A/HRC/12/38 page 8 II. RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION AND INCITEMENT TO RELIGIOUS HATRED A. Serious implications of Islamophobia on the enjoyment of all rights by their followers 21. Since his appointment in August 2008, the Special Rapporteur has received information on “acts related to the phenomenon of Islamophobia” collected by the Islamophobia Observatory of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. He would like to thank the Organisation of the Islamic Conference for the reports2 he received from its Permanent Observer Mission in Geneva on 6 October 2008, 24 February, 18 March, 30 April, and 11 and 19 May 2009. They constitute a compilation of media reports available on the Internet and cover a wide array of issues mostly relating to European and other Western countries. 22. The information sent by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to the Special Rapporteur includes reports on negative stereotyping of Muslims and Islam in the media, associating them with “a threat” or “a problem”; restrictions on the wearing of headscarves and burkas in public schools; discrimination against Muslims in the field of employment; desecration of and restrictions on the building of Muslim places of worship; a computer game called “Muslim massacre” inciting the killing of Muslims; the public release of films and documentaries associating Muslims exclusively with violence and terrorism; activities of extremist right-wing European groups related to the organization of meetings on “anti-Islamification” or on “practical steps in the struggle against the spread of Islam”; and on a teacher being charged for having insulted the Prophet Muhammad. The information provided by the Islamophobia Observatory of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference also includes reports on promising initiatives by Governments and civil society organizations aimed at fostering intercultural and inter-religious dialogue, promoting the participation of Muslim women in politics and encouraging the development of the talent of Muslim artists. 23. The Special Rapporteur would also like to thank the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for having sent on 28 May 2009 its report entitled “Data in Focus Report 2: Muslims”,3 which forms part of the first-ever European Union-wide survey on immigrant and ethnic minority groups’ experiences of discrimination and racist crimes. The report provides data on how Muslims across the European Union experience discrimination and victimization. 24. The key findings of the European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey focusing on Muslims indicate high levels of discrimination and victimization of Muslim respondents. For instance, on average, one in three Muslim respondents stated that they had experienced 2 The monthly bulletins of the Islamophobia Observatory of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference are available online at: http://www.oic-oci.org/page_detail.asp?p_id=182. 3 See European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey, “Data in Focus Report 2: Muslims”, available online at: http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/attachments/EU-MIDIS_MUSLIMS_EN.pdf.