As candidates for President go, which one could have more potential for Muslim support than Illinois senator Barack Obama? The telegenic son of a Kenyan Muslim father who was raised for a while in Muslim Indonesia, the liberal Obama is a tailor-made candidate for a post-modern, multicultural America that blends in a vague Muslim identity. But when Obama stated that he would send military troops into Pakistan to chase Bin Laden over that government's objections, much of the enthusiasm he generated among American Muslims withered away. Still, with a resurgent campaign led by his historic Iowa primary win and an absense of foreign policy gaffes since then, many are giving him another chance. If the male pundit savaging of Hillary Clinton can boost her support among women (as it did in New Hampshire), the ongoing Islam-tinged smearing of Obama by conservative pundits may give him a similar boost.

Related links:
Muslims for Barack Obama '08
Muslims for Obama page at barackobama.com
muslimsforobama.com
American Muslims for Obama (Facebook group)
Pakistanis Against Barack Obama (Facebook group)

SUPPORTS the defense of civil rights for Muslims - "In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans... have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging," remarked Obama. "I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."

OPPOSED Iraq war from the beginning - "I know that invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East and encourage the worst rather than best impulses in the Arab world and strengthen the recruitment arm of al Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars, I am opposed to dumb wars. I'm proud of the fact that I put forward a plan in January that mirrors what Congress ultimately adopted, and it says, there's no military solution to this. We've got to have a political solution, begin a phased withdrawal, and make certain that we've got benchmarks in place so that the Iraqi people can make a determination about how they want to move forward."

SUPPORTS engagement with controversial heads of state - "Now, I did not say that I would be meeting with all of them. I said I'd be willing to. Obviously, there is a difference between pre-conditions and preparation. Pre-conditions, which was what the question was in that debate, means that we won't meet with people unless they've already agreed to the very things that we expect to be meeting with them about. And obviously, when we say to Iran, "We won't meet with you until you've agreed to all the terms that we've laid out," from their perspective that's not a negotiation, that's not a meeting. You know, strong countries and strong presidents speak with their adversaries. I always think back to JFK's saying that we should never negotiate out of fear, but we shouldn't fear to negotiate."

SUPPORTS universal health care - "All of the major Democratic candidates are advocating some form of universal health care. The question is, how do we get there? My proposal says we will set up a government program similar to the one that I utilize as a member of Congress, that anybody who wants to can buy into, that we will subsidize those who can't afford it. We will pay for those subsidies by imposing a set of cost-saving measures that will actually improve quality at the same time that they lower costs. [We will use] health IT, information technologies, not just for billing but for maintaining medical records, for communicating between doctors and nurses and pharmacists. [We will] reduce errors and reduce bureaucracy."

SUPPORTS military aid to Israel - Israel is "our strongest ally in the region and its only established democracy," Obama said, assuring his audience that "we must preserve our total commitment to our unique defense relationship with Israel by fully funding military assistance and continuing work on the Arrow and related missile defense programs." Such advanced multi-billion dollar systems he asserted, would help Israel "deter missile attacks from as far as Tehran and as close as Gaza."

OPPOSES Israel separation barrier - "The creation of a wall dividing the two nations is yet another example of the neglect of this Administration in brokering peace," said Obama.

SUPPORTS restoration of habeas corpus - "If you were a Muslim overseas listening to Rudy Giuliani say "they are coming here to try to kill you," which is the tenor of many of the speeches that are delivered by Republicans, you would get an impression that they are not interested in talking and resolving issues peacefully. Now, what we need to do [to reach Muslims] is we need to close Guantanamo. We need to restore habeas corpus. We need to send a strong signal that we are going to talk directly to not just our friends but also to our enemies."

SUPPORTS strict labor agreements abroad - "I actually believe that China will modify its behavior if we actually are tough in our negotiations. Look, we are the biggest market for China. They can't afford to just say, "See ya later." They're going to have to sell here. And if we tell them you have to meet certain safety standards, that you have to enforce certain labor and environmental agreements, they will meet them. Now, could there potentially be some higher costs in the front end? Probably. But I guarantee you I don't meet a single worker in Iowa who's been laid off who says, "I wouldn't rather pay a little bit more for sneakers at Wal-Mart but still have a job."