Take your partners...

Let's see who is paired up.

The extreme left sees "oppressed" Islamic faith groups, packed full of immigrants from countries crushed by the West.  Of darker skin, the groups are the target of racists.  They must comfort and protect them.  They forgive these group's cultural excesses.  These are understandable side-effects of circumstance.  Their culture must, instead, be preserved.  It is all they have.  It is their identity. They are allies against the empire-building white Christian capitalists. The beliefs of the faith group are everything they hate - inequality for women, repression of gays - but there have to be sacrifices for the greater good, the historic victory against Western imperialism.

The extreme right sees strange Islamic cultures acted out by brown skins, fueling their hatred for difference.  No longer able to argue based on skin colour, they seek out some other way to mark the brown skins another way, and find religion.  The beliefs of the faith group are everything they admire - inequality for women, repression of gays - but there have to be sacrifices for the greater good, the historic victory against the dilution of race and culture.

And so the dance begins, in a hall of mirrors.  We see different aspects of each side, briefly.  One side is supporting conflict.  One side gives platforms for those who oppose gay rights.  One side supports faith.  Which side is it?  Who can see. 

Others join the dance.  A new voice says "all Muslims must share collective responsibility for the actions to the few".  Who says that?  Is it liberal atheists trying to highlight a culture of repression?" Or is it the far right, positioning some atheists as "Useful Idiots" whose anger can be harnessed to rouse the masses?  It is hard to see, as all is reflected and distorted. 

New dances start, around the same Islamic groups.  One such group has rules about clothing.  The exposure of women's faces is controlled (the burqa).  Opposing that is a group of 'liberals' who wants to introduce rules about clothing.  The exposure of women's faces is controlled (no burqas).  Another group wants to migrate to Western countries to encourage dissent, using Muslims for a war against the West.  No, they aren't the same as the far left, who want to encourage dissent and use Muslims for a war against the West.  They certainly aren't the same as those who want to ban all Muslim immigration, using Muslims in a battle against other Muslims.  There are those who declare the true meaning of Islam, and declare others to be traitors.  Are these Imams?  No, this time it is some atheists, who want a clear target to aim at.  It may seem confusing about who is whom.  That is not surprising.  It is a strange dance.  

Standing aside from the dance are those who see past the groups, past the cultures, past the skin colour and religions, through to the individuals.  Treat people as people and there is no dance, no compromise.  There is the conflict of ideas, not of people.

Watch out for the dances.  It is quite easy to see once you get used to the signs.