I have my own thoughts about all the excitement over Obama’s latest actions, but insha’Allah will keep it for another time if/when I can compile those thoughts coherently… in the meantime, iMuslim summed up my feelings perfectly.

after saying all that.. I do believe we should thank him for the order.. it was much needed

masha Allah a positive step! Jazak Allahu khairan for sharing.

UPDATE: Let’s emphasize what Obama is actually saying about why he can’t close Guantanamo right away. Here is his answer when asked if he’d close Guantanamo in the first 100 days:

It is more difficult than I think a lot of people realize and we are going to get it done but part of the challenge that you have is that you have a bunch of folks that have been detained, many of whom who may be very dangerous who have not been put on trial or have not gone through some adjudication. And some of the evidence against them may be tainted even though it’s true. And so how to balance creating a process that adheres to rule of law, habeas corpus, basic principles of Anglo American legal system, by doing it in a way that doesn’t result in releasing people who are intent on blowing us up.

What he’s saying is quite clear. There are detainees who the U.S. may not be able to convict in a court of law. Why not? Because the evidence that we believe establishes their guilt was obtained by torture, and it is therefore likely inadmissible in our courts (torture-obtained evidence is inadmissible in all courts in the civilized world; one might say it’s a defining attribute of being civilized). But Obama wants to detain them anyway — even though we can’t convict them of anything in our courts of law. So before he can close Guantanamo, he wants a new, special court to be created — presumably by an act of Congress — where evidence obtained by torture (confessions and the like) can be used to justify someone’s detention and where, presumably, other safeguards are abolished. That’s what he means when he refers to “creating a process.”
Amazingly, when discussing the same topic, Obama vowed that “we will send a message to the world that we are serious about our values.” How? By creating a new court just for accused Islamic radicals that allows us to use confessions and other evidence that we obtained through torture? That sounds like exactly the same “message about our values” that we’ve been sending.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwa…1/11/centrism/
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kewl! everyone I encourage you to thank him plz! even if you are not so sure about him or have doubts.. because he is getting alot of pressure and hard talk from people who oppose what he did.. and obama seems to be someone who works under influence.. so I reallly encourage all to take the action alert CAIR has asked and thank him.

also there is a new article on msn news about how ‘obama abruptly ended the ‘war on terror’ chek it out

On another note, has anyone (Amad etc) looked into getting this more attention: http://citizensbriefingbook.change.gov/ideas/viewIdea.apexp?id=087800000004lmt&srPos=1&srKp=087&srS

They need to decide where to put the inmates, before and possibly after trial. Marine Corps Vet Murtha says they can put GITMO prisoners in his district (my own note: It’s FREEZING up here! how unfair that they’re all in sunny Cuba! — just a bit of humor, not to trivialize their suffering, which has been undue and extreme)

I think many people are missing the big picture and gettting caught up in the burecratic jargon. Yes, Obama is closing Guantanmo. However, understand that the U.S. will replace that with another facilitly, perhaps even on American soil. I was speaking to my international realtions professor and she shared the same sentiment. The reality is that the main difference between Obama and Bush with deference to Gitmo is that the former wishes to eradicate it and replace it with something which will be very similar (if not exactly the same or even worse) in most respects.

I for one i am very optimistic about Obama – it’s not going to be all fruit and roses because as president he also has the responsibility to defend the country and to me there is no denying that some of the people who at Guantanamo were involved in actions against the US and some of them have gone back to Al Qaida (albeit not that many as republicans would make us believe).
On israel and Palestine, i am pretty sure you are going to see some changes compared to Bush but do not fool yourselves if you think America’s relationship to Israel is going to change. Israel is like the 51st state and all the suppor the US gives it will continue because without a doubt, it is the biggest ally of the US in the region and strategically that region is very important to the US because of its oil. For me i say fine, take the oil but stop killing people – and i assign responsibility to organizations that put their civilians at risk too (i’m sure you know whom i’m talking about).
So yeah, there will be not that many changes when it comes to Israel but there will be some – for complete change the muslims have to wait until there is a new superpower but who knows by then Israel will be allied to that superpower too.

One of the problem with the positive argument is that people start taking a liad back approach, and stop fighting for injustice. We need to ask questions such as what does Obama mean by creating a process as he mentioned on ABC with Stephnoplous. As for the significant differences arguments, please go ask experts in international realtion if they see the steps taken thus far to be different. I have and they all agree that they are analgous.

Obama’s gift to Pakistan, please thank him for that as well:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/01/23/pakistan.missile/index.html

Dismissing my points as typical anti-political Muslim rhetoric will do you no good here akhi. I was heavily involved in Illinois politics and did work for Obama’s SENATE campaign.

Your article is not entitled “thank Obama for closing secret prisons”, it’s titled “thank President Obama for closing Guantanamo”.

Such an action is not worthy of praise because it would have been done by any of those who were running for President except two crazies.

I cautiously clap my hand ONCE for him closing secret prisions, but that’s where it ends.

