About BOIV

Vision, Mission & Objectives
History & Governance

Our Vision

Inspired by Holy Quran and the Sunnah (exemplary teachings) of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, Board of Imams Victoria envisages to build a religiously upright, virtuous and just Muslim community in Victoria that is empowered, socially fair and  responsible.

Our Mission

Our mission is to;

  • Bring unity and solidarity among the Imams and Islamic scholars.
  • Disseminate authentic Islamic teachings
  • Provide religious and pastoral care and services to all.
  • Reach out to youth, women and arginalised members of our community
  • Facilitate community support programs
  • Strive to build a cohesive and peaceful society in Victoria.

History & Governance
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Our Values

We are committed to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an, the Sunnah (the exemplary conducts) of the Prophet Muhammad SAW
and universal Islamic values most specifically

  • Compassion (Rahma) – We believe and value in the divine attribute of compassion and mercifulness. We try to render our services
    with compassion and avoid prejudice in our dealings with members of our community.
  • Sincerity (Ikhlas) – Our efforts are driven by sincerity to Allag SWT and the need to fulfil our obligations to humanity.
  • Excellence (Ihsan) – Our actions are marked by excellence in our operations and the conduct through which we help the deserving people we serve.
  • Custodianship (Amana) – We uphold our duty of custodianship over Earth and its resources, and the trust people and stakeholders place in us and to be transparent and accountable.
  • Social Justice (Adl) –Our work is founded on enabling to fulfil the rights of every individual. We work to empower the dispossessed towards realising their God-given human potential and develop their capabilities and resources.

Our History

Longtail boat in Thailand

Board of Imams Victoria (BOIV) was established in 1984 by a handful of Imams who have dedicated their life to serve the Muslim community in Victoria. It was the first Imams board in Australia. At the time of its foundation there was only handful of registered members. Namely Sheikh Rexhep Idrisi (President), Sheikh Fehmi Naji Imam Rahimahulklah (Secretary) Shk. Ibrahim Omerdic, Shk. Abdullah Mahmud Shk. Hassan El Wafai and Shk. Eljam Bardi. As of today the BOIV have 42 registered member Imams.
The first Constitution believed to be adopted by the BOIV on the 30th of August 1990 sets out the basic rules to govern its affairs.

The BOIV was registered as an incorporated organisation on 1ST December 2003 under Consumer affairs Victoria (CAV). At the time of the registration no legally compliant constitution was adopted. The management and administrative affairs of the BOIV was governed by ‘model rules’ as required by Association Incorporation Act.

For the first time the BOIV adopted a legally binding constitution in December 2016. It was a legal requirement under the Association  Incorporation Reform Act 2012. The affairs of the BOIV are now governed by this constitution. Under the law the BOIV is now a ‘legal person’ that is a legal entity that stays the same even if its members change. It can enter into contracts in its own name; for example to borrow money or buy equipments.

On 1st of October 2017 the BOIV was registered under ACNC Charity  Register. Australian Charities and Not-for- Profit Commission (ACNC) is the national regulator of charities. The ACNC was established in December 2012 to achieve the following objects:

  • Maintain, protect and enhance public trust and confidence in the sector through increased accountability and transparency
  • Support and sustain a robust, vibrant, independent and innovative not-for-profit sector
  • Promote the reduction of unnecessary regulatory obligations on the sector.

Compliance with legal and regulatory framework that governs not-for-rofit organisation was necessary to build BOIV’s capacity to raise funds, receive grants from Government and run community projects efficiently.

Governance

Board of Imams of Victoria (BOIV) Executive Board and its Management are collectively committed to ensuring sound governance principles are maintained and applied in governing of BOIV and its entities. This statement sets out the standards and principles to achieve sound corporate governance. BOIV is a charity registered with the Australian Charities and Not for Profits Commission and therefore it must meet a set of governance standards;

Standard 1: Purposes and not-for-profit nature of a registered entity

BOIV’s constitution provides that it is a not-for-profit charity and has charitable purpose as an object of the Constitution. BOIV also continuously operates as a not-for-profit charity and is working towards a charitable purpose as per its governing document.

Standard 2: Accountability to members

BOIV has members, therefore BOIV takes reasonable steps be accountable to its members and provides its members an adequate opportunity during the AGM to raise concerns about how BOIV is governed. BOIV regularly communicates with its members and stakeholders through its monthly meetings, AGM and social media.

Standard 3: Compliance with Australian Laws

BOIV acts lawfully and complies with the law. In most cases, this relates to common sense and good practice, such as being familiar with the main areas of regulation relating to BOIV activities, having some financial controls, and having a process to ensure BOIV meets its legal obligations.

Standard 4: Suitability of responsible persons

BOIV takes reasonable steps to be satisfied that each of its Board members, directors  and officers is not disqualified from

  • Managing a corporation under the Corporation Act; and
  • Being responsible person by the ACNC Commissioner, within the previous 12 months.

Standard 5: Duties of responsible persons

BOIV takes reasonable steps to make sure that the following duties apply to responsible persons and that they follow them. These duties are:

  • To act with reasonable care and diligence
  • To act honestly in the best interest of the charity and for its charitable purposes;
  • Not to misuse their position as a responsible person;
  • Not to misuse information they gain in their role as a responsible person
  • To disclose conflict of interest;
  • To ensure that financial affairs of the charity are managed responsibly; and
  • Not to allow the charity to operate while it is insolvent.