"I have always kept an open mind, which is necessary to the flexibility that must go hand in hand with every form of intelligent search for truth.”

from The Autobiography
of Malcolm X

My faith in the work this college does was re-affirmed after the tragedies in September, when I fully expected I would experience some of the hostilities Muslims all over America were facing. Wabash challenged my pessimism by embracing its Muslim population and we came together as brothers and sisters. Furthermore, this community was open-minded enough to want to hear the Muslim perspective. That is the essence of the liberal arts education in practice.

Magazine
Summer/Fall 2002

Thinking Critically
with an Open Mind


2002 Commencement Speech
by Usman Tahir ’02

Before I begin my speech today, I would like to thank those of you who I talked to concerning the Wabash experience. When writing a speech like this, it is often hard to put the myriad of retrospective thoughts into a particular focus. Each of us has a unique experience and feeling about Wabash and the challenge it to integrate these thoughts into a coherent and meaningful speech.

I want to begin my speech by reading you an excerpt from one of my favorite books of all time (Those of you who have or taught Cultures and Traditions might be able to identify it if you were awake in class).

“You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to re-arrange much of my thought patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my firm convictions, I have been always a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life, as new experience and new knowledge unfolds it. I have always kept an open mind, which is necessary to the flexibility that must go hand in hand with every form of intelligent search for truth.”

This passage really encapsulates what Wabash and its dedication to a liberal arts education stands for. The excerpt comes from The Autobiography of Malcolm X, which is one of the books that has transformed the way I approach life and perceive the world around me. Though I had read that same passage many times before, I did not understand the importance of this passage and its relationship to the goals of a liberal arts education until I heard Professor Peter Frederick of the History Department explain it to me one evening. I remember him telling me that the essence of a liberal arts education has its foundations in well-reasoned questioning and the openness of the mind. Wabash, as a manifestation of the liberal arts education, fosters independent thinking and the search for one’s individual truth. To me, Malcolm is the epitome of what being a Wabash adult stands for. His hard woo and his undying dedication to discovering the truths and realities of life are the same principles this College instills in its students. Malcolm’s openness and receptiveness to new ideas also closely parallels the goals of this academic institution. Caleb Mills, himself, declared the aims of the college to be learning, virtue, and service. A close reading of Malcolm’s autobiography will reveal that, despite differences in political ideologies, he was in tune with the same principles Wabash values and strives for. His tireless quest to expose the harsh realities facing his people went largely unnoticed and unappreciated until well after his death. In fact, surprisingly less than 5% of African-Americans just before and at the time of his death in 1965, recognized Malcolm X as an effective and legitimate leader of Civil Rights, or what he called human rights. Yet in his life, Malcolm continued on with his service to humanity and his dedication to learning and critical thinking. He was a voracious reader and never stopped reassessing his beliefs with well-reasoned criticism and knowledge. This mentality often caused him to destroy his previous assumptions and replace them with stronger ideas. Malcolm’s life was a struggle in grappling with emerging ideas, much like the Wabash experience has been for myself and others who have endured the challenges this academic institution poses.

IN MY OWN EXPERIENCE HERE AT WABASH, I too, like many others, have been forced to reassess the principles that I have grown up with. As a child, I was raised with traditional Islamic values. Although my family may be considered relatively progressive, the values instilled in me derived from classical Islam, that is, from the Muslim holy book, the Qur’an, and the sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad. My family supplemented this education with books instilling pride and notions of Muslim identity in me. I remained largely unchallenged in my beliefs until I came to Wabash. It was here at this academic institution that I began to thinking critically about the suppositions I had taken to be truth. Professors, like Lori Pierce, Peter Frederick, and John Aden, challenged me to re-assess my previous notions not only of my Muslim identity but also as a male in this society. I was forced to critically analyze principles I had hitherto taken to be the truth. I found inconsistencies in my previous notions and have sought to reconcile these issues. It is a process that is still underway, but I still consider myself a Muslim. It is a struggle to reconcile my identity as a Muslim with a new understanding of the world and its present institutions. By critically analyzing my beliefs, I have made myself stronger in my faith and my identity.

