alhamdulillah I see before me for
classes at say tuna college freshmen
sophomores juniors and seniors this is
not just your milestone this is a
milestone for American Muslims as a
collective national community
this place is a tuna college being here
this is a truly unique place to study
Islam in college because they tuna is
the only Islamic liberal arts college
what I'm excited to see is what a
critical engagement with the tradition
looks like Adam with some liberal arts
college you know I know what it looks
like in a secular setting I know what
and I know what critical in kato the
critical engagement is missing in a lot
of mosques so this is a tuna collar dis
place is not a place where American
Muslims are hiding from the world and
retreat this is a place where American
Muslims are being prepared to engage in
the world around them there are those
who actually think that this type of
education is a luxury and for those
people I would say it's not a luxury
it's a necessity and the reason that
it's a necessity is that people who live
in a community are multi-dimensional
they are moral agents their actions have
repercussions but there are also
intellectual beings their thoughts have
realities and then there are also
spiritual beings if people are not
trained to work with these three aspects
of the human being then what follows is
immense discord we've lost a sense of
what the purpose of a college is what
it's there to do a student now goes and
he's given a brochure that begins with
anthropology and ends with zoology and
he's told to pick his way there's no
direction we don't direct our youth
anymore and we wonder why the youth are
in such rebellion if you don't give
youth direction they lose their way they
need the direction of the shoe of the
elders our Prophet peace be upon him
said he's not among us who does not
respect the elders
and who does not have compassion for the
youth and this is what this education is
about it's about turning that heart
around some one of you out there is
going to work on the problem of
homelessness in Berkeley or in your
hometown city someone of you out there
is going to find a solution to a
pressing problem problems of addiction
problems of poverty you're not here just
to read books and learn the tradition
but to bring that tradition alive in the
world because what we're here for is
just one thing and that is to serve God
through working for the good of our
fellow human beings for in the end to be
a good Muslim is simply to be a good
human being and to serve humbly teach
humbly and struggle humbly in the world
at large not just our community the
world at large and I say and these are
the days of Martin Luther King 50 years
he was called a radical jesus was called
a radical moses was called a radical by
a pharaoh if you are for change expect
the status quo to call you for to call
you radical unless you want to sell a
car they'll give you a radical new card
or a shampoo a radical new shampoo or
address a radical new dress if you are
for the show then accept to be radical
in this but if you're for real serious
change and change begins in education
then be ready to be called radical and
radicalism in the face of vice and
injustice is a virtue I say to all of
the young beautiful seekers and whose
names we have gathered this evening who
have entrusted zaytuna college with
their future you are in a sense the
fulfillment of dr. King's dreams for you
sit
gather in the truest sense of the word
at the table of brotherhood and
sisterhood know as a nation we have not
created nor will we ever constitute a
perfect union however if you develop
your minds and cultivate and sharpen
your moral faculties in the four years
ahead of you if you can do that if you
dedicate yourself to a life of good you
can help if even in seemingly
imperceptible ways to help to move our
nation towards a future in fact our
world towards a future where hope will
still find a home in human hearts Ya
Allah Ya Allah Ya Allah we thank you for
the great blessings that we enjoy and we
pray that we can pass this heritage
rooted and faith rooted and community
rooted in love may we pass this trust on
two generations yet unborn
Oh