MSNBC and Muslim politicians are already doing more than enough praise for Obama on this issue.

I’m sure an article discussing the implications of the missile strike in Pakistan would be more informational for us.

Either way, jazakullah khair for the artice.
Asim

I hope Obama stands up to the expectation – the expectation of being better than Bush at least.

But I don’t think this can be understood without a period of observation. Comparing his action in day 1, day 2 is being hasty. Some diplomatic steps do not say much. I am sure we find many good things Bush did in his first week at office, if not in first month.

I believe both the sides – Obama optimists and Obama sceptics should be careful in how they analyze things so that they do not take things to extreme. Obama optimists should not take every normal dimplomatic good gestures of Obama to mean that he is the new super-hero. The Obama sceptics on the other side, should not take every Islam-unfriendly decisions of Obama to shove it down others’ throats to say “see I told you!”

We expect Obama to be much better than Bush inshaAllah. But he is not a savior, he still is a non-muslim who cares little about islamic cause. May Allah guide him to islam

Both sides of the argument have a point, but I say lets just wait and see, because time will definitely tell.

“wow I have lost all sense of grammar…”
LOL, I agree! I have lost that sense a long time ago…

This reminds me of an old Chris Rock comedy show where he mentions fathers who brag because, “I take care of my kids,” and he’s like, “What!??! You supposed to take care a yo kids! What do you want, a cracker!?”

Yeah, same thing here, he’s not done something that shouldn’t have already been done. I know there are a lot of politically-oriented brothers who are just waiting for any greenlight to jump on the Obama bandwagon, but just as when you were relieved when Bush took over from liberal-sanction-iraq-Bill-Clinton, I’d say wait for the first term to end before you start heaping praise on him. You make it too easy.

Siraaj

Thank you for a good act in the right direction.

I think Obama’s first week is as good as it can get. Don’t expect someone to become the president of America and make a 360 degree turn.
At least he brought balance into the equation.
The best part is he encouraged humanitarian help to Gaza.
A very big step.
Have patience.

Aslamu–alaikum:
Correct me if I am wrong, maybe i am just clueless, but i thought we are suppose to show gratitude if we have gone from bad to a better situation. I guess men are SUPPOSE to be the breadwinners, so lets not acknowledge any thanks to them. HEY THATS THEIR DUTY ANYWAY. NO NEED TO BE THANKFUL.

SIRAJ, your argument is faulty. NOTICE i said your ARGUMENT is faulty and not YOU.
salam

Good news indeed!! :)

I think part of our problem is we are unrealistic. We have all or none. Remember, “Either you are with us or against us?” That was said by a loser. I remember from my childhood the tale of a dog trying to cross a stream with a piece of bread. Half way through the crossing, he glanced down and saw reflected, in the water, a dog with a piece of bread in his mouth. The dog wanted them both, so, he attacked the dog reflected in the stream. He lost both pieces of bread.
May Allah grant Jannah to those who died in Pakistan and compensate people for the loss of property. While, as a Pakistani, I am not excited about the attacks on Pakistan, I think it is hikmah to still express the genuine appreciation I feel by the closing of Guantanamo. The closing of Guantanamo, and the end of war in Iraq will benefit the Ummah in general. While, if they bomb Peshawar, I will perhaps lose a few dozen close relatives. I am prepared to suffer that small loss if in the end, the actions of President Obama benefit the Ummah in its totality.

There is no comparison between the falling of a few bombs or the loss of a few lives to the impending horror of any and all Muslim men (and women) becoming candidates for concentration camps. Of warrentless arrests and secret evidence and fly-by night rendition.
This is a huge first step, and we should register our positive feedback with those who have reversed the tide.

I totally support President Obama in his actions to turn the tide of terror against Muslims. I also appreciate that he is doing so, inspite of having been ‘demonized’ as a ‘Muslim’ and having ties with terrorists himself. I think it took a great deal of courage and confidence and valor on his part to do so.

I am doing this in the Sunnah of Salahuddin Ayyubi, who appreciated the valor of Richard the Lion Hearted, who attacked Salahuddin’s army to take Jerusalem away from him. Yet, Salahuddin, may Allah rest him in peace, sent out his own physician when Richard was ailing.
It is our duty to send out the message of love, peace and goodwill, even on the battlefield. For that is true Islam.

Lets ask these few dozen people if they are willing to lose their lives before we sacrifice them, because if that is a small loss to you, it is a much bigger loss to them, the people who are actually dying! How would you like it if someone said they are willing to lose YOU to benefit the Ummah? One might be willing to sacrifice him/herself for the benefit of the Ummah, but NO one likes it when they are sacrificed by some one else without being asked.

I agree with that. I should have worded it better.

dude people quit getting annoying:) just thank the president! maybe the man will be shocked and awwed by so many thanks that might get it in heart to go about doing the right thing!!!!!

Insha’Allaah we’ll see justice for this: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=6750266&page=1

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/02/20/afghan.detainees/index.html

More to thank Obama for – seeing the wisdom in President Bush’s policies!

Siraaj