrongfully convicted of serious crimes such

as murder. He is an appointed member of the Superior Court of New Jersey Juvenile Conference Committee and

the Supreme Court of New Jersey Criminal Practice Committee. He has prepared innumerable simple and

complex estate plans including Islamic wills. As counsel to several retail companies, he provides advice relating

to operating agreements, employment, litigation, fiduciary duties, formation, and acquisition. He has also

provided legal advice to masjids. He also works with the IRS in roles including Revenue Agent and Technical

Analyst.

Br. Naeem graduated from Syracuse University with a MBA degree in Finance and Accounting. Thereafter, he

worked in NYC as a Financial Analyst. Then, he earned a MS in Taxation degree while studying part-time at

Thomas Jefferson University. Next, he studied law part-time at Widener University law school. During law

school, he worked in the litigation section of the Administrative Office of the Courts. Next, he earned a LLM

degree in Taxation from Temple University while working at the IRS. Prior to earning his MBA, he worked as

an investment advisor for high net worth clients and in the compliance department of a large investment banking

firm. Br. Naeem is a member of the Internal Audit, Constitution, and Endowment Committees. He has

advocated for the importance and independence of the Internal Audit Committee. He has served on the

Constitution Committee to address voting/governance issues. He has also prepared estate planning and charitable

giving seminars as a member of the Endowment Committee.

Br. Naeem would like to ameliorate the relationship between NUI/ISCJ by engaging in team building activities

and by effectuating operating agreements between the two entities. He would like to ensure that all ISCJ

members are treated fairly and equitably. He would like to advance ISCJ’s primary purpose to further the

practice of Islam. He would like to prepare a realistic, manageable budget. He advocates Islamic financing for

the sports facility. He would also like to introduce nontraditional, planned giving charitable techniques to ISCJ.

Finally, he would like to encourage community involvement to strengthen ISCJ’s role in our community. Br.

Naeem has two children who attend NUI. His wife works in the NUI High School Division.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

Muhammad Ashraf After a long service with RCA/General Electric in Engineering / Major Programs

Management, Muhammad Ashraf decided to retire in 2008. At GE, he had the

opportunity to manage many groups and responsible for budgeting, cost analysis, best

practices and process improvements as part of Six Sigma process.

Since 1976 his family has resided in Somerset/South Brunswick area and his three

daughters attended ISCJ Weekend School, while Muhammad Ashraf was serving ISCJ

as a committee member, as well as Trustee and Board president and Chairman during

1993-2016. Concurrently, he had been volunteering with South Brunswick Public

Library as a Trustee and President of the Board of Trustees.

Muhammad Ashraf says, “The most challenging situation for ISCJ and its members was during the years 2005-

2012, when ISCJ embarked upon a project to expand its existing facilities, and applied to the South Brunswick

Township for the approval of its Master Plan. ISCJ Board, ISCJ Building Committee and experts worked very

hard to get the South Brunswick Zoning Board approval for the Master Plan. Construction of a permanent

school building was of paramount importance because of the rapid growth in the enrollment at Noor-ul-Iman

and Weekend schools. After multiple fundraising events, and thanks to the generosity of the ISCJ community, the

school building opened to students in two phases, first in September 2012, and second in September 2014. This

was made possible due to the remarkable participation and generosity by the members of the ISCJ community at

large.”

With many years’ association with ISCJ, Muhammad Ashraf has full knowledge of issues and challenges faced

by ISCJ. It is Muhammad Ashraf stated, “That ISCJ current Board has done excellent work for the betterment of

ISCJ.” Muhammad Ashraf’s effort will be to continue to enhance the ISCJ expansion and security of the entire

campus, and find ways to increase in membership, invest/build revenue generating facilities, to improve the

finances of ISCJ. Muhammad Ashraf will continue to support the Islamic education/knowledge of ISCJ

community’s children and elders as well as our interaction with the larger community.

Dr. Heba Elkhateeb is currently a professor of English Writing and Literature at

the Department of English, Rutgers University. She is also an expert in the Arabic

language, and lectures on the Language of the Quran at Princeton University. She taught all

levels of Modern and Classical Arabic at Princeton University, in the department of Near

Eastern Studies. She founded the intensive Arabic Program at Princeton University. She

received her Master of Higher Education with a concentration in Administration and

Supervision of Educational Programs, as well as her Doctorate of Education in the

Pedagogy of Teaching and Learning from Tennessee State University. She also founded the

Arabic Program at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. Since she joined Princeton University at 2005,

Dr. Elkhateeb has been facilitating numerous interfaith meetings, religious conferences and lectures at the ISCJ

and weekend seminars. She also engaged in numerous interfaith scholarly scripture study sessions that aim to

move different communities of faith from blind tolerance to enlightened mutual understanding and acceptance.

Dr. Elkhateeb started "The Language of the Qur'an Lecture Series" at the Center for Muslim Life at Princeton

University, and continues to offer these lectures at the ISCJ Sunday Seminars and her weekly class, as well as at

Princeton University. Since 2009, Dr. Elkhateeb joined the then Religious Committee and served as the Co-

Chair of the Religious and the Interfaith Committee at the Islamic society of Central Jersey. She served as the

Treasurer of Zakah Committee, and a founding member of the Quran Academy Committee since 2013 until

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

today at the Islamic Society of Central Jersey. Dr. Elkhateeb currently facilitates a monthly public forum at the

ISCJ to engage the questions of the local community about Islam and Muslims. She also teaches a weekly course

to reverts, Muslims, and non-Muslims as well. This course is devoted to the study of Islamic beliefs and

practices in the Quran, in-depth understanding of the spiritual concepts in the Qur’an, as well as Islam and its

connection with Christianity and Judaism.

Omayma Mansour Omayma Mansour attained her Bachelors of Science in Computer Science from Rutgers

University in 2000. In 2003, she completed her Masters Degree in Management Information

Systems with a concentration in Information Technology from Stevens Institute of

Technology. She worked at Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems as a Systems Analyst

and Software Developer and after her masters, as a Database Administrator and Database

Support for four years before switching careers to accommodate her new family. She then

began to teach at Noor-Ul-Iman School as an Algebra, Computer Science and Advanced Pre-

Calculus High School teacher. While in college, Omayma served on the Shura of the Islamic Society of Rutgers

University (now MSA) for two years. She was also the founder of Muslim Leaders, a

young Muslim professional leadership initiative created under the mentorship of Imam Siraj Wahhaj and Imam

Zaid Shakir in 2001. She also worked with the Ella Collins Institute to facilitate programming with our

ISCJ/NUI community in 2016-2017. Most recently, she worked with Aisha Gray Henry to review children’s

publications published through Fons Vitae Ghazali Children’s project.

Omayma Mansour served as a Board of Trustees member from 2002-2003 and 2015-2018 (2015-2016 as NUI

Liaison and 2017-2018 as Secretary). She also served on the Board of Overseers from 2003-2004. She was a

teacher at ISCJ Weekend School from 1996-2000. From 2012-2015, she served on the Expansion Funding

Group (EFG) taking a lead role in planning events and fundraisers. During her latest Board of Trustees term,

Omayma Mansour served on the Youth Committee, worked with Steering Committee for the planning of the

Sports Facility and as NUI liaison helped initiate the Fixed Cost-Share Agreement between ISCJ and NUI as

well as finalize the lease agreement between both organizations. While she was an NUI Liaison, she served on

the Strategic Planning Committee and initiated the start of an important benchmarking initiative. She also served

on the NUI Development Committee and was the program lead for the NUI Gala in 2016. During her most

recent term as a Board member, Mansour served on the Youth Director hiring and planning committee. Sister

Mansour is also dedicated to working through the Steering Committee with Weekend School, NUI School, and

all stakeholders in the planning of the Sports Facility. Omayma Mansour (daughter of late Dr. Omar Mansour

and Faiza Mansour) has been a member of the ISCJ community for over 35 years. Omayma has been exposed to

both the NUI and ISCJ communities from a young age and served on both the Board of Trustees and Overseers

while still studying for her Masters. She understands the dynamics between both organizations and the

challenges they each face. Her involvement on the Board as the NUI liaison and committees such as the

Expansion Funding Group gave her further insight on the critical role of each organization.

Mohommed Siddiqui Originally from India, Mohommed Siddiqui migrated to USA in 1971. Having obtained his BS

degree in 1974 and MBA in 1981 from Rutgers University, he worked in AT&T and BNY

Mellon as program manager from 1974 thru current. He was associated with ISCJ since its

inception, and served the Society as President, Secretary, Executive Secretary, and Treasurer of

the Board of Trustees during 1990s and early 2000.During his tenure as president, the high

points of his accomplishments are purchase of 11 acres adjacent property, renovation of prayer area, and

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

obtaining various permits leading to final approval for constructing Noor-UL- Iman School and ISCJ Funeral

Home from various City and State Government agencies.

He also served the Society as Member / Chairman of various committees such as Building Committee,

Fundraising Committee, Maintenance Committee, Library Committee, etc. Recently, delegated by ISCJ he

served NUI as a member of NUI Board of Trustees for two years. Currently, Mohommed Siddiqui is a member

of ISCJ Building Committee, ISCJ Endowment Fund Committee and ISCJ Library Committee. He is currently a

Member of Jersey State Memorial Park Board of Directors. Mohommed Siddiqui served as member of South

Brunswick Public Library Foundation, and also a member of South Brunswick Human Relations Commission.

Given the opportunity, Mohommed Siddiqui will inshallah continue his services in any capacity to the Society as

long as Allah (SWT) gives him strength and will. His goals will include, but not limited to, help cultivate

teamwork, and unity among all community members towards a common goal of Masjid expansion and building

a NUI University.

Br. Abbas Shaikh has been a member of the society for more than 20 years. Currently, he is

employed by a large corporation in New York as a corporate controller. He is an accountant by

profession and holds diversified experience from working over 20 years at a large CPA firm and

over 15 years in private accounting sector.

Most recently, Br. Abbas filled a Board of Trustees position on a selection basis due to a

position that became vacant. Br. Abbas also served as Board of Overseer for a year prior to that.

He was a former member of Board of Trustee and Treasurer for two terms from 2006-2012. He was an active

member of the Weekend School Committee from 2002-2017, now acting in an advisory role. Prior to that, he

served on the Internal Audit Committee from 1998 to 2006, where he helped organize the accounting department

and established internal control.

Br. Abbas is detail oriented and dedicated to his responsibilities and would like to serve the community at large

for the sake of Allah. With his experience and knowledge, he wants to establish improved professional standards

and improved transparency in the accounting department. He has intentions to help accounting staff and

coordinate with staff to present accurate financial statements in a timelier manner. Br. Abbas has been a resident

of South Brunswick Township for 18 years. He resides near the masjid. He is a proud father of two sons and one

daughter who all volunteered as Teachers in the Weekend School.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

Board of Overseer Candidates

Ahamed Liyakath Ali

Ahamed Ali grew up in South India with his two older sisters. He immigrated to the United

States after marriage and has been residing in Central Jersey for the past 15 years. My

education background is Electrical and Electronics Engineering with Bachelor’s degree from

M.S University, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India. Ahamed Ali is currently employed as a

product specialist with a leading industrial supply company where he specializes in serving customers with

specialty items and quoting prices for bulk orders. He has been with McMaster-Carr for past 13 years and

possess professional experience in working with teams and multiple levels of supply chain.

Ahamed Ali’s family has been attending ISCJ since 2002. Ahamed says, “When my son started the Saturday

Weekend School at ISCJ, we understood the importance of belonging to masjid and the Muslim community.” He

and his wife joined the PTO and have been serving and enthusiastically supporting the activities and events

organized by this vital ISCJ committee that serves our youth. Being a member of the PTO, he has helped to

organize many popular events such Eid festivals, teacher’s appreciation day, ice skating night and movie night

which draw high attendance and participation from our community. As an active participant in the Saturday

Weekend schools he always attends Imam Chebli’s Dars and seminar programs to learn in matters concerning

our Muslim community. He feels blessed to have a very diverse and dedicated Muslim community at ISCJ and

would like to increase his involvement in the affairs of the masjid by serving as a member of the Board of

Overseers.

Saffet Abid Catovic is an American Muslim of Bosnian-Anglo descent. He has an MBA and

worked as a Budget Director for a major NYC Corporation until 1992. He left his career to

help his ancestral Bosnia and Herzegovina survive the genocidal campaign wrought against

them. He was one of the founding members of The Bosnia-Task Force which worked at the

grass roots, community, regional and national level to put an end to the genocide. Currently, he

is a management consultant in the area of commercial real estate management and investment.

Saffet Catovic serves as the Muslim Chaplain and MSA Advisor at Drew University where he

has been working on his MA in Religion and Society which he expects to receive May 2018.

He also served/serves on the boards of several institutions including: The Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers

University (convener of the Rutgers Muslim Chaplaincy); Shia-Sunni Alliance of NJ (Alliance of 25 Masajids

and Organizations in New Jersey); Founder and Scout Master of Boy Scout Troop #114 since 2001(A troop

whose members consist primarily of youth from ISCJ and Noor-Ul-Iman); His family has been closely

associated with ISCJ since its founding in the early 1980’s. Formerly Chief Overseer of ISCJ; Member of the

Constitution committee of ISCJ; ISCJ liaison to the GreenFaith Rartian Valley Circle and Jersey Renews;

Founding Board member of the Islamic Society of North America’s (ISNA’s) Green Mosque Task Force and

Board Member of Parliament of World Religions Climate group. He regularly gives Khutbas throughout the

greater NY/NJ/PA area.

He has worked in the area of religious education including as a teacher of Religious Studies in Noor-Ul-Iman

School for over 15 years. He along with his wife (who he met and married through ISCJ) and two other

community members co-authored the weekend school’s Islamic studies text book series I am a Muslim in 1989

that is still used by students who attend annually.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

He was selected by the Obama White House to join a group of Faith Leaders from across the country to advise

on issues related to Environmental Stewardship and is among the drafters of the Islamic Declaration on Global

Climate Change. He was the Muslim congregational captain of the historic Peoples Climate March – NYC

2014 and one of the national Muslim organizers of the People’s Climate March – DC April 2017. He is married,

the father of five children, and a new grandfather as well.

Siddika Pasi. Siddika Pasi is an accomplished Mechanical Engineer working in the energy field

focusing in Solar Industry. She started her career in academia working at Rutgers University’s

Center for Advanced Energy Systems and then moved to the corporate world 10 years ago to

work for the largest U.S Solar Energy Company, First Solar. In these organizations, she worked

in leadership roles coordinating with several cross-functional teams to successfully execute and

complete projects in timely fashion. Siddika’s strength lies in being able to work with various

stakeholders to accomplish goals.

Siddika recently left the corporate world to start her own consulting firm, RePowered Inc. She is a big believer

in empowering women in entrepreneurship and in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). She is a

Registered Professional Engineer in New Jersey and have been actively participating in Society of Women

Engineers mentoring and training woman in the corporate environment. She also serves on the Executive Board

of an NJ Educational Foundation, KSAR that sponsors a woman Candidate each year and financially support

them in obtaining a four year professional degree in India.

Siddika Pasi is a resident of South Brunswick Township and has been a member of ISCJ for 6 years. She and

her husband have three children, who all attend ISCJ weekend Saturday school. Siddika is a highly motivated

person and started volunteering to serve ISCJ from the first day by becoming active member of Weekend School

PTO. Her motivation is also visible in the academic achievements of her children and participation of whole

family at ISCJ. This year her daughter participated in the Islamic Studies Quiz competition and her son became

assistant principal in ISCJ Weekend School. Siddika’s PTO contributions include managing weekly break time

and organizing Eid festivals, teacher’s appreciation day, movie night and ice skating events. Siddika and her

family regularly take part and bring supplies for Muslims Against Hunger sandwiching making events held at

ISCJ. Siddika has a friendly personality and is recognized for her ability to work well in a team environment

which will be valuable to the role of Board of Overseers. Siddika says, “I would be honored and thrilled to serve

the ISCJ community which has become an integral part of our family life.”

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

7. Chairman’s Report

Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim

Dear Respected Members of the ISCJ Community,

Assalamu ‘Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu

I thank Imam Chebli, the ISCJ Board of Trustees, the Board of Overseers, members of all the committees, our

office staff, the teachers at both the full-time and weekend school, the selfless volunteers, and the greater ISCJ

community members who all help provide, and participate in, the numerous valuable programs and services at

ISCJ.

At the beginning of the year, the board defined a few key objectives for the year:

1. Improving the finances of the center

In 2017 the board committed to better manage the finances of the center. The ISCJ controller resigned in

2017 and the board, after a lot of deliberation and careful consideration, decided to outsource the

controller function. This decision has paid immediate dividends and the hired firm has worked very

closely with the accounting staff to clean up the books and records of ISCJ.

Significant progress has been made towards planning of the sports facility and Alhamdulillah we now

have two potential partners willing to invest in building the facility for the community. The sports facility

should help offset the operating costs of the campus and minimize reliance on fundraising and donations

to operate the center.

With continued efforts from the community to strengthen relationship with the township and the

neighbors, the senior housing is also back in planning.

2. Improving relationship with NUI

As ISCJ has grown and as Phase 1 and 2 of the school building began operations, we have seen an

erosion in the relationship between the ISCJ and NUI boards. In 2017, the ISCJ board committed to

resolving the open issues and reestablish trust and harmony. Several joint board meetings were held to

review and finalize the lease contract and Alhamdulillah we had mutual agreement on the contract terms

in January.

In addition, meetings were held to review the plans for the sports facility to explore how it can meet the

needs of NUI so that the financial burden on the community from building Phase 3 of the school can be

reduced.

Agreement was reached between the two boards on the approval process for performing any work on the

campus. However, ISCJ board continues to get surprises.

We will continue having these discussions and focus on revising the MOU in 2018.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

3. Youth Programs

Several youth oriented programs were initiated in 2017 under the leadership of Dr. Ahmed M.

Mohammed.

4. Masjid Expansion

Phase 2 of the Masjid expansion moved at a slower than expected pace in 2017. The steel delivery was

delayed by several months and the building committee is doing its level best to accelerate the pace in

2018.

5. Improving Campus Security

Safety and security of the campus and all the people who visit remains a top priority for the board. ISCJ

works very closely with the local and federal law enforcement agencies to stay aware of security

concerns and threats, and takes joint and appropriate measures to protect all the community members

coming on campus. In addition to existing security measures, in 2017 we started night security to deter

the occasional break-ins we have experienced.

It is you all, the members and volunteers, who make this community as great as it is. Without your participation

and support, much of what ISCJ does would not be possible.

Let us stay united and continue to work towards achieving our vision to establish and promote a vibrant society

that caters to the religious, educational and social needs of the Muslim community in central NJ.

