French president Nicholas Sarkozy is recently pushing for a ban on Muslim women wearing the Islamic veils, such as the burqa and the niqab, in the public. President Sarkozy explained that he is doing this in accordance to the country's principles and values, as well as supporting women's rights as it is often viewed in the West that women are made to look 'submissive' by wearing the veils. Despite stating his reasons clearly and also defending himself that he is not a racist, this will no doubt still incur the wrath of many Muslims living in France and around the world because religion has always been a thorny issue among people. In fact, I always think when religious issues are being concerned, friction will certainly occur due to the past history of wars occur mainly due to differences in religion.
Why are issues regarding religion always having the potential to cause conflicts among different groups of people? I believe that Francis Bacon's "four idols" can be used to apply in this situation to explain why when religious issues are discussed, it will inevitably upset a particular group of people, even though in some situation the speaker does not have the intention to do so. In "Idols of the Tribe", the emotions and feelings within people can control a person's mind and obstruct their path to logical and clear thinking. In this case, I believe that there will be many people who will easily submit to their own emotions and immediately condemn Sarkozy's intentions. In "Idols of the Cave", the personal background plays a big part in obstructing clear thinking. Many Muslims will feel upset over Sarkozy's backing, no matter how moderate they are, because of the upbringing and culture. Even the "Idols of the Marketplace" can be true here. The press may not have quoted his words exactly and misunderstandings can occur. Moreover, his comments are also translated into many languages to be read by viewers all over the world. Due to careless translations during the process, his comments may end up implying anti-Islamic sentiments in some other versions and will generate resentment.
Even though this scenario depicts a macro level involving a country's politics, various misunderstandings can equally happen as frequently on a micro level involving people that we meet in our everyday lives, especially when the issue being discussed is a particular sensitive one to some people. For instance, once my friends criticized my music playing and I succumbed to the "Idols of the Tribe" when I reacted very badly to their criticisms. Even though they could have been a little harsh in their criticisms, I was too angry to actually think about their criticisms in a clear and calm manner. Hence, I did not talk to them for several weeks before thinking logically and realizing that they were actually right and there were still many areas that I could improve upon in my music playing. On the other hand, "Idols of the Marketplace" can also be a cause here as my friends could have used the wrong words to describe their thoughts, and unintentionally hurt my feelings in the process.
In the article above, I feel that even the most moderate Muslims may feel offended by Sarkozy's backings as we are all human beings and we have emotions and thoughts within us. So, wee are always susceptible to falling into any of the "Idols" proposed by Francis Bacon. The President and the Parliament have much to convince the Muslims of their true intentions and hope that they could see things their way.
Have you ever had your own personal experiences when you succumb to any of Francis Bacons' "Idols" that caused some sort of misunderstandings or breakdown in communication between you and your friends?
