While this petition was written by the youth, the points addressed are concerns of many community members. We encourage all members who agree with these concerns to sign the petition and make your voice be heard! We encourage the addition of non-controversial and constructive comments.

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The purpose of this petition is to address and rectify the blatant, unprofessional behavior demonstrated via emails and other American Druze Society (ADS) resources.

The constitution states that the primary purposes of the ADS are to perpetuate the universal teachings of the Tawhid Faith, the enhancement of fellowship among Druze descendants, the advancement of Druze religious, literary and cultural knowledge through education and research, and the betterment of all Druze people through charitable work.

The American Druze Young Adults (ADYA), as paid and fully recognized members of the American Druze community, acknowledge that there have been conflicts and disagreements in the last few years. Undoubtedly, we are appalled and embarrassed by the board’s emails not only in recent months, but also throughout the last few years. These emails contradict the purposes of the ADS, as detailed by our constitution, and have further divided our community.

We, as past and present ADYA officers and volunteers, who represent the young (and not so young) adults of our community, refuse to be associated with such unprofessionalism and continued disrespect to the ADS name. All members of the community, including past and present officers, must acknowledge this detrimental behavior and cease future emails. As our larger Druze family faces challenges overseas, we seek to strengthen our bonds, not continue in-fighting.

We, the ADYA, call for a swift action from the ADS National Board to protect the integrity and future of the ADS, as well as restore faith in our community through the following:

• National Email Accounts
  • We demand that the use of the ADS resources, including but not limited to emails, reflect the undisputed values of the whole community. We demand that emails remain respectful, professional and be used for positive, informational purposes which help unite us towards a productive future, not further divide us. We are stakeholders in the ADS; emails, publications and other actions in our name must reflect the values of our faith and culture, including working towards the elimination of ego and the safeguarding of our brethren.

• Email Code of Conduct
  • We expect respectful communication amongst ADS members using the organization’s email.. The recent state of affairs of those meant to represent and lead the society in working together has deteriorated. It is the responsibility of all, as officers of the ADS and members of our community at-large, to set things on the right path and behave accordingly. And we demand that all ADS business matters reflect our values.
  • We demand a code of conduct statement be established regarding any use of email, which carry the ADS name and domain. The code should strictly prohibit the use and sharing of the ADS email list for private use by individuals or other organizations. As such, the code of conduct should set the standard for respectful and productive communication. In addition, the code must include the use of personal emails to create hostile situations within the ADS community. We have noticed an increasing number of slanderous emails circulating throughout our community and which is unacceptable on all levels and must stop.

We, the undersigned of this petition, demand better and demand all excuses and explanations stop. Moreover, we demand that our national board provide productive leadership or respectfully request they step aside in an effort to protect our beloved organization and the community as a whole.

Thus, we respectfully request that the National Board not only recognize our plea, but also implement the necessary safeguards to ensure professionalism, civility and integrity with the following actions:

• Submit an email to ADS members recognizing this specific petition within 30 days after this petition is published;
• Distribute an email to ADS members apologizing for the unprofessional and hostile actions of the past within 30 days after this petition is published;
• Draft and introduce a code of conduct for email etiquette for National Board Members, past and present, in addition to all ADS members. All members, regardless of leadership positions, should be held to the same standards of accountability. We ask that this code be drafted alongside an ADYA representative. This code should include ramifications for those who disobey the code and should be drafted by the December 1st 2015.

If these demands are not met in a timely manner, we will have no other option than to seek other methods to regain ownership of OUR American Druze Society, which include but are not limited to hosting town hall meetings, refusing to pay membership dues, and impeachment.