Let us all pray that Allah SWT guides and protects this community and may He reward us all for our intentions

and actions.

Khalid Ozair, Chairman ISCJ Board of Trustees

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

8. President’s Report

As Salaamu Alaykum Dear Respected Members of the ISCJ Community,

Alhamdulillah, 2017 was another eventful year for the ISCJ Community! As always I would like to express my sincere

appreciation and gratitude for your support and was my humble honor to serve our wonderful community and on behalf of

the ISCJ Board of Trustees as I finish up my final year on the ISCJ Board of Trustees.

I must start off by thanking our amazing volunteers and our staff! Their contributions make it possible for ISCJ as an

organization to provide a full range of quality services for our growing community locally, regionally, and nationally. This

committed group of people makes us who we are and works incredibly hard to ensure continued and uninterrupted operations

under the religious guidance of our beloved Imam Hamad Chebli. In our roles the spotlight is always on and there is never

a day off. I want to personally thank everyone who helped out, facilitated, donated, volunteered and otherwise contributed

to make ISCJ in 2017 a success!

We are constantly looking to improve the ISCJ experience for everyone. Our commitment to excellence and service will

continue through a multitude of initiatives including:

Focus on building systems, processes and structures that meets our demands and needs more efficiently

More diverse family programs and social activities

Outreach activities and community involvement

Recruitment and empowerment of volunteers and committees

More effective and enhanced communication

Increased availability and visibility of Board members and committee/task force leaders

As we look ahead to what’s to come in 2018 and beyond, I would like to outline some of the more pertinent

projects/deliverables that are already under way or will begin soon at ISCJ:

New Resident Director for Youth/Young Adults hired and ISCJ LIT formed

Continue to enhance and emphasize the physical safety and security of our members, volunteers, students,

buildings and entire campus including implementing safety procedures and best practices (this is one that I feel

is most important)

Continue the Masjid Expansion Project with sincere taqwa as we truly love ALLAH and as we follow the

footsteps of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), giving our community an opportunity to refresh and revive their

love of our masjid for all generations of our community

Finalize and formalize all relationship related agreements with NUI

ISCJ Mobile App launched, ISCJ Website redesigned and refreshed and official ISCJ Instagram page launched

Continue to enhance Membership experience and communication platforms. This will help us coordinate and

proactively communicate activities with members and also with other organizations throughout our community

Continue to grow the endowment fund while also improving Zakat disbursement methods

Continue to address the needs of all demographics in particular the youth and the elderly (eg., Special Needs,

Career Advancement Programs, Mental Health awareness, feed the needy, etc.

Finalize and gain approval ISCJ Masterplan with revenue generating options on Senior Housing and

Recreational Sports complex to help alleviate operating costs of ISCJ while meeting township requirements

With the help of Allah ALMIGHTY and your cooperation, whether it is through your time, donations, or dua’s, we

will Insha’Allah, continue to succeed. We want to provide the best possible experience for our community so let us

continue to work together on making ISCJ truly a “House of Allah” – what better way to show your love for Allah

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

Almighty than by going to His house! A place where everyone feels welcome, our membership continues to grow,

our youth and seniors are happy to attend and we continue to be a role model for other masaajid.

Here’s how you can help us meet our goals:

Visit www.iscj.org regularly, Sign up for ISCJ Email Alerts and “like” the Official ISCJ Facebook Page www.facebook.com/ISCJ1

Participate in social / religious activities

Volunteer your time and engage the leadership with suggestions and time

Remember ISCJ in your duaa’s

Donate any dollar amount in person or online with regular frequency

Your commitment to deliver and our reliance on you helps us keep marching forward. Even if you cannot volunteer,

I urge you to come to ISCJ or connect with your local masjid if not once a day, then at least once a week at minimum!

No one should ever hesitate in reaching out to me directly for any information, details or clarifications. May Allah

Almighty bless us all with more patience with each other and the ability to forgive and see our good intentions! May

Allah Almighty guide us all to serve Him and the community with sincerity and continued devotion! May Allah

Almighty guide us to what is best in this life and the next! May Allah Almighty preserve and protect you and your

families!

I look forward to seeing everyone at the Annual General Body Meeting on Sunday April 22, 2018. As I close out

my term, it was an honor and privilege to serve the ISCJ Community!

JazakumAllahuKhairan

Wassalamu Alaikum

Arif Patel, President ISCJ Board of Trustees ([email protected])

Keep Smiling

http://www.iscj.org/

http://www.facebook.com/ISCJ1

mailto:[email protected]

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

9. Secretary’s Report

This report sets forth the number of meetings the ISCJ Board of Trustees conducted and the attendance

record of the Trustees.

The current 2017/2018 Board was sworn in on June 3, 2017 by the Board of Overseers who administered

the oath. At that meeting the selection of officers took place and it was agreed that Khalid Ozair was

Chairman, Arif Patel was President, Omayma Mansour was Secretary, Tabassum Khan was Treasurer,

Habib Ahson was Executive Secretary, and Tufail Tahir would be the liaison to the Noor-Ul-Iman (NUI)

Board. The additional Trustees were Mujib Rehman, Habib Ahson, and Junaideen Fahumy. In a follow-

up meeting on June 18, 2017 motions were made to replace Junaideen Fahumy with Abbas Shaikh (as

Fahumy had resigned) as well as replace Habib Ahson with Heba Macksoud (since Habib would be

assisting the Treasurer). A motion also was made to appoint Abdel Rehim Riad as the Community Liaison

to the NUI Board at that meeting. On June 28, 2017 the NUI President notified the ISCJ Board that they

did not accept the appointment of founding member Riad “due to several conflicts of interest.” In an effort

to reach a compromise, the ISCJ Board then withdrew its nomination of A.R. Riad and appointed Ross

Masood as the Community Liaison NUI Board on August 27, 2017.

As of March 30, 2018, the Board has conducted 11 Monthly Meetings and 6 Special/Joint Board

Meetings. Inshallah, the Board will meet again on April 15, 2018 for the 2017/2018 term.

The attendance with respect to the 11 Monthly Meetings and 6 Special/Joint Meetings is as follows:

Trustee Monthly Meeting Attendance Special/Joint Meeting Attendance

Habib Ahson 11 present, 0 absent 6 present, 0 absent

Tabassum Khan 10 present, 1 absent 4 present, 2 absent

Heba Macksoud 11 present, 0 absent 4 present, 2 absent

Omayma Mansour 9 present, 2 absent 6 present, 0 absent

Khalid Ozair 11 present, 0 absent 6 present, 0 absent

Arif Patel 10 present, 1 absent 6 present, 0 absent

Mujibur Rehman 7 present, 4 absent 4 present, 2 absent

Abbas Shaikh 6 present, 3 absent 6 present, 0 absent

Tufail Tahir 9 present, 2 absent 4 present, 2 absent

Omayma Mansour, Secretary, ISCJ Board of Trustees

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

10. 2017 General Body Meeting Minutes

General Body Meeting April 23, 2017

Minutes – by Danish Syed

Present at the meeting:

ISCJ Board of Trustees: Chairman Br. Tahir Tufail, President Br. Arif Patel, Secretary Sr. Tabassum

Khan, Executive Secretary Br. Danish Syed, Treasurer Br. Habib Ahson, Trustee Sr. Heba Macksoud,

Trustee Sr. Omayma Mansour, Trustee Br. Mujibur Rehman, Trustee Br. Junaideen Fahumy

ISCJ Board of Overseers: Chief Overseer Br. Arif Khan, Overseer Br. Arifa Zaheer, Overseer Br. Asad

Mazharullah,

10:19AM: Br. Tahir kicked off the General Body Meeting and invited Iman Chebli to recite from the

Quran.

10:20AM: Imam Chebli recited from the Quran and shared a lesson from the hadith of Imam Abu

Hanifa. He prayed for the meeting to be productive leading to a healthy dialogue between the community

members. He asked all the attendees to repeat with him Verse 10-12 from Chapter 49 of the Quran.

10:31AM: Br. Arif Khan explained the rules of quorum and voting. He informed members that voting

cannot begin until 5% quorum is reached. Members, however, could register and take the ballots while

they wait. He highlighted that per ISCJ constitution, a 20% quorum was required before any major

decisions were made and encouraged the members to follow rules while raising any questions. Members,

when asking questions or making a comment, should refrain from making direct statements to anyone.

He assured the members that everyone’s questions and comments were welcome.

10:33AM: Imam Chebli urged members to face the Overseers or the Board of Trustees when making a

comment and should refrain from facing the audience.

10:35AM: Br. Arif Khan confirmed 3% quorum has been met. Br. Tahir asked Sr. Omayma Mansour to

provide an update on the hiring of Director for Youth/Young Adults.

10:39AM: Sr. Omayma started providing the update on hiring and emphasized that it is very important

for all of us to be a part of this discussion. She mentioned that last year, we had a very passionate

discussion on this topic and we as a community agreed on a better youth program and hiring someone.

There was a motion to the budget to take care of this program and it was unanimously passed by all of

you. Our board put together a task force to accomplish that objective. She emphasized that we have found

someone and have put together an effective youth program, which was not easy to accomplish. The task

force included both adults and youth representatives from our community. The board members on the

taskforce are herself, Sr. Heba Macksoud, Br. Arif Patel. Members on the taskforce from our community,

who have been very passionately involved are Br. Mohammed Esseghir, Br. Hatem Gawaly, Br. Wajed

Syed, Br. Rizwan Baig and ISCJ Youth Group (Danish Butt, Zaid Syed, Abdul Azeem, Daniyal Aikal,

Sahla Syed, Humna Rizki, Onaisa Rizki, Mariam Nadi and Sasha Persaud). Sr. Omayma also pointed out

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

that youth members from the community were very passionate and involved in the interview process.

There were several candidates who applied. One of the youth suggested that we consider Dr. Ahmed M.

Mohammed because of his involvement with the youth community. Dr. Ahmed is a doctorate-level

educator with experience in teaching, developing, designing and delivering community programs. He

wanted to leave academia and join an Islamic association and community at large. The program and

classes put together by Dr. Ahmed will be advertised soon. This community is where we grew up and our

forefathers said “we aspire to the anchor of a model community of practicing Muslims. The fundamental

objective of the society to seek glory of Allah SWT. So our mission statement is that we are a practicing

community of model Muslims. Over the last couple of years, we’ve been talking about building

infrastructure and building Phase 1, 2, 3 and the masjid. Our main vision was to build you (our

community) when the society started. The main goal is to build foundations of Islam in each of you. With

the current political background in place, if we can’t teach our children what is being a Muslim then how

are we going to take our community further. There is no point of any expansion, if your kids don’t know

what being Muslim is. We should take the youth program and education very seriously! Dr. Ahmed was

the assistant adjunct professor of biology at a community college. She provided a brief introduction of

Dr. Ahmed. Dr. Ahmed holds a PhD degree from Queens University in Ontario Canada. Also, he holds a

master’s degree in Islamic Studies from Islamic University of Minnesota. He served as assistant imam at

Jersey City’s Masjid Tawhid and a temporary Imam. She concluded her update by asking community

members to welcome Dr. Ahmed.

10:50AM Dr. Ahmed greeted the members and thanked board members. He mentioned that he is glad he

has become a part of ISCJ organization. He knows that community is very active and passionate based on

the questioning abilities and how eager we are to start a youth program.

10:51AM: Br Arif Khan announced that 5% quorum has reached and handed over the meeting to

Chairman of the BOT, Br. Tufail Tahir.

10:52AM: Chairman Remarks:

Chairman Tufail started his remarks by welcoming and thanking all the community members on behalf of

the ISCJ Board of Trustees, Overseers and staff members for coming to the meeting. He mentioned that

this year’s board has more meetings than in last couple of years. It was very hard to keep up with all the

meetings and different conversations. We all challenged each other but we are together in discussions and

stand behind the decisions we make. He asked community members to participate in the decision-making

process and consider becoming a board member. He said if you want to make a change and a difference

then become part of this trust and community. You have elected these people (board members) as your

leaders and as your voice, you can question them, but you should also trust and respect them for best

decisions they have made. He asked members and volunteers to step up and get involved! We have three

board of trustee positions open, and we only have three candidates. He mentioned that now we have a

youth director, please help him out by getting involved and raising funds for youth programs. We

understand that due to the changes in political environment in the country the community is feeling

constant threats and need of security. He cited example of recent an arson incident in another masjid. We

understand that we are at the risk, to address that under the leadership of Sr. Heba and Sr. Omayma

Board has proposed a comprehensive security proposal. This proposal includes 24/7 all days of the week

security coverage assessing the campus at the most vulnerable times. To accomplish that we have

doubled our security budget. Security coverage will be provided during the night as well, where the most

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

incidents have been reported. Security expense will be covered during the budget session so please

support it for keeping entire campus including masjid and schools and all of us safe.

Br Tufail also talked about the campus development. He mentioned that project is going to start soon and

there is a ballot to vote on this project as well today. We had a long journey over 10-12 years ago at that

point our wise leaders decided that we should build an office building and general body approved it.

Since then our budget in the last 10 years has doubled while our membership and revenue has not. We

are struggling to cover the activities and the programming. This is the time that we either build the office

or an alternate facility. So today we put a ballot and the vote is basically to choose 1) status quo of master

plan i.e. build the office building or 2) build an alternative facility. He also clarified that just like any

other family ICCJ NUI may have some differences but both boards are trying their best to fulfill their

fiduciary duties. Both boards meet on regular basis and discuss the issues. The differences in opinions or

interest should not be exaggerated as a rift between the boards, we are united as a family.

Br. Tufail mentioned another topic which he said was addressed to an individual and not to the

community. He is expecting that person to be present in the meeting. This person has send an email to

lots of community members impersonating Br. Arif Patel and asking not to support the sports complex

initiative and vote no in today’s voting. The email was signed as “Arif Patel”. This person is creating

fitnah in the society and its unfathomable as a Muslim to create a fake email address and impersonate the

society president. This person has done not only an unislamic act but also committed a federal crime of

impersonation. He asked that this person should come forward in private to Br. Arif, Imam Chebli or Br.

Tufail and admit the mistake, we will Insha’Allah forgive and forget. If you don’t then we have options

and we can track all electronic communications. We are all good Muslims we will forgive your mistake.

He asked all members to reach out to board if they have any objections we will address your concerns.

With this he concluded his remarks.

11:12AM: Imam Chebli announced there are pamphlets being distributed in the meeting room. Someone

gave pamphlets to a young girl and asked to distribute to the people in the meeting room. He asked for

the pamphlet to be given to the President or Secretary only. They will appropriately discuss the matter

with concerned people. He urged to continue the meeting Islamically.

11:14AM: Br Arif Khan requested Sr. Uzma to stop distributing the pamphlets. Sr. Uzma asked to speak

to the Chair of the Constitution Committee.

11:15AM: Br. Arif Patel addressed and informed the audience that Sr. Uzma Khan is passing the flyers.

He asked everyone to please disregard the flyers and this is inappropriate as per meeting procedures and

islamically. This is not the right course of action and not allowed.

Somebody from the audience pointed out that let Sr. Uzma make her point but Br. Arif Patel and other

board members insisted that it’s a disruption to the meeting. There is process and procedure to follow.

We as a Board are running this meeting as general body meeting. We expect everybody to behave

appropriately. We know that everybody is passionate, and everyone has opinion but follow the process

and procedures. He mentioned that Sr. Uzma has been given many opportunities over the last 6 to 8

weeks, multiple times but she does not comply, and he wants everyone to know that. This is not a random

event, there is a history of this individual who continues not follow the procedures, spread incomplete

information, half-truths and incorrect information. We will address this topic as part of the agenda when

time comes in the meeting.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

11:16AM Br Arif Khan mentioned that this year BOO had twenty-six nominations out of which some

were declined. He introduced the names of people eligible to run for the election. They are Sr. Tabassum

Khan, Sr Heba Macksoud and Br. Khalid Ozair for Board of Trustee. Sr. Atiya Aftab and Sr. Maryam

Chebli for Board of Overseers. He invited Br. Arif Patel to present last year’s General Body meeting

notes. He mentioned that once 20% quorum has met, members can start voting and we can start making

decisions. 2016 was an eventful and prosperous year.

President’s Comments:

11:18AM Br. Arif Patel started his remarks with a lighter note about the complaint that he received today

for shortage of breakfast. He said that our goal is to have one healthy community for everyone and no

one should disagree with that. We do our best to be transparent.

Motion for last year’s Annual General Body Meeting Minutes:

He made the motion to approve the last year’s General Body meeting. He mentioned that major

accomplishments of last year includes hiring Dr. Ahmed. He said that raising our children is a collective

effort. Br. Arif pointed out our youth is faced with serious drug issues, even in ISCJ community. Medical

professionals are currently treating some families for these problems. We need to provide a safe and

healthy environment to our kids so that if there is an issue they know where to go.

He talked about finishing the bathroom renovation and lessons learned during the process. He thanked

everyone involved in the project. We also have built internal control procedures for working for

contractors and make sure we have checks and balances. We did back offices changes in finance to

manage the cost and reconcile the differences. Next week we will have the foundation work started for

masjid expansion. We started monthly family potluck. We started special need group, yoga groups past

year based on community needs. We started public calendar to publish events. He mentioned many other

accomplishments from last year and asked people to make Dua, Donation and Participate. Br. Shoukat

mentioned that last year’s meeting notes must be distributed before action items can be addressed.

Approval of last year’s Annual General Body Meeting Minutes:

Sr. Atiya second the motion. Br. Dawud said that there should be a correction and he read from last

year’s Overseer’s report. Br. Arif Patel corrected him. Motion was passed with 76 Yes and 0 No.

Status of Action Items from last year’s Annual General Body Meeting:

1. First action item: Why is it difficult to become a committee member?

Br. Arif answered it was a communication gap between volunteer committee and the member due to

mismatch of skills required for the committee.

2. Second action item: How can we increase the membership and revenue through membership?

Br. Arif invited Br. Ashraf, Chairman Membership Committee, to give details on the action item. He

mentioned that membership has been reduced from 631 to 625 this year. We are sending letters to renew

the membership of parents whose children have graduated from NUI/Weekend School. We are also

sending letters to people who are moving into this area.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

11:40AM: Br. Arif Khan announced that we are at 10% quorum now and asked members to contact other

people to come and register for the meeting. He pointed that next agenda item is Financial Statement. A

five minutes break was announced.

Imam asked Sr. Uzma to stop distributing the papers. Br. Arif asked everyone to stop doing things that

cause the division. Imam asked to continue the meeting. Br. Riad said to Sr. Uzma and we have heard

you clearly and we will work with you.

Overseer’s presentation of Prospective Candidates for Election

11:48AM Overseers’ explanation of Election Ballot and Announcement

Br. Arif Patel started with agenda items. He mentioned that there are 3 candidates for BOT and 2

candidates for BOO. He explained that Br. Arif Khan has already given brief introduction of candidates.

