A/HRC/6/4 page 4 II. ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN BY HUMAN RIGHTS MECHANISMS A. Special procedures of the Human Rights Council 7. Since March 2007, several special procedures mandate-holders have engaged in the debate surrounding defamation of religions, dialogue amongst civilizations as well as ethnic and religious profiling in a variety of contexts. They have participated in seminars and debates, they have contributed to initiatives examining these issues, and they have undertaken thematic analyses of these topics during their country missions and in their most recent reports. 8. The Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance will present a report on “Manifestations of defamation of religions and in particular on the serious implications of Islamophobia on the enjoyment of all rights” to the sixth session of the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/6/6). In this report, the Special Rapporteur analyses the underlying context of “defamation of religions”, new expressions of defamation - including attacks against religious symbols - particularly in the aftermath of the attacks of 11 September 2001. He suggests that one should not establish a hierarchy and prioritization among different forms of defamation but rather focus on the universality of strategies to overcome this problem. The Special Rapporteur argues that ultimately, efforts to fight defamation have to be based on basic strategies to promote tolerance and intercultural dialogue that lead to an acceptance of multiculturalism. 9. The Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance participated in a panel discussion on the “analysis of racial profiling” that took place during the sixth session of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent. He highlighted the importance of approaching racial, ethnic and religious profiling from a universalistic perspective, while also taking into account the new nature of profiling in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, with a superimposition of ethnic and religious identities. 10. From 4 to 5 June 2007, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance also participated in the “Global Inter-Media Dialogue” in Oslo, a joint initiative organized annually by the Governments of Indonesia and Norway as a response to the controversies concerning the issue of the cartoons of Prophet Muhammad that appeared in a Danish newspaper. In his intervention, the Special Rapporteur recommended a more profound discussion on the multicultural dynamics of the European societies. He also highlighted the importance to place the resurgence of violent manifestations of racism and xenophobia in the context of the trivialization and political instrumentalization of racism. 11. From 7 to 8 June 2007, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance also participated in a seminar organized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Bucharest on “Combating discrimination and promoting mutual respect and understanding”. The Special Rapporteur raised the issue of the resurgence of Christianophobia, mentioning various cases of discrimination against Christian communities in various regions of the world.