Terms of Service

1. About ABSA Network

ABSA Network is a community organization supporting Shi'a Muslim students across university and high school chapters in the United States and Canada. Our Services include a public website, a member portal/mobile application, chapter directories, event management, communication tools, and educational resources.

2. Eligibility and Accounts

2.1 Eligibility

You may use our Services if you are a student, alumnus, professional, or community member affiliated with or interested in ABSA Network's mission. Some chapters include high school students who are minors; if you are under the age of 18, you should review these Terms with a parent or guardian, who should also agree to these Terms on your behalf where required.

2.2 Account Registration

To access certain features, you must create an account using accurate and complete information. You are responsible for:

• Maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials
• All activity that occurs under your account
• Notifying us promptly of any unauthorized use of your account

2.3 Chapter Affiliation

Upon registration, you will select a chapter (university or region) to affiliate with. Your chapter affiliation determines which content, channels, and features are visible to you. You may update your chapter affiliation through your account settings.

2.4 Account Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account if you violate these Terms, engage in conduct harmful to other users or to ABSA Network, or for any other reason at our reasonable discretion. You may also delete your account at any time as described in our Privacy Policy.

3. Acceptable Use

When using our Services, you agree NOT to:

• Post or share content that is unlawful, harassing, defamatory, hateful, discriminatory, or sexually explicit
• Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with ABSA Network or any chapter
• Use the Services to bully, harass, or intimidate other users
• Share another person's private information without their consent
• Upload viruses, malware, or other malicious code
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Services, other users' accounts, or our systems
• Use automated means (bots, scrapers) to access the Services without our permission
• Use the Services for any commercial purpose not authorized by ABSA Network
• Violate any applicable local, state, provincial, national, or international law

We reserve the right to remove content and/or suspend accounts that violate these guidelines, with or without notice.

4. Chapter Roles and Responsibilities

Some users hold elevated roles within their chapter (e.g., president, vice president, treasurer, secretary) or at the network level (e.g., regional leader, administrator). If you hold such a role:

• You may have access to additional information about chapter members, including attendance, membership lists, and communications, in order to fulfill your responsibilities
• You agree to handle this information responsibly and in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable law
• Access to these elevated roles and permissions may be granted or revoked by ABSA Network administrators at their discretion

5. User-Generated Content

5.1 Your Content

You retain ownership of content you submit, post, or share through our Services (e.g., messages, testimonials, event reports, profile information) ("User Content"). By submitting User Content, you grant ABSA Network a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, display, reproduce, and distribute that content in connection with operating and promoting our Services (for example, featuring a testimonial on our website or social media).

5.2 Content Standards

You are solely responsible for your User Content and represent that you have all necessary rights to share it. We reserve the right, but are not obligated, to review, monitor, or remove User Content that we believe violates these Terms.

6. Events, RSVPs, and Attendance

Our Services allow you to view and RSVP to events, and chapter leaders may use attendance/check-in features to track participation (e.g., for the "Spirit Cup" or similar chapter engagement programs). RSVP status and attendance records may be visible to relevant chapter leaders for event planning and chapter management purposes.

ABSA Network is not responsible for the conduct of third parties at events, for events organized independently by chapters, or for changes/cancellations to event schedules.

7. Donations and Payments

If you make a donation or purchase (e.g., merchandise) through our Services, you will be directed to a third-party payment processor. Your payment information is collected and processed by that third party in accordance with their terms and privacy policy — ABSA Network does not store your full payment card details.

Donations are generally non-refundable except as required by law or at ABSA Network's discretion.

8. Third-Party Links and Services

Our Services may contain links to third-party websites, services, or content (e.g., partner organizations, social media, podcasts, external forms). We do not endorse and are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or terms of these third parties. Your interactions with third-party services are governed by their own terms.

9. Intellectual Property

The ABSA Network name, logo, branding, and original content on our Services (excluding User Content and third-party content) are the property of ABSA Network and may not be used without our prior written permission, except as necessary to use the Services as intended.

10. Disclaimers

Our Services are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

We do not guarantee that:

• The Services will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free
• Information provided through the Services (including event details, chapter information, or resources) is complete, accurate, or current at all times
• Any defects will be corrected

11. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, ABSA Network and its volunteers, staff, board members, and affiliated organizations (including Al-Kisa Foundation) will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of, or inability to use, the Services — even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Nothing in these Terms limits liability for matters that cannot be limited under applicable law.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless ABSA Network, its volunteers, staff, and affiliated organizations from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your violation of these Terms or your use of the Services.

13. Changes to the Services or Terms

We may modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Services at any time. We may also update these Terms from time to time; the updated version will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

14. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which ABSA Network is organized, without regard to conflict of law principles, except where applicable law requires otherwise (for example, certain consumer protections for users in Canada or specific U.S. states).

15. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us at:

ABSA Network
Email: missiondirector@absanetwork.com