Regarding the additional items on the ballot he clarified that ballot has ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to vote. This has

been communicated in various emails and announcements to the community.

Br. Shoukat pointed that the agenda does not explicitly state that sports facility is on the ballot. Br. Arif

stated that the sports facility was covered in many other communications to the community.

11:51AM Questions on Last Year’s Financial statements

Br. Arif started this agenda item by introducing Treasurer Br. Habib Ahson. He explained the process of

ISCJ operating budget and has become more transparent than ever. He appreciated Br. Habib for his to

dedication to ISCJ and his work as treasurer.

Br. Habib thanked the members and non-members to make the donations towards various programs at

ISCJ. He also thanked admin and account department for working hard over the past year. There are 9

full and part-time employees at ISCJ and we streamlined many accounting procedures including

Employee Handbook this year. He pointed out that in his report the MRF Bathroom expenses were

$385,000 which is incorrect. The correct expenses were $275,000 and the budget was $385,000. We

increased the membership fee by $25 that would generate additional $20,000 in revenue. General

donations are down from last year, he requested members to donate to Masjid Renovation Fund as well

as general donations. He informed this year we collected $906,000 and received $81,000 from NUI for

expansion project. There is surplus in Quran Academy and Weekend School. Salary in 2017 is going

increase due to hiring of Youth Director. We are also proposing increase in security budget to give 24/7

coverage, which may require further fundraising from community. Membership and general donations

are down. We paid NUI $40,000 for building usage but this we year we had to pay additional $40,000 for

last year’s usage. He mentioned that 5% of all donations go to Endowment Fund and 5% go to Reserve

Fund.

Br. Riad asked why we are paying NUI $90,000. Sr. Tabassum and Br. Habib explained that

$90,000 is for 2 years building usage. Br Habib stated that this year there is an over spend of $52,000 but

2017 proposed budget is balanced. Br. Mateen asked if we should curtail the expenses to stay in the

approved budget. Sr. Tabassum pointed this year we were expecting $150,000 in donation during

Ramadan but only $86,000 were received, we should look to both curtailing expenses and decreased

revenue for operating budget discussion. Br. Nusrath asked if 2017 projection for Youth program could

be reduced from $100,000 to $60,000. Sr. Tabassum explained that $100,000 were approved in last

budget by the general body. However, 2017 projection is $60,000 because Youth Director has been hired

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

in April. Br. Tufail reminded that general body supported the youth initiative last year and we need to

collect more funds from community for this program. Br. Arif assured that the Youth Program taskforce

will continue to work on fundraising for this program.

12:12PM Br. Riad mentioned that we are over spending and this has never happened in the history of 47

years of ISCJ. There is $40,000 error in the accounting and $52,000 loss. He asked if we are increasing

membership revenue from $310,000 to $340,000 that is $30,000 more. For that we will need 60 new

members. Do we have programming that can attract 60 new members? The general donation revenue is

expected to raise from $144,000 to $150,000, is that realistic? He urged everyone to know how we make

money and how we spend. He asked how we plan to use the $60,000 for Youth Program. He proposed to

reduce $140,000 from revenue to be realistic.

12:27PM Br Arif explained that two main reasons for over spend last year were, Security which BOT

didn’t anticipate, and Maintenance of Mod-1 and Mod-2. We are putting new measures to control the

expenses for this year.

12:28 Sr. Sylvie pointed out that in 2016 ISCJ paid $80,000 to NUI and did not get anything in return. In

2017, ISCJ should not pay NUI and keep the money for ISCJ expenses. She also urged that NUI should

not be allowed to take responsibility of building Phase-3 since they are renting. Renters are not allowed

to do construction on the ISCJ land, this may have legal implications for ISCJ and changes the nature of

the organization.

Br. Arif Patel explained that ISCJ paid NUI under the obligation of a contract which is to share the cost

for using building by Weekend School and Quran Academy. ISCJ paid $40,000 in 2016 and $40,000 for

last year. Regarding Phase-3 he said that nothing has been decided yet. ISCJ will have proper legal

contract with NUI for building construction and maintenance when the time comes.

12:32PM Br. Dawud asked Board to consider budgeting some amount for religious activities.

Br. Arif assured that Board will consider the suggestion.

12:34PM Br. Esseghir referred to Br. Ashraf (Membership Committee) remarks about children who have

graduated from ISCJ/NUI. If we cannot bring them to ISCJ as members than we are not doing something

right. He advised that ISCJ should open membership to university students and who are starting new

lives. Br. Arif stated that ISCJ has been offering Student membership for a long time. Br. Arif agreed

that we as board as members can do a better marketing job to get young people to ISCJ.

12:38 Br. Mohammad Nusrath made two points. 1) He said that this budget is very fair, and we can

adjust projections to make it better. He said our collections during Ramadan were good but we need to

prioritize and allocate the budget more carefully. He also questioned why there are only 3 candidates for

board election despite receiving 23 nominations. Br. Arif pointed out that we did collect more money in

Ramadan than prior year, but there is more going into capital expenses as opposed to operational

expenses. Br. Habib clarified that MRF budget cannot be included in operational budget since it’s a

capital expense. Br. Arif said that we are at the topic of budget and Br. Nusrath’s question about selection

of candidates will be answered during appropriate topic.

Br. Riad asked that our membership revenue is going down and how can we meet the revenue by just

adding 30 new members? Why have we increased the Salary and Wages budget by 10%?

Sr. Tabassum clarified that ISCJ has 3 employees in accounting and there was a 100% turnover.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

Br Arif explained that the community is growing and its accounting work cannot be accomplished by just

one accountant.

Sr. Omayma clarified that members donation were good for MRF but made less donations for operational

expenses. This year we plan to take $150,000 towards the operational expenses first, and then the

remaining collection will go towards capital expenses. She also mentioned that we will raise and hold

more fundraisers for Youth Director and program expenses. Br. Mateen asked just like a corporation if

there is not enough revenue why can’t we cut down the cost and why can’t we cut the cost next year? Sr.

Omayma and Sr. Heba said that we can decide as general body which expenses to cut down including

security. She said our bills go up every year, same way ISCJ expenses will naturally go up every year. Br.

Arif requested members to not ask questions which already have been answered.

12:46PM Br. Vasi Rehman asked how much money we have in Reserve funds at the end of this year.

12:48PM Br. Arif Khan announced that 245 members have registered, and 327 registrations are needed

to meet the 20% quorum.

12:48PM Br. Imran Ahmed asked that our expected revenues have increased (Membership 301K to

340K, Quran Academy 45K to 55K, Youth 7K to 60K) what is the strategy to increase the revenue?

Sr. Heba clarified that there is justification for all revenue increases and proper planning to build this

budget. There were 15 drafts of this budget considering all options available.

12:53PM Br. Saad Abbasi made a statement that masjid in today’s day and age should have a greater

role. He emphasized that we need to increase our influence out of the masjid. He said that are 200K

Muslims voters in NJ and we should use our vote for our benefit and wisely.

12:56PM Br. Ahmed Khan said that ISCJ should work on increasing the members in the society.

12:58PM Br Shrieff Battat made the motion to approve (without adjustment) the Operating and Capital

budget. Sr. Sogra second the Operating budget motion. The motion was passed with 101 Yes and 4 No

votes. Sr. Atiya second the Capital budget motion. The motion was passed. (Zero No).

1:05PM Imam Chebli prayed for everybody’s safety and guidance from Allah.

1:05 Recess for Dhur Prayer

2:02PM Meeting reconvened after Dhur prayer (as limited meeting with 82 members in

attendance)

2:02PM Br. Arif Patel made an appeal to support the Hugs for Brady, a nonprofit organization

supporting the pediatric cancer cause. He mentioned that Hugs for Brady brought flowers to the masjid

for all of us so that we can pass to others on their behalf. This shows that ISCJ has deep connections with

the community. We are proud to be friends with them. He mentioned that the South Brunswick Mayor

Frank Gambatese, he was true friend of ISCJ. He opened the floor for questions.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

2:05PM Br. Dawud asked – What can we do for non-Muslims to make good relations? He gave an

example of coffee and donuts being served to new US citizens. Br. Arif Patel agreed that we can do

something like this and should discuss more after the meeting.

2:06PM Sr. Uzma said that she is excited about the sports facility project and willing to support. She has

done lots of research and would like to share with the community. She said that ISCJ has land, zoning

approval, investors, and contacts of management that can run the business. She said that facility should

be built and run by ISCJ community member and not by any non-member. She wants to work with ISCJ

board NUI board and ISCJ members together on this project.

2:09PM Br. Parvaiz Malik acknowledged that it takes a lot of hard work to run the board and run a big

organization like ISCJ. But the criticism and ideas coming from other people should not be taken as

disruptions. He pointed out that Sr. Uzma should have taken the right approach to share her opinion and

read the pamphlet instead of distributing it without permission. She seems to have right intentions. But

criticizing and singling out Sr. Uzma was not right. He asked President Br. Arif Patel to apologize to Sr.

Uzma. Br. Arif explained that there is a history to this and not an isolated incident. For past 8 weeks we

(along with Steering Committee) have sat with Sr. Uzma multiple times to provide clarifications and

work with her but she continually refused to follow the process. Her actions have resulted in damaging

our relationships outside the community which our founding fathers have cultivated over the years. But

since Br. Malik is asking he apologized to Sr. Uzma.

2:17PM Br. Riaz Siddiqui said that he is in favor of sports facility project but asked that the process of

bidding and selection should be open and transparent to all ISCJ members. The general body must

approve the project. Br. Tufail assured that the process will be transparent, and community will be well

informed of all decisions.

2:19PM Br. Shoukat Ali said that the meeting was not being run as per the expected procedures. He

mentioned that overseers have not properly explained the description of ballot and quorum requirements

adequately, specially before the ballot is opened. He mentioned that he advised the board to explain the

voting/ballot procedure ahead of the meeting including clearly communicating the consequences of

approving or rejecting the proposal. It’s unacceptable and unusual to open the ballot before proving such

explanation to the members.

2:20PM Br. Mateen said he is invoking Verse 49:10,49:14, 9:18 & 42:52 from the Quran. He reminded

all our responsibilities towards the masjid. He said he disagrees that non-Muslim should build the sports

facility at ISCJ campus as the entire campus is masjid and only Muslims have been given responsibility

to maintain the masjid. Br. Tufail clarified that as board we decided not to discriminate bidders based on

religion. The project will be granted based on meeting requirements and merit. Imam Chebli clarified that

Verse 5:51 which Br. Mateen mentioned does not apply to business dealings.

2:30PM Br. Nusrath asked to clarify on the process of selecting candidates for running for board of

trustee election. Br. Arif Khan clarified that 26 nominations were received out of which some were

declined; some were disqualified due to lack of eligibility. Br. Mateen asked why Br. Siddiqui was not

selected as a candidate. Br. Arif explained that Br. Siddiqui is part of NUI Board of Directors, which was

a conflict of interest and disqualified him as a ISCJ BOT candidate.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

2:38PM Sr. Uzma asked that she wants a commitment and support from Steering Committee to work on

the sports facility project. She should not be given the entire responsibility of arranging investments or

management of the project. Br. Riad said they would like her to submit a complete business plan.

2:41PM Imam Chebli said that we need 21 more registrations to complete the 20% quorum and

requested people in the room to get more registrations.

2:44PM Br. Shoukat Ali pointed out the most organizations have rules that restrict members of same

family to be on the board as well as on the staff. We need to look into that rule for amending ISCJ

constitution.

2:45PM Sr. Nadia Younes asked if we are planning to offer community Iftar at ISCJ this year. Br. Tufail

clarified that board has not made any decision on it yet.

2:48PM Br. Younis expressed his disappointment with the current state of politics in the nation and

asked members to practice respect and tolerance for all segments of society.

2:50PM Br. Dawud suggested to create an advisory council in ISCJ that will senior members of society

including past presidents, trustee etc. Board can reach out to this council in case they seek any advice.

2:51PM Br. Tufail announced that 8 more registrations are required to meet the quorum.

2:52PM Sr. Sogra pointed out that proposal to form a council of senior members should be addressed to

Constitution Committee and not the Board of Trustees.

2:52PM Sr. Sylvia said that any payments to NUI should be brought to town hall meetings. Sr. Omayma

shared her agreement with Sr. Sylvia and said it’s a good suggestion.

2:54PM Sr. Sogra pointed out the women are stepping up more than men to be part of ISCJ Board.

2:59PM Br. Tufail announced that only 4 more registrations are needed to complete the quorum.

3:04PM Br. Arif Khan announced that the quorum has been reached. Meeting was concluded.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

11. 2018 Proposed Operating Budget

THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

2018 Proposed Operating Budget

Revenue Actual Budget Budget Reasoning on Actual 2017 & Budget 2018

2017 % 2017 % 2018 %

Membership Dues 344,306 30% 340,000 34% 330,000 31%

Decrease expected due to potential drop in NUI school enrollment

General Donation

256,396 23% 150,000 15% 270,000 25%

Quran Academy

51,067 4% 55,000 6% 70,000 7%

Includes QA Tuition, QA fundraising activities, additional program offering

Advertising 18,244 2% 15,000 2% 18,000 2%

Rental Income 40,350 4% 37,800 4% 37,800 4%

Rental income for two residential properties

Hall Rental 10,815 1% 7,621 1% 9,000 1%

Rental hall increased due to demand of MPR

Celebration Income / Operating Expenses collected during Ramadan

172,352 15% 150,000 15% 150,000 14% Amount received during Ramadan apportioned for operations

Weekend School

115,958 10% 125,000 13% 110,000 10%

Amount represents WES Revenue to be used towards WES expenses. WES is an integral part of ISCJ operations and is therefore represented in the operating budget

Youth Program 21,125 2% 60,000 6% 30,000 3%

Other Revenue (Wedding, Investment dividends, Funeral Home etc.)

108,340 10% 55,000 6% 50,000 5%

Total Revenues $1,138,953 100%

$995,421

100%

$1,074,800 100%

Expenses Actual % Budget % Budget %

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

Salaries /Compensation

398,584 38% 295,150 30% 297,112

28%

Increase to account for additional support for overall masjid operations and youth director.

Website Expense 1,359 0% 550 0% 1,500

0% Includes web site maintenance

Building Repair & Maintenance

33,588 3% 75,000 8% 50,000

5%

Increase due to Parking lot pot hole fix, paint at various locations, repair work in the building etc. including Funeral Home

Insurance 24,255 2% 29,000 3% 33,000

3% Increase due to Insurance went up for the year 2018

Utilities 39,618 4% 45,000 5% 38,000 4%

Property Taxes 13,292 1% 13,300 1% 10,000 1%

Housekeeping 85,782 8% 73,000 7% 87,000

8%

Expect to go up as increase in people attending ISCJ events, etc.

Security

46,922 4% 87,000 9% 80,000

7%

Increased to account for additional security measures for ISCJ campus. Includes LMS for Fridays, Night security, and Weekend School security.

Professional Fees

30,788 3% 37,000 4% 65,000

6%

Includes Accounting Controller, Audit fee, Legal fee, and payroll services fee

Office Expense

28,040 3% 27,000 3% 30,000

3%

Community/Committee Expense

4,394 0% 9,000 1% 5,000 0%

Includes all committees expenses

Celebration/both Eids

55,250 5% 40,000 4% 52,000

5% Includes Ramadan and Eid expenses

Funeral Home 6,330 1% 9,000 1% 11,000

1% Expected renovation of the facility, tiles, paint etc.

Scholarship Fund 3,000 0% 4,000 0% 4,000 0%

Quran Academy

47,154 4% 45,000 5% 75,000

7%

Includes personnel cost for operating the academy, salary, annual picnic, awards/recognition,

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

graduation and bookkeeping costs.

Youth Program 13,399 1% 7,000 1% 15,000

1%

Expecting more programing under LIT Program

Weekend School

95,014 9% 96,500 10% 100,000

9%

Includes costs to operate the WES, including payment to teachers, supplies, books, etc.

ISCJ Use of School Building

41,616 4% 40,800 4% 42,448

4%

Please note: NUI Cost Sharing as per MOU Agreement Year 2015-16 $40,800, 2016-17 $41,616, and 2017-18 $42,448

Endowment Fund Transfer

12,820 1% 7,500 1% 13,500 1%

Five percent of General Donation

Endowment Fund Expense

2,000 0% 3,000 0% 3,000 0%

Reserve Fund 56,948 5% 49,771 5% 53,740

5% Five percent of Total Revenue

Miscellaneous 12,094 1% 1,850 0% 8,500

1% Includes Bank fee and Credit Card charges, etc.

Total Expenses $1,052,246 100%

$995,421

100%

$1,074,800 100%

Revenue less Expense

$86,707 $0 $0

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

12. 2018 Proposed Capital Budget

Proposed Capital Budget

2018-2020

Amount (in '000)

TOTAL (Spend &

Committed)

SPEND AS OF

12/31/2017 COMMITED 2018 2019 2020

+

TOTAL FORECAST

School Phase I & II (ISCJ Community Loan) 163 39 124 39 23 23 85

Masjid Expansion 3,094 207 2,887 1,400 956 738 3,094

Infrastructure for Sports Facility/Senior Housing/Masjid Parking 100 0 100 100 100 100 300

(A) School Phase III (NUI Commitment) 9,486 NA 9,486 0 2,813 6,673 9,486

(B) School Phase III (ISCJ Future Commitment) 0 0 0 0 50 100 150

TOTAL CAPITAL 12,843 246 12,597 1,539 3,942 7,634 13,115

Notes:

(A) NUI is fully responsible for financing and the fund raising for School Phase III

(B) Expected disbursement for the School Phase III: ISCJ Portion e.g. Road Construction & Infrastructure

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

13. Estimated – Repairs & Maintenance

Estimated - Repairs & Maintenance

2018-2020

TOTAL

Estimated Disbursements for:

Project ( in '000) 2018 2019 2020 TOTAL

(A) School Building Phase III NA NA NA NA NA

(B) Masjid Expansion 30 0 15 15 30

(A & B) Total Repairs & Maintenance 30 0 15 15 30

Notes:

(A) NUI fully financially responsible for the NUI Phase III Repairs & Maintenance

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

14. Treasurer’s Report

Assalamu alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

It is my humble pleasure to serve the Islamic Society of Central Jersey as the Treasurer since December

2017 after Sr. Tabassum resigned from the role. First, I would like to thank the community for their

generous contributions towards the Society. This past year has been prosperous for the ISCJ Community.

I would like to thank the Accounting and Admininistration Department for their great help throughout the

year.