Thinking critically about oneself can be a jarring experience because it challenges us to remove ourselves from an environment which we are normally accustomed to. In the formulation of our beliefs, we grow comfortable and are less apt, sometimes, to challenge these ideas because it is convenient to leave them where they are. Many of us are more likely to criticize others because this has an effect of reaffirming our beliefs at their expense. But we should not fear self-criticism; it is a basic tenet of our democracy and it is an aspect that separates “free” societies from oppressive ones. Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, and WEB DuBois were all leaders who espoused the idea that criticism is the highest form of patriotism. To be self-critical is to be honest with one’s self. This means that we should examine the positive aspects of our subjects but also seek out the negative with equal resolution.

At this time, I would like to recall Wabash’s mission statement: “Wabash College educates men to think critically, act responsibly, lead effectively, and live humanely.” While many of us go through Wabash challenged, there are some whose previous beliefs are simply re-confirmed. These students go through college without being challenged and without critical thinking skills. We should take it upon ourselves, as we encourage others to attend Wabash, to promote ideas of open-mindedness and freedom of thought, be it self-criticism or otherwise. My message extends not only to graduates but also to faculty, for I have encountered some professors here who are so entrenched in their beliefs that they seek to undermine differing perspectives. These professors, though few in number, do a disservice not only to themselves but to their students, who should be encouraged to experiment with ideas they may not agree with. I also encourage this administration to also think critically and ask questions like whether silence or inactivity on a particular issue on campus is in the best interests of the students and the College.

As Wabash students and present-day graduates we should not shy away from reassessing our Wabash traditions and principles. We should ask ourselves questions like what does being in a single-sex institution do to us, as males in this society? We should challenge and criticize our beloved institution with questions seeking to understand the wide range of effects on the students who attend Wabash College. We should not feel threatened by alternative perspectives but we should welcome these ideas, if not for their apparent value, then for their existence as it contributes to obtaining a liberal arts education. I am reminded at this time of a quote by Enlightenment thinker Immanual Kant who said,
“Ours is an age of criticism, to which everything must be subjected. The sacredness of religion, and the authority of legislation, are by many regarded as grounds for exemption from the examination by this tribunal. But, if they are exempted, they cannot lay claim to sincere respect, which reason accords only to that which has stood the test of a free and public examination.”

Throughout my struggles here at Wabash, as a minority and dealing with my own questions about identity, I know the Wabash liberal arts education has given me a lot of insight and wisdom. This college is special because it spares nothing in the pursuit of knowledge. The learning does not end in the classroom. When one truly experiences Wabash, he learns about life and how to survive in an ever-changing world. The professors here are interested in making students free thinking adults. This is an important aspect of this school considering America is in a transition period, in terms of her thinking about her position in the world. Great changes in the world have occurred since September 11. We, as Wabash graduates have to meet those challenges and I believe we are equipped to do so with our liberal arts education; it teaches us to critically analyze the institutions we live in. My faith in the work this college does was re-affirmed after the tragedies in September, when I fully expected I would experience some of the hostilities Muslims all over America were facing. Wabash challenged my pessimism by embracing its Muslim population and we came together as brothers and sisters. Furthermore, this community was open-minded enough to want to hear the Muslim perspective. That is the essence of the liberal arts education in practice.

I also praise the fact that his institution is free and comfortable enough with is foundations to allow a speech like mine to be given. This is a testament to how truly committed Wabash is to the liberal arts. The questions I have posted today are meant to be discussed and examined in different forums. Today we should celebrate the fact that we have struggled and triumphed in the admirable pursuit of attaining knowledge. It is a noble goal Wabash achieves every time the President rings out the graduating class for the last time in our college years.

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