A/HRC/9/7 page 8 Egypt [Original: Arabic] 21. Freedom of religion and respect for religions are integral to Egyptian society and are guaranteed by law. This vision is enshrined in the 1971 Constitution, which protects freedom of belief and religious practice and prohibits discrimination of citizens on the basis of religion or belief. Article 40 of the Constitution stipulates the equal rights and duties of citizens before the law, without distinction of race, sex, origin, language or religion or belief; under article 46, the State has the duty to ensure freedom of belief and religious practice. To secure religious freedom and respect religious teachings, matters of personal status such as marriage and divorce and their implications are governed by the religious regulations of the concerned parties. 22. Freedom of religion is protected in several provisions in the penal code, which criminalize disrespect for and contempt of religion. Article 98 of the penal code imposes a penalty of imprisonment or a fine for acts that are deemed to exploit religion in order to promote “extremist thinking with the aim of creating discord, contempt and disrespect for one of the ‘heavenly religions’ and damage national unity and social peace”. Article 160 penalizes the destruction, vandalization or desecration of religious buildings, sites and symbols, cemeteries and graves, as well as the hindering of religious ceremony. Article 161 makes it a criminal offence to print and publish deliberately distorted texts of religious materials for State-approved religions, or to mock and ridicule religious ceremonies in public. Iran (Islamic Republic of) [Original: English] 23. The Islamic Republic of Iran noted an increase in incidents of intolerance and discrimination against Muslims and insults against Islam which, in its view, have become pervasive and are often condoned in certain countries and communities. The “conflation of race, culture and religion” and the fight against terrorism are among the factors that “provide fertile soil for the defamation of religions”. To confirm this trend, the Government cites the report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance (A/HRC/6/6), who stated that the increasing trend in defamation of religions could not be dissociated from a profound reflection on the ominous trends of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. The Government submitted that freedom of expression could not be used as a pretext or excuse for incitement to racial or religious hatred. It also decried the intellectual justification of insults against Islam, which are sometimes endorsed in political platforms, and the indifference of Governments and other authorities to these actions. 24. The Islamic Republic of Iran asserts that intolerance and discrimination on the basis of religion are inconsistent with the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations and relevant General Assembly resolutions3 all of which seek to promote peaceful coexistence among nations. 3 The Government referred specifically to resolutions 62/154 on combating defamation of religions and 55/23 on the Year of Dialogue among Civilizations, as well as Security Council resolution 1624 (2005).