This year we continued to engage our last year’s auditors. P&K CPA’s, LLC which is based in

Parsippany, NJ. P&K CPA’s, LLC is independent from ISCJ and does not have any affiliations or

relationship with the BOT or employees of ISCJ. Their audit was based upon generally accepted auditing

standards which are applied in the United States. This requires that the audit is planned and performed to

ensure that the financial statements are free of material misstatements.

We have hired Khan & Associates based from Cherry Hill, NJ to oversee and as controller of the

accounting department.

How does ISCJ classify the donations that it receives?

ISCJ classifies all the funds they receive in three main categories: Restricted Funds, Unrestricted Funds,

and Temporarily Restricted Funds.

Temporarily Restricted funds are donations received from you which are designated by you, for a

specific purpose. For example, zakat, sadaqa, masjid renovation/expansion, school phase I/II, general

donations, library fund, cemetery, weekend school, Quran academy, etc. These funds are collected and

earmarked for their designated function. These funds are subsequently then disbursed for their intended

purpose. For example, zakat funds are collected and only disbursed for zakat recipients.

Unrestricted funds are donations received from you which allow the Board to use the funds to execute

the operations of the masjid. With your generous donations, the masjid is able to operate and offer

various programs to benefit the community. This includes providing a facility to offer salat, lectures,

coordinate events in Ramadan, Eid celebrations, operate a funeral home, grounds maintenance, snow

removal, heat/air conditioning, electricity, cleaning of the facility, repairs, maintenance, security

surveillance, and a meeting place for seniors, youth and the various committees.

Permanently Restricted Funds are funds that are received by ISCJ for which the original amount is to

remain in perpetuity. For example, the ISCJ Endowment fund will build a nest for the long term benefit of

ISCJ.

These three classifications mentioned above are standard used in the nonprofit industry. ISCJ abides by

these standards in receiving and disbursing the monies received.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

What is an operating budget?

The operating budget consists of two major items: Revenue and Expense. The revenue is generated from

several sources; mainly from your donations and income from membership dues. Additional revenues are

derived from the funeral home services, advertising, income from Quran Academy Operations, donations

during Ramadan specifically for operations, and rental income. The revenue is used to pay for various

expenses. The operating budget helps pay the water, heat, air conditioning of the facility, halaqa’s, our

hardworking employees, speakers that we bring to the masjid, insurance, property taxes on the rental

homes, security of the masjid, repairs and maintenance of the facility, and cleaning of the funeral home.

Highlights of the operating budget 2018

Propose balance budget for the next year with Total Revenue and Expenses at $1,074,800

Increase in Membership and General Donation as compared to last year

Due to current circumstances and situation we are increasing the Security budget to $80,000

Comparison of last year’s Revenue vs. Expenses

Revenue 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Budget Membership 330,250 318,474 310,035 344,306 330,000

General donation 178,236 126,347 124,015 256,396 270,000

Weekend school NA NA 106,315 115,958 110,000

Rental Income 21,625 54,450 35,850 51,165 46,800

Other Revenue 769,554 196,874 207,261 371,128 318,000

Total Revenue 1,299,665 696,145 783,476 1,138,953 1,074,800

Expense 1,289,950 696,145 875,729 1,052,246 1,074,800

Surplus / Loss 9,715 0 -92,253 86,707 0

Masjid Expansion Project

A separate account is maintained for all construction related activity for Masjid Expansion. This year we

are expecting expansion of $1,400,000 during the year 2018. We have spent $207,000 towards Masjid

Expansion in the year 2017.

Looking ahead in 2018

These are some of the items that the future BOT should work towards in 2018:

Funds are set aside towards the Grand Master Plan including Sports Facility and Seniors Housing

Need to create a coherent financial vision for Sports Facility and Senior Housing Plan

Evaluate opportunities to provide additional revenue to ISCJ

Find opportunities to implement reduction in operating expenses

Need to transfer Endowment money for the past two years

Need to close the Community Loan towards School Building Phase I/II.

Lastly, develop a long term financial plan which includes years beyond 2018

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

How can you help?

Join a committee and contribute to our success! Visit us during Jummah, Halaqahs, Weekend Seminars,

Daily Salah, Quran Academy, youth programs, fundraising, etc. There is always something to be a part of

at ISCJ!

Whether you visit us in person at the masjid or online (www.iscj.org) please make your tax-deductible

donation; we are grateful for your contribution! No amount is too small. After all, it is due to Allah’s (swt)

blessings and your generous donations that this community has experienced such success in our endeavors!

May Allah (swt) continue to guide and provide us with his blessings! Thank you for the opportunity and

honor to serve you at ISCJ.

Jazakum AllahuKhairan. Wassalam alaikum,

Habib Ahson, Treasurer ISCJ Board of Trustees

http://www.iscj.org/

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

15. External Auditor’s Report

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

16. Imam’s Activities Report

Daily Activities

Opening the Masjid for Fajr prayer

Leading the five daily prayers (unless prohibited by scheduled activities outside the masjid)

Maintaining office hours between 10 am and Asr prayer and from Maghrib to Isha prayers

Weekly Activities

Friday Khutbahs delivered at ISCJ or another local masjid

Saturday seminar at ISCJ 3:00 – 6:15 pm and Sunday seminar at ISCJ 9:45 – 1:05 pm

Monthly Activities

Interfaith community relationships, Hosting visitors to ISCJ, including visiting schools and guests

Participating with the local hospitals providing Chaplin services to employees and patients

Annual Activities

Conducting Ramadan activities, such as organizing the Taraweeh prayers, conducting Laylatul Qadr

activities, and hosting guests to the masjid for Iftar

Conducting the Eid-ul-Fitr prayers

Hosting Fund Raising events for the ISCJ and Noor-Ul-Iman

Services provided to the Muslim community at large during 2017

Imam Chebli provided a variety of services during the year, which included:

o 27 janazahs

o 58 marriages

o Conducting Shahadahs

o Conducting Aqeeqah, Bismillah,

and Ameen/Khattama programs

Imam Chebli was very active in building interfaith relationships – he participated in at least 35 interfaith

dialogues, meetings, workshops and services during 2017. These included, monthly meeting of the South

Brunswick Clergy Association and additional meetings at the Jewish Community Center of Middlesex County,

Rutgers University, Princeton University. He also participated in the Thanksgiving Day Interfaith Services.

Imam Chebli attended or hosted 15 Community Outreach events for local schools, or universities that visited

ISCJ to learn about Islam.

Imam Chebli was active in maintaining relations with the press – he was a frequent guest speaker on local and

national radio and TV programs and he gave several interviews to media.

Imam Chebli was the keynote speaker at 9 fundraisers at Islamic Centers, and Islamic Schools, including ISCJ

and Noor-ul-Iman school.

In addition to leading the Friday prayers at ISCJ, Imam Chebli was the guest Khatib for 10 Friday khutbahs in

masjids in New York and New Jersey.

Imam Chebli was the invited guest speaker at 10 seminars and workshops, within and outside the ISCJ, in

addition to his weekly Saturday and Sunday seminars at ISCJ.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

Regularly travelled to neighboring and distant states to provide religious services.

Imam Chebli attended and supported the chapter #114 Boy Scout troop through many of their regular meetings.

Imam Chebli provided advisement hours and met regularly with the students, parents, and principals of the

Saturday, Sunday, and Noor Ul Iman School.

The Imam’s Suggestions for the Coming Year

The expansion of classes for new converts between Maghrib and Isha

Compile accurate records of Deaths, Converts and Marriages for all Muslims in the area

Contact the local hospitals on a daily, weekly and monthly basis to know of admitted Muslims, so that we can

initiate contact to fulfill the Islamic obligation of visiting the sick

The creation of an Islamic lecture series dedicated to honoring the milestones of Islamic history, featuring

Muslim speakers who can address key events, such as, Mawlid an Nabi, the Battle of Badr, Isra and Miraj (the

Night Ascension), etc.

Facilitate the signing of a contract with a reputable Hajj agent who will guide ISCJ members through the Hajj

experience

Administrative Matters

All of the Imam’s listed activities were performed with the permission of the President of the ISCJ and the Board

of Trustees.

The Imam requests the community to notify him of a situation where his service is needed in the above areas.

Please call him at (732) 329-2400 at any time to speak to him, or call him at the ISCJ office at (732) 329-8126,

and please leave a clear message. Also, you can email him at [email protected]

The Imam requests the Board of Trustees, the School Committee, the Seminar Committee, and any other member

who requires the Imam’s seminar time, to arrange such meeting at the beginning of the seminar schedule.

Please maintain a minimum of two-week notice for all events where you wish the Imam to attend.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

of 123

17. ISCJ Committees & Group List

This list includes all active committees and groups within ISCJ as of March 2018. All ISCJ Committees and

groups run under the authorities of the Board of Trustees with direct accountability to the BOT President.

BOT can create or dissolve committees as needed.

Advertising Group

Building Committee

Burial and Cemetery Services Committee

Career Advancement Placement (CAP)

Communications and Website Committee

Constitution Committee

Endowment Advisory Group

Expansion Funding Group

Internal Audit Committee

Library Committee

Maintenance Committee

Membership Committee

ISCJ LIT (Youth) Committee

Qur’an Academy Committee

Religious Event Planning Committee

Seminar Committee

Social Activities Committee

Tutoring Committee

Weekend School Committee

Zakat Committee

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 61 of 123

18. Advertising Committee

INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMMITTEE

The Advertising Committee’s mission is to generate revenue for ISCJ and to provide a platform for

businesses to advertise their services to the ISCJ community. Advertising Committee maintains and provides

marketing opportunities for businesses through following advertising channels:

TV Display located within the ISCJ premises

Email blasts through the ISCJ Adhan mailing list

Business Directory on the ISCJ website

Sale of gift cards

Frequent Status updates on the ISCJ Facebook page

The large number of community members who visit ISCJ during regular prayers, Friday prayers and the

weekend school see the ads on the TV displays. Thousands of community members visit ISCJ website, face

book and subscribe to the Adhan email list. This gives businesses a unique opportunity to reach the

community.

The committee offers several advertising packages and options to suit the needs of small businesses as well

as large organizations. In addition to ISCJ, the community as well as the businesses benefit from the service

provided by the Advertising Committee.

RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Prepare Business packages and price list of options available for advertising with ISCJ.

2. Inform community about various options available for advertising a business at ISCJ

3. Contact prospective businesses and send them the Business packages/pricing plans so they can review

and decide the plan best suited for them.

4. Follow-up with business owners as appropriate to answer any questions and encourage them to sign-

up.

5. Ensure payments are made and sign-up information is complete before activating their Business

package.

6. Advertise the business after the business pays for the subscription. This includes updating the TV

display, sending out Email blasts, updating Facebook page and the Business Directory.

7. Maintain and manage a list of current advertisers and follow-up on renewals.

8. Come up with creative ideas and special offers to increase revenue for ISCJ.

ACCOMPLISHEMNTS IN 2017 1. Generated revenue via advertising on ISCJ TV Display, Adhan email blasts, facebook updates

and Business Directory listings. Total revenue generated in 2017 was $17,970.

2. 23 businesses advertised via ISCJ Advertising Committee

3. Introduced a special End of Year promotion for Business package

4. Introduced a new Business Gift card package

5. Four Business Packages were sold. The Business Package provides all the options for advertising

a business and brings the maximum revenue.

6. Four M’Oscars sponsorship packages were sold.

7. Installed an additional television to advertise businesses at ISCJ

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 62 of 123

Summary of Advertising Revenues by Category

Advertisement Option Number of package sold

Business Package 4

Business Directory 6

Fundraiser Sponsorship 4

TV Display 2

Email Blast 7

Gift Card 1

GOALS/OBJECTIVES FOR 2018 1. Increase the advertiser’s base by offering creative packages and special promotions. (eg Gift Cards)

2. Increase advertising revenue by at-least 25% over 2017.

3. Implement the use of CRM to track business package subscriptions and renewals.

4. Increase the value of Business Directory offering by adding features such quarterly email listing

businesses, customer feedback, Business of the month and other enhancements.

Prepared by Chairperson Email

Babar Saeed Babar Saeed [email protected]

Members: Babar Saeed, Nabeel Chaudhri, Aamir Syed, Qasim Ahmad, Nazish Ahmad


2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 63 of 123

19. Building Committee Report

Information about the Committee:

The ISCJ Building Committee is a group of professional engineers, builders and project managers. This

committee provides ISCJ technical expertise for future expansion from planning to construction and

renovation of new and existing facilities.

Responsibilities:

Planning and management of new construction

Planning and management of renovation of existing facilities

Advise ISCJ in future planning as community grows

Completed Work in 2017:

The construction documents of Masjid Expansion and Renovation completed

Submitted construction documents to township for permit for construction

Masjid expansions utilities relocation completed

Masjid expansion foundations 95% complete

Masjid expansion general contractor selection process 75% complete

School phase 3 existing drawings code review completed

New master plan (senior housing, sports facility and additional classrooms for school bldg.) of ISCJ property concept design completed

New master plan detailed design started and 40% complete

Anticipated Work - Year 2018

Complete Masjid expansion foundation work by end of January

Start Masjid expansion steel installation in February

Start Masjid expansion general construction in March

Complete revised master plan of ISCJ property by July

Apply for township zoning approval of revised master plan by September

We pray to Allah (SWT) to help us fulfill this mission for the benefit of our future generation.

ISCJ Building Committee

Prepared by: Chairperson Email

Wajed Syed Wajed Syed [email protected]

Members: Behram Turan, Yahya Askr, Ramy Kamal, Dawud Assad, Tarik Abdallah, Ameen Gumma,

Rizwan Baig, Humayun Mian, Mohammad Ansari, Moin Khan, Mohammad Siddiqui, Ahsan

Ali, Wajed Syed


2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 64 of 123

20. Burial & Cemetery Report


The ISCJ Burial and Cemetery Services Committee is one of the most important services provided by ISCJ. It was

established almost 7 years ago in order to effectively carry out the obligations of the community for the deceased. The

funeral and burial services are performed by three separate parties, including the funeral home, ISCJ, and cemetery

owners. Currently, Kimble Funeral Home is serving our community

Responsibilities:

1. Helping in managing the operations and on-going maintenance of ISCJ Burial preparation facility

2. Coordinating and negotiating the acquisition of additional burial sites by SICJ to be available for sale to the

members of the community

3. Proposing enhancements to ISCJ burial services and procedures.

4. Managing graves inventory at Jersey State Memorial Park and Oak Lawn Memorial Park

Accomplishments in 2017: 1. The use of ISCJ Burial Preparing Home (BPH) for every funeral

2. 42 funerals were conducted at BPH in 2017

3. Helping in managing the operations and on-going maintenance of ISCJ Burial preparation facility

4. Coordinating and negotiating the acquisition of additional burial sites by ISCJ to be available for sale

to the members of the community

5. As of now, we have 3 members in the committee.

a. Br. Riaz Siddiqui

b. Br. Magdy Hagag

6. We have 3 sister volunteers to lead the female Janazah preparation efforts

7. Br volunteers are not needed as Imam Hamad Chebli does most of the washing/shrouding

Objectives for 2018: 1. Acquire/negotiate of additional burial sites at Islamic Cemetery and other Muslim designated cemeteries.

2. Working with cemetery owners to improve their services and condition of cemetery, build proper walkways, etc.

3. Educating ISCJ community members and Muslim community at large about ISCJ’s BPH and burial process

4. Conduct Janazah workshop/seminars more frequently.

5. Buy grave lots in other cemetery close to ISCJ

Prepared by Chairperson E-mail

Afzal Saeed Afzal Saeed [email protected]

Members: Br. Riaz Siddiqui, Br. Magdy Hagag


2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 65 of 123

21. Career Advancement Placement (CAP) Report


The Career Advancement Program committee goal is to provide our community members with access to

tools, resources and knowledge through seminars, workshops, group discussions, mentoring and targeted

trainings for enriching their careers and enabling them to stay ahead of the curve. The committee typically

meets on Sunday mornings at 10.00 AM on an ad-hoc basis.

Responsibilities:

1. Provide Training courses to enhance people skills.

2. Opportunity to Find Next Best Jobs via Linked-In group, WhatsApp Group and Networking.

3. Social Events to get to meet each other’s.

Accomplishments in 2017:

Event Date Summary Approx.

Persons

Participated

Robotic Process

Automation

January 22, 2017 Introduction to Robotic Process Automation 70

Leadership

March 26, 2017 Leadership essentials

- The class will explore foundational

concepts of leadership.

50

Networking May 14, 2017 Professionals Networking Event - How to Achieve a Career

Breakthrough in 2017 - Panel discussion on Disruptive

Technology

100

Picnic September 3, 2017 Annual BBQ day with BBQ food and sports

activities

100

Executive September 9, 2017 What it takes to become a C-Level Executive

(Free Webinar)

105

Executive September

23,2017 -

November

19,2017

What it takes to become a C-Level Executive (6

Online Session & 3 In-Person Session)

32 people

paid $300

each

PMP Application Weekly Sunday

Session

PMP Application process 12

AWS/Cloud

Certification

Dec, 2017 AWS/Cloud Certification sessions 15

BitCoin

Fundamentals

Weekly Sunday

Session Learn How Bitcoin Works 20

Bots development Weekly Sunday

Session How To Build Knowledge Bots #NoCode 15

Entrepreneurial Weekly Sunday

Session How To Build A successful Startup 30

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 66 of 123

PMP Certification Weekly Sunday

Session PMP Certification Prep Bootcamp 10

DevOps Weekly Sunday

Session DevOps Fundamentals 15

Data Science Weekly Sunday

Session Introduction To AI, ML And Deep Learning 20

MicroServices Weekly Sunday

Session MicroServices Architecture And Examples 15

Active Directory Weekly Sunday

Session Active Directory Architecture 12

Events planned for 2018:

1. Robotics Process Automations II:

2. IT Professionals Networking Event:

3. Annual Picnic: date TBD

4. IT Security Event: date TBD

5. Public speaking and Presentation skills: date TBD

6. Information session on Block chain: date TBD


Asad Khawaja Mazharullah Aabid Abbasi [email protected]

Members: Asad Mazharullah, Ali Batliwala, Aslam Nagarkatti, Omar Nishtar, Asad Zaki, Nadeem

Kokate, Mohammed Shareef, Asad Khan, Kamrul Naser, Sohel Kazi, Sahidul Haque, Naveed

Anwar, Firdaus Khan

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 67 of 123

22. Communication Committee Report

Information About The Committee

The mission of the Communications committee is to develop and deliver effective communications and other

business change enablers by listening to our ISCJ community and then help our ISCJ community understand,

accept, adopt and comply with ISCJ services, policies and usage best practices. The Communications

committee provides a suite of services that assists our ISCJ community in understanding, adopting and

leveraging our Communication tools, knowledge and experience.

