Quran questions: 'They hate us because we don't know why they hate us'

Writing about the motivation of Islamist radicals, American comedian Bill Maher once opined, "They hate us because we don't know why they hate us." 

Same Jihad v. McWorld themes, different day, year, decade.

From FP Morning Brief:

Afghans protested for a third day against the burning of the Quran and other religious material at Bagram Airfield, the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan. Crowds turned violent in parts of the country, sparking clashes that left seven dead and many injured.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai issued a statement imploring protesters not to resort to violence, and called a meeting with both houses of Parliament. Some members of Parliament have called on Afghans to take up arms against the U.S. military in response to the incident.

The Taliban have also tried to use the Quran burning issue to rally support for their insurgency against the American presence. The group issued a statement calling on Afghans to attack U.S. military bases and American soldiers in order to "give a kind of lesson to them that they never dare to insult the holy Quran."

The Karzai government has used this episode to renew its demand that the large U.S.-run prison next to Bagram Airfield be handed over to Afghan control. U.S. officials so far refused, saying that the Afghan government lacks the capacity to run the site.

On Thursday, President Obama apologized to President Karzai, a move that was riduculed as weak by the GOP front-runners hoping to become the next Commander-in-Chief.

Questions on Hater Friday in the Jihad v. McWorld.

Should the President have apologized? Will it do any good? Is this cleavage of cultures just inevitable.