A/HRC/9/12 page 12 31. The Special Rapporteur has observed that the systematic equation of anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism has the effect of making it more difficult to combat anti-Semitism. The equation of a political ideology, Zionism, with a form of racism reinforces the essentialist and reductive vision characteristic of a deep current of anti-Semitism denying the political and ideological diversity of the Jewish people and manifesting itself also in relation to Zionism. In its most political form, this identification leads to the characterization as anti-Semitic of any criticism of the State of Israel, in particular the different facets of its occupation of the Palestinian territories as defined by the United Nations. This tendency to construe opposition to a political ideology and the political actions of a State as racism targeted at a whole people is not only a denial of the democratic legitimacy of political criticism but also blurs the analysis and understanding of anti-Semitism, in particular any objective assessment of the anti-Semitism entering into anti-Zionism and criticism of the State of Israel. 32. The slow but pervasive spread of anti-Semitism to parts of the world where it has no historical or cultural tradition is a particularly disturbing manifestation of contemporary anti-Semitism. The globalization of this form of racism is the result of a number of political, cultural and geographical factors. In South America, the growth of anti-Semitism stems from two main causes, the most enduring being the deep historical and cultural tradition of racism, in the sense of racial hierarchization, representing the ideological pillar of the colonial and slave system. This racial ideology, targeting in the first instance the native and black African slave populations, did not spare the figure of the Jew, demonized as part of the cultural and religious heritage of the conquistadors and of the European colonialists. This historical anti-Semitism was given a new lease of life as a result of South America proving the favourite bolt-hole of a large number of Nazi leaders, who brought with them from Hitler’s Germany the anti-Semitic ideology at the origin of the Holocaust. This strong racist current was reflected both in ideological influence and in technical support for the acts of mass repression and torture by conservative or fascist political circles engaged in a war against progressive movements, as well as in the development of neo-Nazi groups. In Africa, the emergence - still marginal - of a vein of anti-Semitism is the result of an ethnic interpretation of the Israeli-Palestinian political conflict and the association of the Israeli with the demonized figure of the Jew. This process of identification and stereotyping is also found in Asian countries. The Special Rapporteur stresses that the current worldwide character of anti-Semitism demands a global response. In this connection, he underlines the fundamental importance of examining this phenomenon systematically in the framework of the Durban Agenda review process, with the participation of organizations involved in combating anti-Semitism, particularly at the scheduled regional meetings. C. Christianophobia 33. Christianophobia, like the other religious phobias, has deep historical and cultural roots reflecting the theological conditions associated with the genesis of the three religions of the Book and the historical circumstances surrounding the construction of their identities. However, its main contemporary political source is the persistent identification of Christianity and the West as a consequence of their close association during the era of European colonization. Three recent phenomena have served to reinforce and legitimize this identification. A decisive turning point was the Islamophobe tone in certain countries of the campaign against terrorism particularly subsequent to the tragic events of 11 September 2001. Christianity adopted the stance of a rational religion opposed to an Islamic faith associated basically with violence and terrorism.