Responsibilities (But Not Limited To)

1. Administration of Email Management Tool, Social Media and Website.

2. Consultation, creation and execution of communication plans and strategy.

3. Public announcements and updates to the community at large during Jummah, Saturday and Sunday

school (and other appropriate mediums).

4. Liaison with local media contacts.

5. Evaluate and consult with ISCJ Board and committees to determine how to best meet their

communication needs. Deliverables include consultation, communication support, digital

communication strategy/implementation and newsletter development to maximize organizational

efficiency.

6. Proactively bridge generation and gender gaps utilizing our communications processes and tools.

7. Communications to other NJ masjid and Islamic leadership to share information.

Accomplishments in 2017

1. Developed and published new website.

2. Developed and launched new mobile app.

3. Launched Official ISCJ Instagram Page.

4. Implemented an easy to manage Event Calendar on new ISCJ Website.

5. Ongoing website content updates and ISCJ YouTube channel content catalogued and categorized.

6. Daily Live stream of Taraweeh Tafseer and 27th Night in Ramadan and other high profile events.

7. Implementation of comprehensive communications plan on high profile functions/events/new

initiatives such as: Special Needs Support Group, ISCJ LIT, Meals for the Needy, Ramadan, Eid,

Qur’an Academy, ISCJ Fundraisers, Poetry night, Blood Drives, Conferences, etc.

8. Maintenance and ongoing marketing of Social Media page, ISCJ Facebook has over 5100 “Likes”.

9. Ensured media coverage of various events such as humanitarian efforts, interfaith events, helping

food drives, NUI achievements, etc. Coordinating and meeting with the Press regarding the Muslim

Ban (interview right outside the masjid), another about Muslims and how we feel about current state

of affairs (video inside masjid) and also coordinated press coverage for car crash by our fence.

10. Routine tasks such as: Coordination and sharing of information with committees; Email

administration of ISCJ mailboxes and Email Management; securing audio recordings of khutbahs,

Taraweeh Tafseers and guest lecturers for online distribution; design flyers for specific and special

ISCJ events; respond to email inquiries that come into feedback and volunteer mailboxes; review of

website and social media analytics; updates of iqama timing.

Objectives For 2018

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 68 of 123

5. Enhance online payment options

6. Officially launch ISCJ Snapchat account

7. Ongoing Website and Mobile App enhancements

8. Cross Train all team members on all technical functions related to Email Administration and Website

administration

9. Update static content on ISCJ Website

10. Creation of ISCJ Wikipedia page

11. Increase content and create more engagement for youth in order to grow awareness and recruit more

volunteer opportunities

Members serving the communication community:

Hasan Fawad (Chair)

Arif Patel

Heba Macksoud

Nabeel Chaudhri

Onaisa Rizki

Rais Ahmed

Danish Syed

Ghulam Nabi Shah

Nazish Ahmad

Mariam Abid

Prepared by: Chairperson: Chairperson Email

Arif Patel Hasan Fawad [email protected]

2017 ANNUAL REPORT..

Islamic Society of Central Jersey Page 69 of 123

23. Constitution Committee Report

The Committee has continued to provide recommendations to the Board of Trustees, Board of Overseers

and community members regarding the interpretation and implementation of the ISCJ Constitution as well as

election procedures. There were no proposed amendments this term. The Committee has provided memorandums

throughout this past year to the BOT upon their request. Most recently, the committee was requested to review

the election procedures and provide suggestions to modify the election to avoid some of the problems that have

occurred in past years. Thereafter, the committee provided the Board of Trustees with language to revise the

bylaws to allow for Saturday voting and to increase the time for the quorum calls. The committee welcomes any

suggestions or questions from community members. May Allah continue to bless our community and keep us

working in the right direction to build a strong community for future generations. Ameen


Dalya Youssef (Secretary) Alan Bowman [email protected]

Members: Dalya Youssef, Alan Bowman, Saffet Catovic, Abdelmoneim Said, Naeem Akhtar,

Sogra Saleem, Atiya Aftab, Sami Shaban



Islamic Society of Central Jersey Page 70 of 123

24. Endowment Advisory Group Report


The ISCJ Endowment Committee is a group of volunteers dedicated to the cause of building ISCJ Endowment

to generate monthly income for the ISCJ Masjid. They work with ISCJ BOT, ISCJ Administration, Accounting

Department, and other ISCJ committees to provide an end-to-end management of the ISCJ Endowment Fund.

The purpose of the ISCJ Endowment Committee is to create a recurring income sources / waqf for the ISCJ

masjid.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE ISCJ ENDOWMENT

(Please note all, for official numbers refer to External Audit Report)

As of 12/31/2017, ISCJ Endowment consists of:

1. Cash and equities totaling $332,811

2. Bequests with disclosed gift amounts totaling $455,000

3. Bequests with undisclosed gift amounts (15 benefactors)

A bequest is a gift declared in a will or estate plan.

1. Cash and Equities in ISCJ Endowment

See the table below for the ISCJ Endowment holdings as of 12/31/2017 and a two-year comparison.

Overall, ISCJ Endowment holdings increased by 32.8% from prior year.

Fund Name Market Value Increase / Decrease

As of 12/31/2016

As of 12/31/2017

($) Percentage

Amana Income Investor $ 129,090 $ 154,464 $ 25,375 19.7% Amana Growth Investor $ 22,878 $ 30,244 $ 7,366 32.2%

Pentair plc $ 2,635 $ 3,319 $ 684 25.9%

Cash $ 96,066* $ 144,784 $ 48,718 50.7%

Total $ 250,669 $ 332,811 $ 82,142 32.8%

*Revised from $94,881 stated in the 2016 Annual Report

Here are the receipts and expenses of the Endowment fund in 2017:

Item Amount

Net change in Amana mutual funds / equities $ 33,424

Gifts to Endowment investments

Direct donations to Endowment $ 34,376

5% set-aside from General Donations in 2017 $ 8,783

5% set-aside from Capital raised On Nov 11th, 2017

$ 7,050


Page 71 of 123

Total increase in cash holdings $ 50,209

Endowment operating revenue & expenses

Sponsorship (revenue) $ 1,800

Ramadan Iftar $ (2,000)

Printing $ (291)

Administrative Support (chargebacks) $ (1,000)

Total expenses of Endowment activities in 2017 $ (1,491)

Net increase / decrease in cash $ 48,718

Net increase / decrease in Total value of the Endowment holdings

$ 82,142

Here is the growth of ISCJ Endowment over the 2013-2017 period:

$117,000

$172,356 $181,623

$250,669

332,811

$-

$50,000

$100,000

$150,000

$200,000

$250,000

$300,000

$350,000

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Endowment Cash and Equity Growth


Page 72 of 123

2. Bequests with Disclosed Gift Amounts

There are five donors who informed us of their bequests to ISCJ.

Name Gift Comment

Donor 1 $100,000 Bequest to ISCJ



Donor 4 $100,000 Donor-managed trust

Donor 5 $120,000 Donor-managed trust

TOTAL $455,000

3. Bequests with Undisclosed Gift Amounts

Besides the 5 donors above, ISCJ Endowment has 15 other bequests whose donor names are known

and gift amounts are undisclosed.

So, thus far, we are aware of 20 bequests for the benefit of ISCJ.

COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES

The functions of Endowment Group are:

1. Build Awareness & Collect Funds

2. Invest & Grow

3. Administration & Reporting

4. Income Disbursement Advisory

Build Awareness & Collect Funds

Endowment Group’s primary mission at this juncture is:

Increase awareness of the ISCJ Endowment Fund

Raise cash / equities and other kinds gifts to reach $500,000

Procure commitments in wills / estate plans for ISCJ Endowment though a sustained campaign of

personal outreach

We seek to collect funds via the broad methods below.

SAVE - Save a portion from the ISCJ revenues

FIND NEW MONEY - Solicit funds from various donors through private solicitations

REINVST - Reinvest the dividends from the investments

Invest & Grow

This function is to invest our Endowment Fund assets in halal and ethical investments vehicles and

try to maximize our returns while keeping the principal in relative safety. The size of the ISCJ


Page 73 of 123

Endowment is rather small and all the monies are invested in Amana mutual funds. So, up to this

point this function has not been focused upon yet. However, we are planning to pay attention to this

item in 2018 and hire a professional investment advisor and diversify our holdings.

Administration & Reporting

This function deals with the administration and reporting activities related to the ISCJ Endowment

Fund. The activities in this are:

Working with ISCJ Accounting

Providing quarterly advisory to the BOT on the investment choices and reshuffling portfolio

Providing reports to the BOT and to the donors

Keeping track of Bequests to the ISCJ Endowment

Keeping track of the donors’ choices and distributing the Fund income per their wishes

Income Disbursement Advisory

This function relates to providing advisories to BOT and Treasurer on Endowment Fund income

distribution. This is a future activity for the Endowment Group and this function comes to execution

only when the ISCJ Endowment Fund reaches an appreciable size, for e.g., $1 million and is also

subject to Endowment Fund Governance which is still in development stage. Until then all the

dividends/income from the investments are reinvested.

.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2017 1. Conducted seminar on Charitable Giving and Trusts lead by Br. Naeem Akhtar in July 2017.

2. Made ISCJ Endowment awareness announcements after Jummah salats in April 2017and collected

monies.

3. Conducted a week-long Endowment Awareness Week in ISCJ during Nov 29 through Dec 3 2017.

a. Jummah Khutbahs tailored to increase awareness about ISCJ Endowment

b. Brs. Mohammed Siddiqui and Br. Vasi Rahaman exhorted community members to

support ISCJ Endowment after the Jummah salats and collected monies

c. Email campaign on ISCJ Endowment awareness coordinated by Br. Babar Saeed

d. Free Wills Legal Clinic coordinated by Br. Babar Saeed in which 12 people benefited

from Brs. Ahsen Janjua and Naeem Akhtar legal expertise on matters pertaining to the

will making and estate planning. Wills and Estate Planning Seminar was conducted by

Br. Ahsen Janjua on Dec 2.Charitable Trusts seminar was conducted by Br. Naeem

Akhtar on Dec 3.

4. Br. Mohammed Siddiqui organized and hosted the Ramadan Iftar which was attended by about 75

people. It was held on Friday, June 16, 2017 at Istanbul Restaurant in North Brunswick.

5. Worked with BOT to get a resolution passed hire a registered investment advisor (RIA).

6. Conducted interviews with 3 Muslim owned RIA companies and currently in the process of

interviewing one more RIA.

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, we thank our generous donors who gave to ISCJ Endowment now and those who

designated ISCJ in their wills and have setup trusts for the benefit of ISCJ. We, once again, thank

Imam Hamad Chebli for his support to the cause of Endowment and for always being there to listen


Page 74 of 123

to us and lend us a helping hand in bringing awareness to the community and exhort them to give to

its cause. We thank BOT for passing the resolution on hiring an RIA with an initial investment of

$70,000. Finally, we want to thank Miturnkey.com (Asim Usmani and Zeeshan Ali) for their

generous sponsorships to host the Endowment Luncheon in 2016 and Endowment Iftar in 2017.

GOALS / OBJECTIVES FOR 2018

1. Get the Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) on-board and invest ISCJ Endowment’s cash and re-

balance equity holdings

2. Create Charitable Lead Trust (CLT) / Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) / Gift Annuity avenues for

donors to materially help ISCJ Endowment

3. Obtain new bequests and gifts for the ISCJ Endowment

4. Increase awareness of ISCJ Endowment

Our specific objectives are:

No. Activity Target Date

1 Hire an RIA and leverage them in the Endowment Committee activities

Spring 2018

2 Invest cash and re-balance the equities Spring 2018

3 Explore real-estate investments Q1 2018

4 Wills / Estate Planning / Planned Giving Seminars Spring and Fall 2018

5 Small Group Gatherings with donors Once a quarter

6 Jummah Awareness Announcements & Collections Spring and Fall 2018

7 Annual update at during the Fall fund-raising event Fall 2018

8 Endowment Awareness Week Fall 2018

9 Working more closely with BOT and obtaining more attention for Endowment

2018

10

Working with the RIA and attorneys in the committee, Create pamphlets and paperwork necessary to seek and establish CLT / CRT / Gift Annuity avenues

2018

11 4d Annual Endowment Luncheon Fall 2018


Vasi Rahaman Vasi Rahaman [email protected]

Members: Ahsen Janjua, Babar Saeed, Mohammed Siddiqui, Naeem Akhtar, Nafis Rehman,

Shamsur Rahman, Vasi Rahaman, Sami Mohamad (May to Oct only)


Page 75 of 123

25. Expansion Funding Group Report


The EFG committee is one of the key committees at ISCJ. The primary objective of this Committee is

to raise funds for ISCJ’s capital projects approved by the board. These projects included the school

building in the past and now currently the expansion of the mosque. The Committee regularly consults

with the Board of Trustees, Accounting, Building Committee and all other supporting Committees

within the ISCJ to understand the capital goals to strategize and implement various fundraising programs

and campaigns in order to meet these long-term goals.

Responsibilities:

1. To raise the awareness of, and funds required for, the capital projects.

2. Track and measure progress of the fundraising campaigns.

3. Work with the accounting team to realize the member pledges.

4. Network with current donors and track new potential donors and reach out for donations.

Key Accomplishments in 2017: By the grace of Allah SWT and the participation of the community, we were able to raise $500,000 plus

towards the Masjid Expansion Fund.

Objectives for 2018:

1. Increase the membership of the EFG team, identify a chairman and organize/run more fund raising

campaigns

2. Raise $1 million for the Masjid Expansion project.

3. Look to normalize the cash flow on a monthly basis with our pledge campaigns while tapping new

sources of donations from within and outside the community

4. Campaign Focus:

a. Monthly Pledge $25/100% Participation

b. Fall Fundraiser

c. Major Donor Engagement

d. Ramadan Campaign

e. Masjid Expansion by Components (bricks, windows, rooms, etc.)


Arif Patel

Active Members: Adil Syed, Amir Sajid Khan, Arif Khan, Arif Patel, Asad Mazharullah, Danish Syed, Habib Ahson, Irfan

Waraich, Junaiddeen Fahumy, Lamis Thange, Maqsood Thange, Sarfaraz Mansuri, Sogra Saleem, Tufail Tahir, Basith Fahumy,

Omer Syed, Khalid Essafi, Khalid Ozair


Page 76 of 123

26. Free Tutoring Committee


The ISCJ tutoring program provides free academic support and homework help to 1st-12th grade students

in all subjects. In addition, the program provides an opportunity for volunteers to help spread knowledge

and skills in the community.

The current committee includes Abir Elshimy (Head of Program & volunteer), Mariya Ghori

(volunteer), Mohammed Ghori (volunteer).

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Tutor students in all school subjects, on a walk-in basis

2. Provide homework help and test preparation to students

3. Publicize the program via flyers and posters

ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2017

While students come to ISCJ tutoring program for academic and homework help in a range of subjects,

the biggest need in 2017 was high school Mathematics and physics.

Our accomplishments in 2017 include:

1. Help students catch up with missed skills and lessons

2. Assist on difficult homework assignments and projects

3. Provide worksheets as an extra practice for students to prepare for regular school quizzes and

tests

4. Provide a comfortable and welcoming environment that supports learning

5. Establish a contacts list of those who have used or continue to use our service

6. Recruited three more volunteers to help with English, Mathematics and Biology

(Esha Sultana, Zohaib Rao and Ahmad Hazzaa joined us recently)

OBJECTIVES FOR 2018

1. Continue to provide effective academic help and homework assistance to students

2. Help students recognize their own potential and help them improve their grades

3. Recruit volunteers as needed

4. Increase publicity


Abir Elshimy Abir Elshimy [email protected]


Page 77 of 123

27. Library Committee Report


The Mission of the ISCJ Library is to assemble, preserve and administer books and non-print materials; and to

assist patrons in the use of these resources for the improvement of individuals and the community as a whole.

Responsibilities: Maintaining the Library’s Catalog in Excel format available for the readers in print and on the computer. This

includes all the library material available for use.

Inventory of Library Material

The Library collection as of December 31st 2017

Reference Books 660

Circulation Books 4,126

Dawah Books 1,200

Weekly/Monthly Publications 12

Books available for Sale 675

Total Library Material (Qty.) 6,673

1. The Library account ending balance is $13,587.83 this balance includes separate recording of “Mushaff’s

Project” which is a donation from individuals specifically for the purpose of purchase of Holy Quran for

distribution on request for Dawah. The Mushaff’s Project balance is $2,967.64.

2. Books for Sale inventory is maintained separately by our librarian. The values of these books are based on

replacement cost. The approximate values of books for sale are about $4,746.48.

3. Br. Ahmed Khan continue his services as our Librarian during the library hours.


1. Reader’s services for members and non-members

2. Updating, organizing, classifying and cataloging library books and materials in Excel File

3. Compiling and sending the Dawah packages and Noble Quran to individuals and prisons upon their

requests

4. Updated the listing for the books on sale in Excel File

Goals/Objectives for 2018:

1. Diverse resource and equipment collections appropriate for use by individuals as well as classes in the

NUI grade levels served.

2. Organization and maintenance of materials and equipment, which facilitates optimum use

3. Working areas and an environment which are well maintained, well organized and conducive to both

learning and enjoyment while using the library resources

4. Management of the facility and activities that allows flexible access based on patron input and needs

assessments.

5. Support for NUI students, weekend students and staff for any additional needs.

LIBRARY COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

Mohammed Siddiqui, Sayed Hassan, Ahmed Khan (Library in charge), Habib Ahson (BOT Liasion)


Habib Ahson Mohammed Siddiqui [email protected]



Page 78 of 123

28. Membership Committee Report

Information About the Committee

ISCJ is a highly diversified and strong community with over 2500+ members (registered and non-

registered). With the physical growth of ISCJ, there is a potential for growth of our membership base. The

membership of ISCJ is the foundation of ISCJ since membership fees support more than fifty percent of

its administrative and operational costs. But not only has membership support enabled the day-to-day

function of the mosque, it has allowed the development of a strong, united face for our community. The

diversity and commitment of its participants makes it a unique and respected organization.

Responsibilities and Objectives

ISCJ Membership Committee is committed in increasing the membership base to support the operation

of the current facility and the next phases of the expansion. We’ve accomplished a lot together, but we are

not completely there as yet. Following are some of the responsibilities of Membership Committee:

Maintain and verify accurate membership records (including email addresses)

Review and verify all new Membership Applications

Identify and promote membership benefits

Conduct membership drives throughout the year including at ISCJ events

Work closely with Administration, Accounting and other ISCJ committees

Participate in the annual Elections by partnering with the Administration, Accounting and Board of Overseers

To propose ideas to the ISCJ Board increase membership (for example: set goals for increase in membership

on an annual basis, etc.).

