I had a dream.

"I had a dream" the famous words of Martin Luther King in which he enrolled the nation and mankind in general to resist the impasse when people who are presented with a face dissimilar to there own, judge them differently to how they would judge their own.

His words were a ringing indictment on the American social disharmony between Black and White, a society which had only recently got rid of slavery and which still struggled to come to terms and address its prejudice.

Of course prejudice lies within most of us and it's not only the majority that are prejudiced towards a minority but opinions and beliefs are strongly held on both sides. Its this struggle to ensure your prejudice is not subsumed by another which makes rational dialogue very difficult. 

Values and religious persuasion hold strong ties in all communities and when communities clash its to find a place already occupied. The push and shove which takes place only heightens the prejudice and resentment.

Leaders of appeasement seem to ignore the political and religious dimension and call for understanding and reconciliation in the "hope" that the common man will learn to morph into some 'new construct' better suited to the changing dynamic. Old values are to be put to one side, if not discarded altogether as if they had no previous substance or relevance.

The disaster which is the war torn Middle East has seen the mass exodus of people to Europe each with their own construct of normality, each needy of something resembling what they know and cherish. How can this multicultural diaspora be managed if the needs and values are so wide apart. 

Of course there are many areas of commonality. The need for safety, the need for work to buy food and shelter, the need for education these are common. Even the things which have little in common can bring a new perspective to the indigenous population. The explosion of foreign food is a feature of our high street and much welcomed but the ruthless use of weapons and the rise of racially defined Gang culture is not.

In a society which had laid aside much of the fervour derived from religion we are extremely cautious about the near messianic obsession with a faith that until recently was relatively unknown in this country. The fear that placing your every minute in the hands of a religious entity when, other than the psychological comfort derived from believing in a benign father figure can lead to a countervailing force within the social structure you are keen to preserve.

The historical footing on which these Monotheist religions are based has become more and more reliant on faith rather than historical reality and there is no counter to the the subjective intolerance towards people who do not follow your God, since religious prejudice has no end.