Why do muslims hate us?

In yesterday’s debate, an interesting question was asked to John Edwards:

Now, I know and take for granted, having heard you before, that you respect Islam. But could you take a minute to tell us what you know about the practice of Islam that would reassure Muslims throughout the world who will be listening to you that President Edwards understands their religion and how you might use that knowledge to avoid a confrontation, which […] might indeed end up sending sons and daughters from New Hampshire to war.

His reply was, frankly, a masterclass in saying nothing. It effectively went:

1. I’ve been to Muslim countries and talked to their leaders.
2. I don’t know much about Islam, but I respect that faith.
3. Lots of muslims are poor, and I think that’s one of the reasons why they hate us.
4. Nonetheless, we can still convince them that we’re not evil, if we can somehow talk to them directly.

The followup - “Do you think that we suffer and will suffer at the policy level because we do not know enough about the practice of Islam?” - was ignored:

5. We speak to muslim leaders.
6. We don’t speak to the population, and they don’t like us.
7. Pakistani religious schools are bad.

Or, even shorter:

Journo: Muslims are listening to you. They want to know that you understand them. What will you say to them? Edwards: I don’t know much about Islam, but we should be telling them that we’re not evil. We’re not doing that, and that’s wrong.

Edwards could have done far better than this. He could have pointed out that democracies such as the US have a tradition of welcoming minorities, even religious minorities. He could have mentioned the bitter tragedy that constant war between neighbours - in Europe between Poitiers in 732 and the Spanish reconquest in 1492, the Crusades in the Middle East, and constant jostling in the Balkans between Central European and Ottoman powers - had pitted one Abrahamic religion against another. He could have steadfastly refused to equate muslims with terrorists, noting that while the September 11th bombers were Muslims, the Oklahoma bomber and the Unibomber were Christians. He could have reminded us that Islam is not, in terms of the moral doctrine it seeks to teach, particularly different from Christianity, that it also believes that Jesus Christ was a prophet of God.

In such ways are opportunities lost, because those running for President have neither the inclination, nor possibly the capability, to answer a question the way it deserves to be answered.