To propose ways to welcome new members to the ISCJ community (for example: new members get together,

welcome information packet, etc.)

To propose methods to manage ISCJ membership (for example: membership identification cards,

Accomplishments In 2017 • Improvements to ISCJ membership benefit brochure.

• Updated membership form for 2018.

• Sent welcome letters to new home owners in adjacent neighborhoods

• Mailed out membership dues reminder letters.

• Made membership committee presentation highlighting membership importance and benefits.

• Managed and assisted in the 2017 Election during annual general meeting.

• Above efforts resulted in 47 new members.

Membership Committee: Muhammad Ashraf (Chairperson), Asad Mazharullah, Imran Qamar, Maryam Chebli,

Syed Wasti, Ziyard Razick


Page 79 of 123

The tables below compare the number of members and voting count for 2016 and 2017:

Memberships by families and voting members

Categories # of Families # of Voting Members

Family-NUI 311 622

Family-Other 92 184 Family-Senior Discount 65 130

Family-WKE 338 676

Single-NUI 4 4

Single-Other 21 21

Single-Senior Discount 14 14

Single-Student 13 13

Single-WKE 1 1

Family-Life 3 6

Single-Life 1 1

Total 863 1,672

Comparison by year

Categories Membership counts + /- Eligible voting members

2016 2017 2016 2017

Single Members 32 26 -6 32 26

Family Members 727 741 +14 1,454 1,482

Life Members 5 4 -1 9 7

Student Members 12 13 +1 12 13

Single Seniors 14 14 0 14 14

Family Seniors 52 65 +13 104 130

Total 842 863 +21 1,625 1,672

Objectives For 2018

Membership Committee is working on setting up a regular process for following:

New Resident Welcome Letters: Welcome Letter to a New Resident to the Neighborhood

Member Thank You Letter: Thank you Letter to a Member who continue the membership

Membership Renewals Letter: Remind Members to Renew their Membership

Lapsed Membership Reacquisition Letter: Appeal to lapsed member inviting them as former members to

renew their memberships

5% increase in Total membership while retaining the current registered members and reach out to ex-

members and encourage them to renew their membership and provide them with membership benefits

With guidance and protection from Allah (SWT), ISCJ has continued to provide its membership and

community with an unparalleled variety and depth of programs and services. ISCJ has been responsive to the

needs of our growing community and continues to develop and execute quality programs and services for our

children, adults and respected seniors. ISCJ membership needs to continue to grow to support and sustain the

future expansion of the prayer area and associated maintenance costs.


Page 80 of 123

29. Qur’an Academy Committee

About the Committee

Qur’an Academy (QA) was established in late 2013 as an expanded member service of ISCJ.

Additionally, an intensive summer program was established in 2015. The mission of the QA is to

provide a dedicated learning environment to help community children, youth, and adults recite and

memorize the Qur’an. The committee is managed by a group of ISCJ volunteers and teaching is

conducted by QA Director Sheikh Ismael Essa. The committee is composed of chair, treasurer,

secretary, communication coordinator, and planning and logistics coordinator. A pool of eight part-time

students work under the supervision of Sheikh Ismael to assist with weekend classes.

Responsibilities

1. Initiate, plan, and execute a Qur’an learning program for ISCJ community; fee-based and

free components.

2. Establish systems, policies, and procedures for running and managing QA’s educational

program.

3. Manage classes six days per week, manage QA calendar, and maintain communication

with parents and volunteers.

4. Organize and manage events serving the QA community and the broader ISCJ

community.

5. Provide regular updates of the ISCJ QA website.

6. Announce and advocate QA activities and events through ISCJ website and social media

channels.

7. Coordinate and communicate with the ISCJ Board of Trustees (BoT) in the

aforementioned responsibilities.

Accomplishments In 2017

1. Provided classes for 132 students (113 children/youth and 19 Adults) during the academic year

(September-May).

2. Provided the intensive summer program for the 3rd year (76 students).

3. Provided free community Tajweed classes twice a week during the academic year.

4. Revised and automated the registration process for summer program and 2017-2018 academic

year.

5. Organized a new social event for QA families (May 2017).

6. Introduced a parent orientation event (October 2017).

7. Established the QA committee’s operational body structure; chair, treasurer, secretary, communication

coordinator, and planning and logistics coordinator.

QA enrollment summary and outcomes are provided in Annex I.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 81 of 123

Goals/Objectives For 2018

1. Graduate 1-4 complete Hafiz of the Qur’an.

2. Introduce Ijaza program with the goal of certifying 1-4 Hafiz as authorized by Sheikh Ismael.

3. Streamline program and class structure to ensure optimal teaching environment.

4. Continue to improve role of class assistant(s) during weekend classes.

5. Explore the possibility of teaching the classes online in emergency situations.

6. Finalize QA policies and procedures in collaboration with audit committee.

7. Produce quarterly status report for BOT.

8. Communicate regularly with parents to convey value of ISCJ expansion.

9. Establish standard procedures for regularly managed events; annual year-end celebration, parent

orientation, social and fundraising events.

10. Update the QA ISCJ website.

11. Promote continuous advocacy of QA activities and events on ISCJ website and social media channels.


Usama Ali Usama Ali [email protected]

QA Committee:

=======================

Usama Ali

Shamim Ansari

Mohamed Abu Donia

Heba Elkhateeb

Sahar Elsheneity

Ismael Essa

Jamil Siddiqui

Hesham Tamraz


2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 82 of 123

30. Religious Event Planning Committee

Information about the Committee: The Religious Events Planning Committee (REPC) is in its third year of formation by the ISCJ Board of Trustees

(BOT). It plans and organizes important religious and social activities to the Muslim community at large and to

the Non-Muslims. It organizes and participates heavily in interfaith dialogues and attend many religious functions

outside the society.

Responsibilities: REPC receives Non-Muslim students from different schools, colleges and churches and explain to them about

Islam and answers their inquiries. Also it receives visitors, Muslims and non -Muslims from different faiths, and

also hosts group visits from schools, temples and churches. It also participates and attend off site events. REPC is

also plans and conduct the Seerah Conference at the last Friday of each year.


January 16th - the REPC members attended the 20th Anniversary Martin Luther King JR. interfaith

breakfast which took place in Somerset, NJ

February 16th - Attended and participated in the 2017 Annual Clara Muhammad School Education

Awards and spoke about the importance of education.

March 3rd - Participated in the meeting at ICNA Headquarter in Somerset, NJ for coordinating voting.

March 16th - Attended the film Salma at the computer Lab of the Pillar College in Somerset, NJ

March 21st - A delegation of Muslims & Non-Muslims from Princeton Theological Seminary visited

ISCJ and started discussion about education & interfaith issues.

March 25th - Participated in an interfaith dialogue at Clifton, N.J with United Peace Federation.

April 6th – 13th - Invited and participated in an interfaith discussion at Masjid Fahd at Calver City,

California, where the Mayor, Jim Clarke, presented to us an Award for promoting multi-faith harmony

throughout the United States.

April 16th - Conducted a program at ISCJ for Imams titled: “The Roles of Imam in the Development of

the Community.

May 6th - Participated in a peace conference held by the Universal Peace Federation in Clifton, NJ where

Br. Dawud Asaad spoke about Peace in Islam.

June 11th - Attended Iftaar at Masjid Ali in Somerset, NJ

June 13th - Attended the Manara Institute at the Inn Banquet in Woodbridge, NJ

June 15th - Attended the Annual Grand Iftar Banquet (20 Ramadan, 1438 at the Royal Albert Palace in

Edison, NJ

July 20th - Attended an outdoor Interfaith Service at the First United Methodist Church at Westfield. NJ

August 5th and 12th - Conducted two Seminars to educate those who are intended to make Hajj and to

answer their inquiries. Our Doctor Souhair Ramadan was invited to explain to the audience about the

different types of medication and other things to take with them to prevent them from getting sick.

September 7th - Hosted students (Muslims & Non-Muslims) from Rutgers University, to educate them on

Islam and answered their inquiries.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 83 of 123

October 6th – Hosted visitors and students (Muslims & Non-Muslims) from the Princeton Theological

Seminary after they attended and observed the two Jummah prayers. Their inquiries were answered and

they left very pleased from what they heard about Muslims and peace.

October 19th - Hosted an interfaith meeting with a group of Muslims & Non-Muslims from Princeton

Windrows. We exchanged questions and provided answers of what is happening at the present time and

how the religious people can contribute to maintain peace locally and beyond.

November 21st - Participated in an interfaith meeting held at Magie Avenue in Elizabeth, NJ, which was

hosted by Hudson Interfaith Community.

December 17th - Attended and participated in the Masjid Shabazz 32nd Annual Seerah Conference and

spoke about Prophet Muhammad’s (saaws) Role of the Youth.

December 29th - Hosted the 39th Annual Seerah Conference at ISCJ which was very successful and well

attended.

Objectives For 2018: 1) Hold two conferences about the importance of Masjid Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem to Muslims. One for

educating our Muslim students about this subject and the second for everyone else on “The Role of the

Abrahamic Faith” towards this case

2) Hold one Interfaith Conference on a larger scale involving Imams and other faith leaders.

3) Prepare for the 40th Annual Seerah Conference on Friday, 28th of December 2019.

We ask Almighty Allah (SWT) to accept our good deeds and forgive our shortcomings and make it for His sake

only.


Dawud Assad Dawud Assad [email protected]

Members/Task Force of REPC:

Dr. Taysir Nashif; Dr. Atiyeh Sweillam; Dr. Engy AbdelKader; Dr. Mui’z Matin; Dr. Muhammad Yousef; Dr.

Heba El-Khateeb; Sr. Lauren McCoy (Mokhtar); Sr. Asma G. Usmani; Sr. Uzma ; Br. Ali Abdel-Rahman; Br.

Fathi Mousa

Advisors:

Imam Hamad Chebli

Dr. Suzy Ismail

Dr. Dalia Fahmy


2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 84 of 123

31. Seminar Committee Report

COMMITTEE BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

The Seminar Committee is one of the longest running Committees at ISCJ that invites and hosts guest

speakers who deliver seminars on topics relevant to our Muslim community. The seminar committee works with

ISCJ program coordinator Mariam Abid to bring speakers to our community. The seminars are almost exclusively

held during the ISCJ Weekend School hours on Saturday (5 to 6PM) and Sunday (12 to 1PM).

The mission of Seminar Committee is to provide a public forum to educate and enlighten our community on

wide range of subject matters. The subject matters are diverse although most popular and well attended talks are

on topics related to medicine, promoting health and life-style modification, comparative religion, democracy and

human rights. The seminars encourage broad participation from our community members concluding with

engaging Q & A session. The seminar committee also organizes Feed the Homeless events in co-ordination with

Zamir Hassan of Hunger Van which has been enthusiastically embraced by our Muslim community and draws

over 100 volunteers per each event to prepare meals to distribute and fight hunger. In 2017-18, the seminar

committee welcomed the participation of Aslam Mohammed in assisting with this program at ISCJ.

Accomplishments in 2017-2018

1. As in previous years, Imam Chebli consistently gave “dars” to our community members on Islamic topics

and was available to answer questions related to religious matters in the first half of the seminar program.

2. The Seminar Committee continued with new format started last year to host monthly feed the homeless

events on last Saturday’s of every month in corporation with Muslims against Hunger founder Zamir

Hassan. Volunteers donate items to make peanut-butter-jelly sandwiches (plus fruit) or rice-lentil-quinoa

packages (kuchri) which are distributed at Jersey City or Newark, NJ homeless shelters. The highlight of

past year included giant community effort to enlist volunteers to make kuchri meals in response to

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 85 of 123

Hurricane Irma which resulted in displacement of many of our citizens. The meals were courageously

driven by Br. Zamir to shelters hosting seniors in FL.

3. The Seminar Committee continued to provide women a forum and hosted Women’s Wellness seminar on

Sept. 30, 2017.

4. A special event by held by children’s author Sr. Gulmakai Saleh (Oct. 14th, 2017) on Breaking the Cycle

of Bullying to address bullying & acts of hatred against Muslim children.

5. Seminar committee hosts special seminars to prepare for Ramadan and education to enhance our religious

knowledge. The past year, seminars were conducted on Spirituality 101 by Imam Niaz Hannan (April 8,

2017) and The Art of Dawah (By Dr. Ahmed).

6. We were thankful to have Sr. Suzy Imail back at ISCJ to speak (Sept. 9, 2017) on vital issue of Disputes

in Marriage and how resolution can be achieved through good communication and lessons from Prophet

Muhammed’s (PBUH) life.

7. As every year, we covered several health topics ranging from Nutrition, Psychiatry, and Acupuncture.

Seminar was conducted on Clean Eating for Happy Kids by Sr. Nadia Quraishi (October 28, 2017) and

Acupuncture (Mar 9, 2018) by Dr. Z. Awan.

8. Other seminars given to our community members included Safety and Security Awareness on Cyber

Security by Michael Geraghts.

9. Finally, the Seminar Committee works with Weekend School and the PTA to support many activities. One

of this includes the Model Hajj event held on Oct 7, 2017 as well as activities such as Eid festivals, movie

night, and annual ice skating event.

During election season, the seminar committee also hosts candidates who express their opinions while running

for Board positions at ISCJ. In addition, both male and female presenters often give lectures based on their area of

professional expertise. The seminar committee invites Muslims as well as non-Muslims to speak. It is also worth

mentioning that seminar committee prohibits talks that engage solely in business advertising or merchandise sale.

OBJECTIVES FOR 2018-2019

12. To increase attendance in seminars, ISCJ seminar committee will work with Ss. Mariam Abid to host

speakers on topics relevant to our Muslim community. We need to encourage new parents with young

children to take more active role in seminar committee. ISCJ is lucky to have access to large number of

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 86 of 123

professionals and experts who can speak on diverse subject matters. We are always looking for

community members to let us know of speakers that we can host for future events.

13. Continue to host monthly feed the homeless event which has drawn great support and participation from

Central Jersey community to provide meals for homeless in corporation with Zamir Hassan of Muslims

against Hunger.

14. Continue to work with the PTA to hold entertaining and social programs for our youth such as movie

night, Eid festivals and field trips such as ice skating and hiking.


Mubasher Dar Mubasher Dar [email protected]

Members: Tariq Khan

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 87 of 123

32. Social Activities Report


The Social Activities Committee strives to bring relevant social events to the ISCJ community. We also often

partner with other committees to coordinate various family-based events. The committee typically meets on

Sunday mornings (around 10.30 AM) on an ad-hoc basis.

Our committee is always looking for committed volunteers to help with our activities. We are interested in

conducting more social events for the community; however, we need dedicated volunteers who are capable of

taking the lead for these events. If you are willing to join our committee or help in any of the events, please e-mail

us at [email protected].

Responsibilities:

The ISCJ Social Activities Committee is currently responsible for the support and coordination of the following

annual activities: Ramadan Iftar Dinners, Eid facility arrangements, Matrimonial Events, Soup Kitchen, Blood

Drives, Sports events and Annual Picnic. In addition, the committee occasionally helps out with other activities

including the monthly halaqas, youth activities, community outreach and inter-faith events.


Event Date Summary Approx.

Persons

Participated

Spelling Bee

Competition

Apr 2, 2017 Organize a spelling bee competition for children in

elementary and middle schools.

25

Blood Drive May 7, 2017 Organization of the community blood drive 30

Sandwich making

for homeless

May 27, 2017 Annual event to make sandwiches for the needy 400

Ramadan Sat Iftar

Program

May/Jun 2017

Organization and coordination of the Ramadan Iftar

activity. Saturdays only.

400 / day

Lailatul Qadr -

Dinner/ Parking/

Security

Jun 21, 2017 Assistance with the readiness and organization of the

prayer halls, security details and parking

arrangements.

1000

Chaand Raat Jun 24, 2017 Bring the community together and generate funds for

the Masjid activities

1500

Annual Soup

Kitchen

July 4, 2017 Participation in the annual Soup Kitchen program at

the Trenton Soup Kitchen. The primary tasks are

organization and distribution of the food to the needy.

300

Prayer

arrangements / Eid

carnival

Jun 25, 2017

Sep 1, 2017

Assistance with the readiness and organization of the

prayer halls, security details and parking

arrangements. Venue: ISCJ

4000

Annual Sports Day Aug 26, 2017 Volleyball and cricket tournaments with participation

from neighborhood Masajids

120

Matrimonial Event Sep 23, 2017 Connect eligible Muslim singles to find their spouse 75

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 88 of 123

Annual Picnic Oct 1, 2017 Annual BBQ day with BBQ food and sports activities 200

Table Tennis

Tournament

Dec 17, 2017 ISCJ Ping Pong club members organized and

participated in a table tennis tournament at ISCJ and

IIS.

60

Limited

Matrimonial

follow-ups

Year around Follow-up with the interested candidates (on an as

needed basis) for assistance with matrimonial.

EVENTS PLANNED FOR 2018

1. Blood Drive

2. Soup Kitchen

3. Matrimonial dinner

4. Spelling Bee Competition

5. Table Tennis Tournament

6. Sports Day

7. Ramadan Iftars

8. Eid prayer arrangements / festivities

9. Chaand bazaars

10. Sandwich making

11. Clothing/food drives

Interested in more events? Ideas welcome. Please join the committee and present your ideas.

Prepared by Chairperson Chairperson Email

Dilawar Mohamed Jaulikar Dilawar Mohamed

Jaulikar

[email protected]

Members: Azra Baig, Kausar Dar, Naheed Rehmat, Ruqaiya Haque, Tufail Tahir, Zahida Jabbar, Zubair Khan,

Abdul Jabbar, Ross Masood, Roshan Musheer, Asad Mazharullah, Imran Qamar, Nadeem Akhtar, Shanaz

Persuad

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 89 of 123

33. Steering Committee Report


The ISCJ Steering Committee was established to help the Board choose among numerous competing concepts

and alternatives for the development of the ISCJ campus in order to serve the interests and priorities of the ISCJ

community. The mandate of the Steering Committee was to develop and implement a comprehensive and

objective process to identify and evaluate concepts from a range of prudent alternatives related to the overall ISCJ

Masterplan.

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Coordinating with stakeholders to identify and evaluate alternatives for the ISCJ masterplan.

2. Presenting findings to the ISCJ Board for their consideration and approval.

3. Identifying next steps to prepare and receive approval from the South Brunswick Zoning Board.

4. Assisting the ISCJ Board with various, as-needed technical support.


1. Held multiple official meetings with ISCJ stakeholders/committees/Boards and other interested parties.

2. Developed and evaluated a range of ideas and alternatives for the ISCJ campus masterplan.

3. Worked with an architect to develop conceptual sketches for a recreation center and senior housing units.

4. Met with real estate and legal experts to determine viability of alternatives.

5. Coordinated with potential internal and external investors to fund the projects.

6. Added new members to the committee.

7. Made three (3) formal presentations to the ISCJ and NUI Boards related to the ISCJ campus masterplan.

8. Prepared plans, sketches, narrative, and other supporting material for the ISCJ Board to communicate with

the membership.

