A/HRC/6/6 page 15 as opposed to the application of sharia law in the rest of the country, the recognition of Khartoum as a symbol of the Sudan’s diversity and, in particular, the establishment of a Commission for the Rights of Non-Muslims. However, the Special Rapporteur notes with concern the situation of Christians living in the North, who face continuous discrimination, including the prohibition to build new churches and the requirement for pupils to study Islam in schools. Christianophobia seems also to be an important factor in the Darfur tragedy which the Special Rapporteur intends to carefully follow up. D. Other forms of religion-based discrimination 51. The analysis of the different forms of defamation of religions needs to be complemented with the study of other incitements to hatred of the religious or spiritual practices of other ethnic or religious groups. In this regard, Hinduism, Buddhism, Amerindian religions, Afro-American and syncretistic religious and spiritual practices, African animist traditions as Voodoo and the religions of many tribes in South East Asia can be the subject of defamation in some particular contexts. 52. The Special Rapporteur has noted with concern the rise of defamation against Afro-American syncretistic religious and spiritual traditions in South American countries, notably Brazil (see E/CN.4/2006/16/Add.3). Its most serious expression is the widespread campaign demonizing Voodoo in general and in particular Candomblé in Brazil and Santeria in different countries of the continent, by powerful evangelical groups, mostly from the United States of America. These groups combine an active policy against poverty with aggressive proselytism and the use of all multimedia tools, like Internet, television, radio and free publications. The rhetoric, language, images and arguments reproduce the historic characterization of non-European religions and spiritual traditions by the ideologues of the colonization era. They are articulated around the alleged lack of rationality, inhumanity and barbarism of these religions. These campaigns of demonization - profoundly resented by many communities of African descent as reminiscent of the historic discourse of racism and discrimination - are not only nourishing forms of Christianophobia but polarizing communities along ethnic lines. 53. Given the limitations of the present study, the Special Rapporteur will not be analysing each one of these forms of defamation, but will briefly refer to expressions of discrimination against Hinduism, given their frequency and the level of violence that they are reaching. 54. In the analysis of the defamation of Hinduism, prejudices leading to the reduction of a millenary spiritual practice to stereotypes and the identification of Hinduism with the caste system have to be taken into consideration. Regarding the latter, it is important to bear in mind that a number of Hindu analysts argue that the caste-based discrimination is a cultural characteristic of the subcontinent and has also been practised by some Muslim, Buddhist and even Christian believers. Furthermore, some neo-Hindu reformist trends of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have considered the elimination of the caste-based system. But despite the reality of the political and legal strategy against the caste-based system, the marginalization, discrimination and continuous violence against Dalits is still a daily occurrence in some parts of India, in particular in the rural areas.