E/CN.4/1988/45 page 19 the Bulgarian ethnic origin of Muslims who now live in Bulgaria, were allegedly "Turkicized" by force during the Ottoman occupation and aspire to revert to their true ethnic identity. This theory is rejected by the Turkish authorities who, on the contrary, claim that Bulgaria has a Muslim community of Turkish ethnic origin numbering about 1 million persons. 30. During his visit, the Special Rapporteur took account of this historical and cultural context in trying to obtain clarifications on the way the principles embodied in the Declaration were applied to the Muslim community in Bulgaria. As stated above, the Special Rapporteur received allegations from various sources concerning some incidents and measures which would appear to be inconsistent with the provisions of the Declaration and so informed the Bulgarian Government, which subsequently sent him its reply. During his stay in Bulgaria, the Special Rapporteur concentrated on several specific points during his discussions with the country's civilian and religious authorities. 31. With regard to enjoyment of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and the various freedoms this right implies (arts. 1 and 6 of the Declaration), it was reported that pressure was being brought to bear on Muslims in order to make them give up their faith and the performance of Islamic rites. According to the official and religious authorities with whom the Special Rapporteur met, some mosques are open only at certain times and this was allegedly justified by the fact that worship could, in principle, take place outside working hours. The information collected by the Special Rapporteur indicated that many mosques had been torn down or used for other purposes. According to the authorities, there had been no reduction in the number of mosques, some of which were being restored with State subsidies. He was given a figure of about 1,000 mosques for which some 500 imams are responsible. According to the information received by the Special Rapporteur, the practice of circumcising male children is allegedly prohibited and subject to a term of imprisonment, but, according to the Bulgarian authorities, it is allowed, provided that it is done by doctors in hospitals and not by persons who have no medical training or concern for hygiene. The Special Rapporteur nevertheless wishes to point out that he received information stating that the Bulgarian official press was allegedly waging a campaign against this practice by denouncing it as "barbaric" and "anti-social". The same negative attitude seems to prevail with regard to the practice of Muslim fasting, namely, Ramadan. Imports of the Koran, the Muslim holy book, are allegedly allowed and come from predominately Muslim regions in the Soviet Union; 500 copies in Arabic were said to have been imported during the past year. There is, however, no edition of the Koran in contemporary Bulgarian. Moreover, institutions for the training of Muslim clergymen have halted their activities. According to the authorities questioned, the Muslim dignitaries now officiating are enough to meet existing needs. 32. With regard to the provisions of the Declaration relating to the prohibition of discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief and measures to be taken by States to prevent and eliminate any such discrimination in the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms and to combat intolerance (arts. 2 to 4 of the Declaration), the Special Rapporteur considers that account must be taken of the above-mentioned historical context. Despite the affirmation of respect for the principle of equal treatment and non-discrimination on religious grounds, the historical role of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in safeguarding the national identity and combating foreign elements and the inevitable identification of the Muslim