GOALS/OBJECTIVES FOR 2018

1. Assist the ISCJ Board to communicate and discuss the updated ISCJ masterplan among the membership.

2. Assist the ISCJ Board and BC to work with Geller Engineering and Land use attorney to prepare plans,

reports, and other documentation needed for the zoning board application.

3. Work with ISCJ Board attorney to finalize lease for Senior housing and Sports facility.

4. Work with BC and investors to prepare final engineering plans after township approval is received.

Members: Rizwan Baig, Shireif Battat, Mike Conaboy, Magdy Hagag, Wajed Syed


Mike Conaboy Rizwan Baig [email protected]


2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 90 of 123

34. Weekend School Committee Report


The Weekend School is a corner stone in the ISCJ community, since its establishment thirty plus years ago in 1984, has played

an instrumental role in fostering the positive development of the youth members of the Muslim community in Central Jersey.

In an increasingly complex society, it is essential for our youth to be able to understand our Islamic faith, build core values,

connect with other young Muslims and develop a sense of community. Our mission is to impart Islamic knowledge and values

in our children and to foster one central community environment for our students, teachers, and their families.

We are a learning organization and we embrace the concept of learning in our mission, in our approach, and in everything we

strive to accomplish. We are proud to report that we continue to evaluate and improve the operation of the school in all aspects.

Our responsibility and goal towards our youth doesn’t end with their graduation from the weekend School. We have one of

the most successful programs to engage our students who successfully complete 9th grade by encouraging them to volunteer

as staff or assistant teachers and to continue to develop their skills to give back to the school and to eventually become teachers.

We strongly believe that opening our doors for our youth to engage as volunteers is part of their continuous Islamic education,

building our community, and more importantly, developing our youth to prepare them to be successful as they embark on

their journeys.

In summary, the ISCJ Weekend School strives to cultivate in our students a genuine regard for our faith, values, and our

community. Our goal is to develop our youth to be a constructive and a contributing member of society.

Our Values: Respect – Knowledge – Community

Responsibilities:

1. Weekend School Committee Responsibilities - The Weekend School Committee members are fully engaged and actively

participate in the logistics of operating, managing and keeping our Weekend School moving forward. This includes:

managing and continuously evaluating the curriculum; administering the annual student registration process; selecting our

faculty and staff, as well as evaluating both teachers and assistant teachers; and managing the logistics associated with the

textbooks, class assignments and school schedules. Some of the most publicized and well known Weekend School activities

are the annual Qur’anic Reading, Qur’anic Memorization and Quiz Competitions. The Weekend School Committee holds an

annual graduation ceremony to bring together the entire community to celebrate our students’ accomplishments. Each year,

we invite number of distinguished guests including local and state officials which build and strengthens our ties to the

community. This past year, we had a wonderful outdoor ceremony that was attended by the students, faculty and their

families.

2. Students - The Weekend School Committee manages approximately 600 plus students in two sessions on Saturdays and

Sundays from September to May.

3. Faculty and Volunteers – The Weekend School Committee interviews, appoints, trains and evaluates principals, vice

principals, teachers, assistant teachers, and many other volunteers. We have over 200 Weekend School volunteers aside

from the Weekend School Committee members.

4. Safety – WS committee has dedicated parents who volunteer their time to arrange and oversee the safety for all children

during drop off and pick-up times. WS recognizes their efforts and appreciates their hard work.

5. In addition, the Weekend School supports, participates in and sponsors a wide range of activities. Each year, we have

active parent participation in our activities. This year we have seen more parents become involved in with our extra-

curricular activities and community programs through the Parent Teacher Association (“PTA”) than ever before. For

example, PTA members organize the lunch for Saturday and Sunday students during their break time. Also, under the

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 91 of 123

supervision of the Weekend School Committee our PTA organized and sponsored many fun and exciting activities for

students, such as: The Hajj program, movie night, ice-skating, Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha festivals, teacher appreciation

event, and the end-of-year class party. Our extra-curricular activities are intended to encourage interaction and build our

community while also ensuring that our children are having fun. We want to recognize and thank all the parents who

volunteer and participate in either the PTA or other activities. Their time, commitment, and efforts contribute to successful

Weekend School programs.


This school year was a year full of great accomplishments and actions that continued to build upon the great work that has

been done for many years. During the year we achieved the following:

- We have redefined our approach towards the opening day ceremony embedding proactive communication with

parents and students prior the start of the school.

- Evolved almost all of our communication methods with the teachers, volunteers and parents

- Deployed the automated robo-call process to facilitate communicating key messages.

- Introduced a complete re-design to the Annual Quiz Competition which is one of the most known events of the

Weekend School.

- This year we have achieved our highest records of youth volunteers who elected to actively engage to serve our

community.

- The Weekend School partnered with Dr. Ahmed Mohamed (LiT Program) to introduce Advanced Level

program geared towards high school students.

- Embarked on an internal transformation process to reform and upgrade many of the weekend school processes.

Weekend School Members: Osama Eldessouky, Taha Alamleh, Haitham Singer, Usman Dar, Mustafa Khan, Dilawar

Jaulikar, Saad Danish, Mohamed Elattar

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 92 of 123

35. ISCJ LiT Committee


ISCJ LiT is an ISCJ Committee which serves the youth and young adults in central New Jersey. ISCJ LiT

programs serve seven key categories: Educational, Counseling, Mentorship, Social, Athletic and Spiritual. We

work with young people to inspire them to understand, apply, and advocate divinely ordained values in the

service of the common good.

ISCJ LiT programs engage young people, ages 13 to 30, through educational, spiritual, recreational, and social

activities. These programs are designed and run by a committee that is comprised of youth and young

professionals. The committee also includes mentors who share their experiences and provide valuable feedback.

An integral part of the committee is Dr. Ahmad Mohamed, ISCJ’s Resident Director of Islamic Studies for the

Youth. Dr. Ahmad plays a critical role in developing curriculum-based content and programs that educate the

youth about Islamic principles and instill core Islamic Values.

Responsibilities:

1. Establish and conduct curriculum-based courses and sessions to educate the youth, ages 13 - 30

2. Strengthen and deepen Islamic Knowledge amongst ISCJ’s youth and central NJ at large

3. Develop and equip the youth to become balanced, all-rounded and knowledgeable leaders with a solid

Islamic Identity

4. Carry mentoring, counseling, social, athletic and spiritual programs for the youth all year round to shape their

character, engage them and attract them to Islamic Activities


1. Conducted daily spiritual and education programs during Ramadan, before and after Iftar/fast-breaking

2. Established bi-weekly Toastmaster (public speaking) program

a. Completed first class with 16 students in attendance and was concluded in Aug/2017.

b. Second bi-weekly class currently in session with 35 students in attendance and will be concluded

in Feb/2018

c. Third session is expected to start in Feb or Mar/2018 with two different levels

3. Established and conducted weekly class for advanced Islamic Teachings

a. Forty Nawawi curriculum class attended by 30-35 students on a weekly basis

4. Developed and executed weekly programs (MIST) for high school students as part of the Weekend

School.

5. Executed two social events attended by 30 people

6. Managed and executed father/daughter event attended by ~120 people

7. Weekly in-office counseling sessions facilitated by Dr. Ahmed

a. To date there were 61 drop ins (31 youth & young adults; 30 parents)

8. Structured/solidified youth brothers and sisters bi-weekly meet with relevant Islamic content

9. Monthly Friday talk series “A day in the life of the Prophet” by Dr. Ahmed

10. Dr. Ahmed conducted a one-week intensive course in one of the classical books of Aqida to a group

of local college students upon their request during their 2017/2018 winter break.

11. Managed a quarterly symposium for the youth

a. Mohammed El Shenawi conducted the session - invited speaker

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 93 of 123

12. Dr. Ahmed hosted the Russian delegation from Open World Leadership Program that came with Rider

University:

a. Discussed our activities and programs designed to educate and retain youth.

b. Discussed the overall message of Islam and difficulties faced by Muslims in modern times.

Goals/Objectives for 2018:

1. Continue the 2017 well established aforementioned programs

a. For certain programs, new content / curriculum will be delivered

2. Start mentoring monthly sessions

3. Create standing programs for major events e.g. Valentine’s Day, etc.

4. Establish a middle school program

5. Establish a summer Islamic contest

6. Provide archery classes

7. Secure sponsorships from major donors

8. Manage an Umrah trip for the youth in the Spring/Fall

9. Engage the youth in the Syrian refugee program to help Syrian youth in the community

10. Run sports and social events on a quarterly basis

Skiing trip and Archery is scheduled for 1st

quarter 2018

11. Collaborate with other Islamic centers e.g. Why Islam on a Dawah project

12. Establish a curriculum that caters mainly to the women in the community

a. Workshop sessions being organized to be delivered by by a well-knownspeaker, Dr.

Razzaq

b. Planning to start weekly sessions to be delivered by Shakha Neveen

13. Invite Iesha Prime to conduct at least one quarterly symposium

14. Quarterly symposiums/events

a. Jan 2018 - Clarifying the Islamic View of LGBT


Hatem Gawaly Hatem Gawaly [email protected]


2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 94 of 123

36. Zakat Committee


Zakat Committee was established to better distribute the zakat that the community entrusted us with.

Zakat is distributed to the eight categories that the Quran has assigned us, but for the most part it is being

distributed to the poor and the needy. It was created in an effort to be more efficient in providing new

ways to expand our services. As an example, an individual can be referred to other charitable organizations

to satisfy the totality of his/her financial needs in addition to the aid that we are providing. He or she could

also be referred to free services offered to low income families such as legal services or counseling, food

bank, federal program that they can subscribe to.

Responsibilities:

1. To help distribute the entire zakat received during the year to the poor and the needy family.

2. To refer families with free resources that are pertinent to their needs such as legal resources,

counseling, shelter, etc.

Accomplishments in 2017: The Zakat Application was revised and enhanced.

The system in place to track Zakat applications were also enhanced to be able to better track trends

for applicants.

Reminded the community about Zakat by:

o Introducing the Zakat Sandwich Making Event for the Homeless

o Khutbahs on Zakat

Goals for 2018:

1. Plan to distribute zakat money in a lump sum form to the families most in need (this is in the

making)

2. To continue to provide families with more or better resources (different than monetary one) in

order to satisfy their different needs, which includes government programs

3. To develop some program, such as "adopt a family" where families in need receive the help they

need through a family who adopts them

4. To enhance the Zakat Resources on the ISCJ website to be more interactive


Sylvie Rivard Sylvie Rivard [email protected]

Zakat Coordinator: Shanaz Persaud

Members: Abdel Baqy, Abdel Hady, Dawud Assad, Heba Elkhateeb, Riaz Siddiqui, Sobia Pervez

Received in 2017

$299, 506

Distributed to Local Applicants

$183, 281

Distributed to Other Organizations

$83, 000

Total Distribution $266, 281


2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 95 of 123

37. Miscellaneous Activity Report - Programs

Program Coordinator’s Report - 2017

Continuing Programs! Yoga classes

Monthly - Feed the Needy

Monthly - Program for Special Needs Kids Above & Beyond Learning Group With Celia L. Heyman

ARC Organization

Ahsen Janjua

Buddy Program with Dalya Youssef

Gifted Families Social

Monthly - Program for Seniors

Implemented a Leadership Series for Youth & Young Adults

Self Defense Classes for Men & Women

More Interfaith Outreach & Engagement

Outreach: CAIR - Know Your Rights*

Voters Registration Drive *

Canavox - Giving Marriage a Voice *

Safety & Security Month - "Men/Women Self Defense Class"*

Safety & Security Month with the Department of Homeland Security:

"Active Shooter Defense Seminar *

"Cyber Security”*

Empowering Minorities & Importance of Civic Engagement*

Other Programs for 2017:

Know Your Rights With ACLU

Interfaith – 2017

“The Life of Malcolm X” With Imam Siraj Wahhaj

Focus On Bias Crime

Explore The Benefits Of Acupuncture

The Art Of Dawah – Sharing The Beauty Of Islam

Spirituality 101 With Imam Niaz Hannan

Movie Night/Board Game Night

Hajj Seminar

The Pioneering Contributions of Islam and Banking

Clean Eating For Happy Kids With Nadia Quraishi

Paint Night With Faraz Khan

Couple’s Paint Night

Senior Paint Night

Kid’s Paint Night

Parent’s College Planning

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 96 of 123

Additional Continuing Programs:

(a) Sisters' Youth Group

(b) After Maghrib

Tajweed

(c) After Fajr Tafseer

(d) Career Advancement

Program

(e) Friday Night Halaqa

(f) Boys' Youth Group

(g) Dars with Imam

Chebli

(h) Tutoring

(i) Islam Basics 101 -

Class for

Converts/Reverts

(j) Monthly Youth

Mentoring

(k) Senior Sister’s

Meetings

(l) Interfaith Stitcher’s

For Peace

In other areas:

Coordinated both Eid festivities

Coordinated the Annual Sports Day

Revenue collected through advertising

Developed/implemented marketing material (email, physical copies, and social media) for all

ISCJ programs.

Updated Social Media platforms with latest program information, Salah times. Etc.

Supported existing ISCJ Committees when applicable (eg. REPC, SAC, Membership

committee, etc.)

Managed e-mail and directed correspondence to appropriate contacts (Imam, BOT Officers,

Committee Chairpersons, Accountant, etc.) for action.

Managed the Constant Contact Emails that goes out to the community, including the Weekly

Alert

Goals for 2018 (Insha’Allah):

1. Prepare/Develop ISCJ Brochures for Interfaith Programs

2. Maintain current programs that works, and get community feedback on other programs they need

3. Summer Programs

4. Improved coordination of Weekend Events to avoid overlapping programs and address relevant

topics

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 97 of 123

38. Noor-Ul-Iman School Report

Accredited by the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools

Noor-Ul-Iman School Mission Statement:

Children of good character are the building blocks of a successful community. Our mission is to provide an

excellent academic and Islamic education within an Islamic environment to produce good citizens and strong

leaders who have a commitment to individual excellence, family, community, and humanity. In partnership

with parents, we strive to help our students develop strong Islamic values, self- confidence, a positive

attitude, and respect for self and others

Noor-Ul-Iman School Goals: 1. To satisfy the educational, spiritual, emotional, social and physical needs of our students;

2. To educate our students in all of the standard disciplines and to further prepare them academically for continued

higher education;

3. To instill in our students a love for learning that will continue throughout their lives;

4. To help students acquire the skills they need to be responsible and contributing members of their family, school,

mosque, and community;

5. To teach our students to develop and maintain a balance between their worldly success and spiritual pursuits;

6. To enable our students to study their religion so as to understand and value its significance in their lives;

7. To develop the integrity and character of our students in the pursuit of moral excellence;

8. To help our students develop a sense of social and civic responsibility towards their community;

9. To encourage our students to establish dialogue and to interact with people of other faiths to appreciate our

diversity and strengthen our world community;

10. To teach our students to be critical thinkers, wise decision-makers and effective communicators.

Registration:

Anyone interested in enrolling their child/children in any of the full-time school programs from Pre-K

through High School for next fall should call the school office at 732-329-1800. Registration forms for next

fall will be distributed in February, and registration will begin in March.

NOOR-UL-IMAN Full-Time School:

Noor-Ul-Iman School (NUI) is a non-public, non-profit, tax-exempt educational organization

recognized by the New Jersey Department of Education and accredited by the New Jersey

Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS). It is a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent

Schools, the Council of Islamic Schools of North America, the Islamic Schools League of America,

and the New Jersey League of Islamic Schools (co-founded by NUI School).

The school is located on the premises of the Islamic Society of Central Jersey (ISCJ) in the

suburban community of South Brunswick about midway between New York and Philadelphia. NUI is

currently in its twenty-fifth year of operation. The current enrollment is 579 students in Pre-Kindergarten

through twelfth grade. There are 127 students enrolled in the High School (ninth through twelfth grade). This

year there are thirty-one students in the twelfth grade, who will be the fifteenth high school graduating class.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 98 of 123

The classroom facilities for Pre-K through twelfth grade students are located in a contemporarily designed

school building which opened to students in two phases, September 2012 and September

2014. In addition to classroom facilities, the school has a computer lab, library, biology/chemistry lab,

physics lab, and an art/home economics room. All classrooms from Kindergarten through twelfth grade

are equipped with Smartboards, and a laptop cart provides additional computer access to students

beyond the computer lab. NUI is looking forward to building Phase III of the permanent school structure,

which will provide a cafetorium, a gymnasium, an auditorium, and special-purposed classrooms. The

2017/2018 operating budget is over 5.75 million dollars for the entire school. The school is governed by

a Board of Directors consisting of a group of professionals from diverse fields. The administrative

and educational affairs of the school are managed by the Head of School with the help of an

administrative team consisting of a group of professional educators averaging nineteen years of educational

experience.

Faculty:

NUI students are instructed by sixty-seven full time and part time faculty members allowing for the

advantages of a low student/teacher ratio. In addition to the faculty members who have Bachelor’s

degrees in their fields, eighteen have master’s degrees and one has a JD. NUI faculty members have an

average of eleven years of teaching experience. All of the foreign language faculty members are native

speakers of the language they teach. Several of the high school faculty members have published papers

and/or books and many faculty members throughout the school have led workshops in their areas of

expertise.

Students:

The NUI student body is very diverse. Students come from a variety of cultural and economic backgrounds.

The current student body consists of approximately:

66% Asian-American (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Chinese, Japanese, etc.)

23% White (European and Middle Eastern)

8% Multiracial

2% Hispanic

1% African-American

The majority of the students are bilingual, and some are trilingual. This diversity of the NUI student body

gives the students a greater perspective on cultural traditions as well as religious understanding.

PTO:

The parents and faculty/staff of NUI recognize the important role the school plays in the academic, social-

emotional and personal development and well-being of NUI students. The parents and faculty/staff also

recognize that active parent involvement in the school positively affects the success of the school and

the students. The NUI PTO consists of parents and faculty/staff working together with the school’s

administration and the larger parent body to meet the following PTO objectives:

To support the mission of Noor-Ul-Iman School in providing education in an Islamic environment that

emphasizes moral and academic excellence.

To promote a forum for constructive interchange of information, opinions, and ideas.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 99 of 123

To provide financial support for school/community activities.

To engage in and promote Islamically appropriate social and fun activities for the students and parents of NUI.

Instructional Program:

Pre-Kindergarten:

NUI’s Pre-K students spend half of their day in a unique and stimulating English/Academics program

and half of their day in a customized and enriching Religious Studies/Arabic program.

