To: ICNE Executive Committee
Cc: Board of Directors
Subject: Resignation
From: Khaled Rawashdeh
Date: Monday Oct 3, 2005

Assalamu Alaikum

I Khaled Rawashdeh resign from the ICNE board of directors effective October 3, 2005 for the following reasons:

1. The ICNE Executive Committee (EC) has been acting as a dictatorship since it was formed at the beginning of 2005. Their intolerable behaviors and actions have forced three board members and the Imam of 23 years to resign so far this year. This is the first in the history of the ICNE.
   
2. The EC operates on the principle of "My way or the highway" and "if you do not endorse us, you are our enemy and un-patriotic to the Islamic center".
   
3. The EC schedules the board meetings arbitrarily and with short notice. In some cases it was one or two days email notice. If a board member objects because of a work conflict or other commitment he/she gets shot down. When five board members requested an emergency board meeting their request was denied.
   
4. The EC continuously harassed the only woman in the board and made it a hostile environment for her.
   
5. The EC did not promote the role of women in center.
   
6. The EC acts in very secret way. There is minimum or no communication with the rest of the board members and general membership in most issues.
   
7. The EC tries to use the board meeting as a rubber stamp for their decisions. Discussion is not welcomed.
   
8. In the only general membership meeting in the first half of the year the members were not given much of a chance to raise their concerns with the board actions and their request for another meeting was denied.
   
9. The EC does not want to seek the input and approval of the general membership. The EC did not call for a May general membership meeting and denied the general membership’s formal request for one.
   
10. The EC have received complaints in many forms from community members who do not approve their actions. In addition, they have questioned the membership of many long time and life members.
    
11. Some of the EC have abused the prayer room and the Friday Khutba. One of the EC members continuously acts in a disrespectful manner in the prayer room during this year. He did that occasionally before this year.
    
12. The EC does not promote a moderate direction and voice.

For the above reasons I was not able to work with the EC and I found that any effort I made was in vain. I felt therefore forced to resign. I even decided to move out of the area. I ask Allah to guide this center to the right path.

Khaled Rawashdeh

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