A/HRC/13/57 discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance was invited to speak about intolerance and discrimination against Arabs and Muslims. In his statement,32 he noted that discrimination targeting Muslims fell within the remit of his mandate when linked to discrimination on the ground of ethnic origin. While he focused his presentation mainly on intolerance and discrimination against Arabs and Muslims in Europe, he stressed that other regions were also affected by instances of racial and religious discrimination and incitement to hatred. Moreover, he underlined that discrimination and incitement to hatred affected members of other religious and ethnic groups and should also be addressed. 80. The Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ms. Asma Jahangir, in her report to the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session,33 identified the dissemination of religious intolerance and stereotypes via new information technologies as a new challenge of the twenty-first century. The Special Rapporteur stressed that religious or belief communities had been the object of critical analysis ranging from merely theological points of view to the most extreme forms of incitement to violence or hatred against members of a religious group. The Special Rapporteur emphasized that impunity in cases of incitement to religious hatred emboldened forces of bigotry. 81. Another general pattern identified by the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief was the targeting of places of worship and other religious buildings and properties. The Special Rapporteur expressed concern about reports of frequent attacks on places of worship, the desecration of cemeteries and the exhumation of dead bodies. Attacks or other forms of restriction of places of worship in many cases violated the rights not only of a single believer, but also of the community attached to the place in question. 82. Finally, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief regretted that, eight years after the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, she continued to receive frequent and worrisome reports of religious intolerance and acts of violence against members of virtually all religious or belief communities. The Special Rapporteur also criticized counter-terrorism measures based on discriminatory profiling, implemented according to perceived religious affiliation. 83. On 30 November 2009, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief issued a press release regretting the outcome of the vote to ban the construction of minarets in Switzerland and expressing her concern over its negative consequences for members of the Muslim community in Switzerland. She called for education and awareness-raising measures to help eliminate the grounds for irrational fears towards Muslims. VII. Conclusions 84. The information from States, regional organizations, United Nations entities, human rights treaty bodies and special procedures raises concern about acts of violence, protracted discrimination and stigmatization on the basis of religion or belief. Some contributions also suggest a negative portrayal of religion, as well as incitement to ethnic and religious hatred by some political parties and some media. Indeed, religious minorities seem to be frequent targets of abusive, violent and repetitive criticism against their group, often as a result of entrenched negative stereotypes. 32 33 18 Available online at: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/racism/rapporteur/docs/ SpeechBrussels141009.pdf. A/64/159. GE.10-10223