In the English/Academics program, the students participate in daily circle time where they sing songs, enjoy

story time, are exposed to print through read-alouds, and engage in discussions based on a theme of the week.

Students are able to participate in art activities and experiential learning based on thematic units. These

activities give the students hands-on experience in the areas of practical life, sensorial development, motor skill

development, pre-literacy, math, science, and social studies. The Happily Ever After Reading Readiness

program, based on authentic children’s literature, is integrated into the Pre-K 4 curriculum to help

students build their foundation for

reading in areas such as auditory discrimination and phonological awareness, letter recognition, vocabulary,

comprehension, and emergent writing.

In the Religious Studies/Arabic program, the students also participate in circle time and engaging activities that

help them learn the Arabic letters and their sounds, basic vocabulary words, numbers and counting in Arabic,

simple duaa’s (supplications), short chapters from the Holy Qur’an and stories of the Prophets. Students

memorize sixteen duaa’s (supplications) & eleven chapters from the Qur’an by the end of their two years in

Pre-K.

The Pre-K program includes indoor/outdoor play in which students’ gross motor and observational skills are

developed through group play. Students are taught to practice responsible social and personal behavior during

physical activity sessions. A rest/nap time is also scheduled during the day.

Elementary School – Kindergarten through 2nd Grade Noor-Ul-Iman's Elementary School program in Kindergarten to 2nd grade is designed to give students a

strong foundation in Literacy and Mathematics alike, with the integration of Science, Social Studies, the arts

and character building throughout the curricula. Students have the advantage of learning through a variety

of methods, including interactive Smart Board instruction, where critical thinking and problem solving

skills are fostered and developed. Differentiation techniques are practiced in all subject areas in order to

meet the individual needs of each student. A supportive and loving environment is offered by

teachers, guidance counselors and administrators alike. In order to promote student choice and

success, students are given many opportunities for extracurricular participation throughout the school year.

Through the Whole Child approach, students are guided to learn responsibility towards oneself and towards

others through the development of social-emotional skills, and are introduced to the broad range of knowledge

and proficiencies they need to succeed in life. This ensures that each student is healthy, safe, engaged,

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 100 of 123

supported, and challenged; sets the standard for comprehensive, sustainable school improvement; and provides

for long-term student success.

Elementary School – 3rd through 5th Grade The 3rd through 5th grade program in Elementary School is inclusive, allowing students to further develop and

refine the skills they have learned with teacher guidance. The Whole Child is the core of the learning

environment, where students’ various interests and needs are met through independent and cooperative

learning, technology, active engagement, critical thinking, hands-on activities, S.T.E.A.M. (science,

technology, engineering, art and math) activities, real life projects, and teacher collaboration and training.

Teachers, parents, guidance counselors, and administrators work together to help develop each student’s

strengths and improve weak areas as needed. This holistic model helps ensure that our students succeed in

a caring and friendly community of learners.

Students’ knowledge base, skills, character, and leadership abilities are nurtured through the many

opportunities available to them during school hours and after school. The students apply their acquired skills

through academic, extracurricular, and competitive means. Some competitions and after school programs

available to the students in 3rd through 5th grade include Science Olympiad Division A, Engineering for

Kids, Mad Science, After School Qur’an Memorization Classes,

Chess Club, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Recreational Soccer, Fencing, Continental Mathematics League

Competition, Language Arts League Competition, Zaner-Bloser Handwriting Contest, National

Geographic Geography Bee, and Spelling Bee to name a few. In addition, NUI nominates students for the

Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth Talent Search, which has resulted in many students

qualifying for the Center for Talented Youth programs.

Middle School The Noor-Ul-Iman Middle School program offers students a range of opportunities to develop the essential

academic habits of attention, organization, responsibility, and independent inquiry. Students

refine and apply these skills in all content areas including English, Math, Social Studies, Science, Religious

Studies, Arabic, Physical Education, Digital Tools, and Art. In all courses, a strong emphasis on

essential knowledge is supported by traditional written assessments. Understanding and application of that

knowledge is evaluated through project-based assessments that challenge students to share their developing

understanding in written, performative, and visual media. A range of athletic, creative, and academic clubs

and competitions are offered including basketball and soccer teams, a championship Science Olympiad team,

and an accelerated two-year Hafidh program.

High School Noor-Ul-Iman High School is a college preparatory school that strives to give students the knowledge

and skills they will need to succeed in higher education and move on to the careers of their choice. Noor-Ul-

Iman School has a 100% college attendance rate post-graduation, with students applying to colleges

ranging from state colleges to the Ivy League. This year is the eighteenth year of operation for NUI High

School. In addition to the full range of classes offered at NUI High School, students have the opportunity to

enrich their high school program with AP Computer Science through a blended online/onsite program,

college level courses through the Jump Start Program at Mercer County Community College, and online

courses from The Keystone School.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 101 of 123

The graduating class of 2018 consists of thirty-one students, of whom three are National Merit Semi-Finalists

and three are National Merit Commended Students. This year’s senior class has students who have taken the

SAT and the ACT. Ninety percent of the students took the SAT and ten percent took the ACT.

Average SAT Evidence-Based Reading: 674 Math: 692

Average ACT English: 33 Reading: 32 Math: 31

In the previous fourteen years, NUI has graduated a total of 233 students. Of those students:

Seven were National Merit Finalists.

Thirty-six were National Merit Commended Students.

The average scores on the SAT were 623 in verbal and 648 in math (for the last fourteen years).

The average score on the SAT in writing was 644 (for the last twelve years).

The average scores for the class of 2017 on the new SAT were 619 in Evidence-Based

Reading and 606 in Math.

All of NUI’s graduates have been accepted to four year colleges, which include: Adelphi University

Albany College of Pharmacy

American College in Spain Arcadia University

Barnard College

Berkeley College Boston College

Brown University Bryn Mawr College

California Institute of Technology

Carnegie Mellon University Columbia University

Cornell University

DeVry University Drew University

Drexel University Fairleigh Dickinson University

Fordham University

Georgetown University Georgia Institute of Technology

Georgian Court University

Holy Family University Howard University

Johns Hopkins University Kean University

Lafayette College

Lehigh University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Monmouth University Montclair State University

Muhlenberg College

New Jersey Institute of Technology New York Institute of Technology

New York University New York University Abu Dhabi

New York University Shanghai

Northeastern University Pennsylvania State University

Princeton University

Purdue University Rider University

Rowan University Royal College of Surgeons Ireland –

Medical University Bahrain

Rutgers University

Seton Hall University

Stevens Institute of Technology Stockton University

Swarthmore College Syracuse University

Temple University

Texas A & M University

The City College of New York

The College of New Jersey

University of California at Berkeley, Los Angeles and San Francisco

University of Chicago University of Florida

University of Illinois

University of Maryland University of Michigan

University of Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh University of Texas at Austin

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia

University of Virginia Ursinus College

Vanderbilt University

Villanova University Wellesley College

West Chester University William Paterson University

Yale University

Yale University Singapore York College

Zaytuna College

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 102 of 123

Past graduates have also been accepted into special honors programs, such as the

honors combined seven year B.S. and DMD degree program and the honors combined six

year B.S. and Pharm. D. program.

AFTER SCHOOL QUR’AN MEMORIZATION PROGRAM Qur’an Memorization is a communal obligation in Islam. Thus Noor-Ul-Iman School provides an After School Qur’an Memorization Program to fulfill this communal obligation.

Students from first grade through High School are challenged to memorize as much of the

Qur’an as they choose to master. To date, forty-three students, male and female, have

finished memorizing the entire Qur’an in the special accelerated hafidh program at Noor-Ul-

Iman under the tutelage of the resident Shaikh, Mamdouh Selim. An additional ten students

are in the process of completing the memorization of the entire Qur’an in this special two-

year program. While completing their memorization in the hafidh program, students are

required to attend all academic and religious classes and maintain at least a B average in all

subject areas. As per the Islamic Society of Central Jersey (ISCJ) and NUI tradition, NUI

male Huffadh act as Imams at ISCJ, leading the first two rakaas of Taraweeh Prayer during

Ramadan. Male Huffadh from NUI have acted as Khateebs of the Friday prayer and Qaris

who led all or most of the Taraweeh Prayers at various masajid.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND AWARDS

Noor-Ul-Iman School continues to maintain an excellent academic record. The students in

first through eighth grade take the Comprehensive Testing Program 4 (CTP4) national

standardized test each year in the spring. This is a rigorous assessment that includes verbal and

quantitative reasoning subtests. Given that this is a more challenging standardized test than the

previous test used at NUI, it is wonderful to see how well NUI students perform on the

assessment. First and second graders receive score results in terms of skill development

and percentage mastery. Third through eighth graders receive scores in terms of percentiles

compared to national norms. In April 2017, over 89% of NUI’s third through eighth

graders received scores that were average or above, and over 52% of the students scored in

the top 25% of the students who took the test nationwide.

NUI high school students take the SAT and ACT tests in preparation for college and

consistently score well above the national average. Please refer to the High School

section above for more details.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 103 of 123

In addition to its excellent Academic and Religious Studies programs, Noor-Ul-Iman School

offers students the opportunity to participate in a variety of clubs, interscholastic sports, and

competitions. Of special note, NUI’s students have won numerous awards. For example:

Contests

o 2016 Zaner-Bloser Handwriting Contest: An NUI

elementary school student was the New Jersey State Grade Level Winner.

o 2017 Science Olympiad Division B: The NUI

middle school and ninth grade team placed first in the Regionals and seventh in the State of New Jersey.

o 2017 National Language Arts League

Competition: An NUI 2nd grade student was a

National Student Winner, and the 9th and

11th/12th grade teams were second place

National Winners.

o Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented

Youth Talent Search: Since NUI began nominating students for the Talent Search fifteen years ago, 221 NUI students have tested and qualified for Center for Talented Youth programs.

o 2016-2017 WordWright Challenge: An NUI high

school junior received Highest Honors in the overall competition. He was one of the

nineteen highest-ranked eleventh grade

students in the country out of the 16,272 students who competed at the eleventh grade

level.

Competitions o 2017 Vincent J. Apruzzese Mock Trial

Competition: The NUI Mock Trial team

placed first in Middlesex County, first in the Regional Competition, and second in the State of New Jersey.

o 2017 Franklin Model United Nations

Conference: The NUI Model UN team received two Best Delegate, one Outstanding Delegate, and two Distinguished Delegate awards.

o 2017 Emir Abdelkader Global Leadership

Essay Contest: An NUI 9th grader won the first place prize and traveled to Iowa to present her essay.

o 2017 New Jersey Forensic League

Tournaments: In the tournaments held so far this

year, students from the NUI Debate Club have

won two first place awards and one sixth place

award in the Novice Lincoln-Douglas Division,

and a third, fourth, and sixth place award in the

Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Division.

Athletics o 2016 Soccer: The NUI High School Boys’

Varsity Soccer Team ended the fall season with an undefeated record of 9 wins and 2 ties.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 104 of 123

EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS, COMPETITIONS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

Afterschool Quran Memorization Program

American Mathematics Competitions

Arabic Club Arabic Heritage Day Art Clubs Basketball

Book Club

Book It

Boy Scouts Boys’ Hangout Community Service Club Continental Mathematics League Cub Scouts Doodle 4 Google Contest

Dr. Seuss Week Earth Day Activities

Empower Club Engineering for Kids Field Day Field Trips Food Allergy Awareness Day Franklin H. S. Model UN Conference

French Club Girl Scouts Girls’ Hangout Hafidh Program (Qur’an Memorization) HomeFront Support Programs

Hunger Van Club ‘Ibra Literary Magazine Interfaith Activities Interschool Exchange Programs Johns Hopkins CTY Talent Search

Karate Mad Science Medical Career Club Mentor Tutoring

MIST- Muslim Interscholastic Tournament

MLK Day of Service Model Hajj Movie Making Club

National Geographic Geography Bee

National High School Mock Trial

National Honor Society

Nat’l Language Arts League Competition

National/NJ Forensic League Debate

Team

Noor-Ul-Iman IEEE-STEM Club

Noor-Ul-Iman Model UN Pink Hijab Day Presidential Youth FitnessGram Test

Princeton Friends School Exchange

Princeton Plasma Physics Lab Young

Women’s Conference in STEM Prophet Muhammed (S.) Day Qur’an Memorization Competitions Qur’an Translation Competition Ramadan Activities Ramadan Qur’an Reading Incentive

Program Read to Succeed Incentive Program Readasaurus

Rutgers Model UN Conference Science Fairs

Science Olympiad

Divisions A, B, & C Science Symposium Screen-Free Week Events Second Gr. Qur'an Completion Celebration Sign Language Club

Soccer Spanish Club Spanish Heritage Day Spelling Bee

Spoken Word Night Sports Banquet Student Council Tae Kwon Do

The Oculus (School Newspaper) Woodworking Club

WordWright Challenge World Lymphoma Awareness Day World Water Day

Yearbook Zaner–Bloser Nat’l Handwriting Contest

- Approved by the National Association of Secondary School Principals

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 104 of 123

THE FUTURE

In order to meet future challenges, Noor-Ul-Iman School is fully committed to the construction

of Phase III of the permanent school building as shown in the approved Master Plan. Phase III

will provide the required school gym and cafetorium facilities, as well as much needed

special- purposed classrooms. Proper quality cafeteria and gym facilities will enhance

the educational experience of NUI students. Having them located within the school building

will provide easier and more consistent access and security.

With Allah’s (SWT) help, we are looking forward to continued success at Noor-Ul-Iman

School, providing the benefits of a full-time Islamic school to the ISCJ community. For further

information please call (732) 329-1800.

Maqsood Amjad,

President

Eman Arafa, Head of

School Noor-Ul-Iman

School

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 105 of 123

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 106 of 123

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 107 of 123

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 108 of 123

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 109 of 123

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 110 of 123

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 111 of 123

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 112 of 123

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 113 of 123

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 114 of 123

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 115 of 123

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 116 of 123

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 117 of 123

39. History Project Report

The Islamic Society of Central Jersey has come a long way since the days of its conception in

the minds of the early Muslims who migrated from different parts of the world to settle in New

Jersey and envisioned the ISCJ as it stands today. It continues to manifest their vision of an

institution where Muslims and non-Muslims go to seek true knowledge of Islam from its

Resident Imam, Teachers and Visiting Imams and Scholars from well-known Institutions of

the US and abroad. So that the history of the ISCJ is not lost with the passage of time, the

Board of Trustees approved the History Project and the following members of the ISCJ have

been working on this project diligently since November 2014 to compile an authentic and

comprehensive history of the ISCJ:

Br. Shoukat Ali, Br. Dawud Assad, Sr. Sogra Saleem, Imam Hamad Ahmad Chebli, Br.

Arif Khan, Br. Fakhruddin Ahmad and Sr. Dawlat Chebly

The final product of this project will be a Hard Cover Book of about 350+ glossy pages with

Classical Bindery and a 15MB USB that contains the following; a. Personal Write-Ups from some 50+ Individuals narrating their stories since the conception of

the ISCJ, their struggles, setbacks and triumphs along the way to realize the ISCJ of their dreams.

This is the heart of the history. Its reading is inspirational as it lays out how challenges were

met.

b. Preambles provide a gist of the detail articles that are contained in the USB. A reference to

corresponding detail article is provided for each Preamble.

c. Video Interviews of the individuals who were involved from the conception over the past 40

years. This provides a glimpse into the past as one can see and hear the pioneers & founders

speak.

d. A tiny USB accompanying the book contains: Total 1,912 files; total 21,127 pages, 99 Doc Files,

1216 Pdfs, 540 Photos and Still Images beside 44 minutes of video interviews.

The Project is 98% complete and final draft has been sent to the publisher. It has been a long and

arduous journey over the past three and half years as we collected thousands of pages of

documents from various sources, scanned them; collected personal write-ups, fact checked and

edited them, collected photos and arranged video interviews of dozens of key individuals. Their

stories tell us what they brought to the ISCJ and how in turn the ISCJ influenced them and their

children in their life.

It is our hope that this book will provide the present and future generations a glimpse of the

setbacks suffered, the struggles and triumphs of the pioneers, the successive board of trustees,

the overseers, various committee members and the contributions of members of the community

at large in transforming the vision of the pioneers into the reality that the ISCJ represents today.

I wish to express my deep appreciation to the task force members who worked so diligently

attending some 75+ weekly/biweekly meetings and bringing their unique skills and talent to the

project. I wish to thank the board of trustees, the president, Br. Arif Patel and Br. Sayed Hassan

for their support, and the story contributors and host of volunteers who helped in bringing the

project to a successful conclusion.

Submitted by Chairperson Email address

Shoukat Ali Shoukat Ali [email protected]

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 118 of 123

Interactive Response Index

1. Trustees & Overseers 2017-2018 ............................................. 4

2. 2018 - General Body Meeting Agenda ..................................... 5

3. Overseers Report ................................................................... 6

4. Overseers Notification Letter.................................................. 8

5. Candidates List .................................................................... 12

6. Summary of Candidates Background & Services .................. 13

7. Chairman’s Report .............................................................. 19

8. President’s Report ............................................................... 21

9. Secretary’s Report ............................................................... 23

10. 2017 General Body Meeting Minutes .................................... 24

11. 2018 Proposed Operating Budget ......................................... 33

12. 2018 Proposed Capital Budget .............................................. 37

13. Estimated – Repairs & Maintenance ..................................... 38

14. Treasurer’s Report .............................................................. 39

15. External Auditor’s Report .................................................... 42

16. Imam’s Activities Report ...................................................... 61

17. ISCJ Committees & Group List ............................................ 63

18. Advertising Committee ........................................................ 61

19. Building Committee Report .................................................. 63

20. Burial & Cemetery Report ................................................... 64

21. Career Advancement Placement (CAP) Report ..................... 65

22. Communication Committee Report ...................................... 67

23. Constitution Committee Report ............................................ 69

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Page 119 of 123

24. Endowment Advisory Group Report .................................... 70

25. Expansion Funding Group Report ........................................ 75

26. Free Tutoring Committee ..................................................... 76

27. Library Committee Report ................................................... 77

28. Membership Committee Report ........................................... 78

29. Qur’an Academy Committee ................................................ 80

30. Religious Event Planning Committee .................................... 82

31. Seminar Committee Report .................................................. 84

32. Social Activities Report ........................................................ 87

33. Steering Committee Report .................................................. 89

34. Weekend School Committee Report ...................................... 90

35. ISCJ LiT Committee ............................................................ 92

36. Zakat Committee ................................................................. 94

37. Miscellaneous Activity Report - Programs ............................ 95

38. Noor-Ul-Iman School Report ................................................ 97

39. History Project Report ....................................................... 117

Interactive Response Index ............................................................. 118

2017 annual report - constant...

Documents