• Widespread Drone Usage: One of the most significant criticisms of Obama’s administration comes from his expansion of the drone strike program. Under Obama, drone strikes increased substantially in countries such as Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Afghanistan — all of which have significant Muslim populations.

• Civilian Casualties: While the program targeted terrorists, these strikes often resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism estimates that between 384 and 807 civilians were killed in drone strikes during Obama’s presidency, with many more injured. These deaths and injuries led to widespread resentment in Muslim-majority countries.

• Psychological Impact: Beyond physical damage, drone warfare caused a significant psychological toll on Muslim populations, as communities lived in constant fear of drone strikes, leading to trauma and disrupting daily life in the affected regions.

• Extrajudicial Killings: The Obama administration authorized the targeted killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen of Yemeni descent, in a drone strike. This raised ethical and legal questions about due process and set a precedent for the extrajudicial killing of Americans abroad, which could negatively affect Muslims’ sense of security.

• Libya: In 2011, Obama led an international coalition in a military intervention in Libya, which resulted in the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. While this was seen as a victory for some, it plunged the country into chaos, civil war, and instability. Libya, a Muslim-majority country, has since faced violence, human trafficking, and the rise of extremist groups like ISIS, leading to the suffering of millions of Libyan Muslims.

• Syria: Although Obama refrained from large-scale intervention in Syria’s civil war, his administration’s actions — including arming certain rebel groups — exacerbated the conflict without resolving it. This indecision contributed to the destruction of the country and a massive refugee crisis that primarily affected Muslim civilians.

• Afghanistan: Although Obama pledged to end the war in Afghanistan, his administration oversaw the longest U.S. military engagement in the country, with troop levels increasing during his first term. Despite eventually winding down U.S. involvement, his policies failed to bring stability to the region, contributing to continued violence that harmed the Muslim population.

• Iraq: While Obama did oversee the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in 2011, he also authorized military operations against ISIS, which resulted in further destabilization of the region. Civilians in Iraq, a majority-Muslim country, continued to suffer from both internal conflict and U.S. military involvement.

• Widespread Surveillance: Under Obama, programs that expanded the surveillance of Muslims in the U.S. and abroad were either maintained or expanded. For example, the National Security Agency’s (NSA) surveillance programs, including mass data collection, were used to monitor Muslim communities both domestically and internationally. This contributed to a climate of suspicion and fear among Muslims, especially after the Edward Snowden leaks revealed the extent of U.S. surveillance.

• Counterterrorism Measures: While Obama denounced Islamophobia, his administration still engaged in profiling of Muslim communities for counterterrorism purposes, particularly through programs like Countering Violent Extremism (CVE). Critics argue that CVE disproportionately targeted Muslims, treating the entire community as suspect, despite the fact that Muslims themselves were often the victims of terrorism.

• Failure to Close Guantanamo Bay: While Obama campaigned on a promise to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, where many Muslim detainees were held without trial, he ultimately failed to do so. Despite reducing the number of detainees, his administration continued to hold individuals indefinitely without due process, contributing to widespread anger among Muslims who viewed this as a violation of human rights.

• Force-Feeding and Torture: Detainees at Guantanamo, the vast majority of whom were Muslim, were subjected to harsh conditions, including force-feeding during hunger strikes and enduring torture during the early years of their detention. Obama’s failure to close the facility perpetuated these abuses, leaving a stain on his human rights record.

• Visa Waiver Restrictions: While Obama did not enact anything close to Trump’s travel ban, his administration did impose restrictions on the Visa Waiver Program in 2015. Citizens of countries participating in the program who had visited Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria after 2011 were no longer eligible for visa-free travel to the U.S. This impacted many Muslims, particularly those with dual nationalities, as it was perceived as a targeted restriction on travel from Muslim-majority countries.

• Increased Vetting for Muslim Travelers: During Obama’s tenure, certain security measures were implemented that made it harder for individuals from Muslim-majority countries to obtain visas, particularly those seeking asylum or refugee status. These measures were not as restrictive as Trump’s travel ban, but they did contribute to obstacles for Muslims traveling to the U.S.

• Support for Repressive Regimes: Obama’s administration continued U.S. alliances with authoritarian regimes in Muslim-majority countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Bahrain, despite their poor human rights records. In places like Egypt, where the Muslim Brotherhood was overthrown by a military coup, the U.S. did little to challenge the repressive regimes that followed. This was seen by many Muslims as tacit approval of oppressive governance in their home countries.

• Limited Refugee Acceptance: Although Obama increased the number of refugees admitted from war-torn regions like Syria, some argue that the U.S. response under his administration was insufficient given the scale of the crisis. For example, while millions of Syrian Muslims were displaced, the U.S. only accepted a fraction of them, despite being involved in the conflict through military operations.