E/CN.4/2006/16 page 4 Introduction 1. In his interim report to the General Assembly at its sixtieth session (A/60/283), the Special Rapporteur drew particular attention to the resurgence in manifestations of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia throughout the world. Firstly, he noted the increasing complexity of discrimination through the greater intermingling, in most recent crises and tragedies, of racial, cultural and religious factors. In his view such a conjoining not only blurs analysis and diagnosis and thus weakens responses and strategies, but, in a still more disquieting manner, reinforces a dynamic of conflict of culture and religion. This dynamic is illustrated by the community, ethnic or religious spin placed on individual acts, which then leads to confrontations between communities. 2. This blending of religion, race and culture has resulted in religious discrimination, including Islamophobia. In this context, the Commission on Human Rights requested the Special Rapporteur to examine the situation Arab and Muslim populations in various regions of the world following the events of 11 September 2001. The study is submitted in a separate document (E/CN.4/2006/17) to the Commission at its current session. 3. In his interim report to the General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur also stressed the need, on the part of Governments, for a greater affirmation and demonstration of the political will to combat racism, which must go hand in hand with intellectual and scientific mobilization in order to identify the profound causes and exact nature of the manifestations and expressions of discrimination. In this context, he emphasized the need to view all forms of racism and discrimination equally, avoiding any hierarchization and recognizing their singularity and specificity. The report focused in particular on Islamophobia. In the ideological context created by the tragic events of 11 September 2001, Islamophobia represents an increasing and particularly alarming manifestation of discrimination, frequently justified by policies and programmes to combat terrorism. The Special Rapporteur also emphasized that other serious forms of religious defamation, in particular anti-Semitism and Christianophobia, must be the subject of redoubled vigilance. These two forms of discrimination will be dealt with in this report inasmuch as the Commission, contrary to the Special Rapporteur’s recommendation, asked him to prepare a report only on the situation of Arab and Muslim populations in various regions of the world following the events of 11 September 2001. 4. The Special Rapporteur has also drawn attention to the acceptance and political use of racist and xenophobic language with the insidious encroachment on the political agendas of democratic parties of racist and xenophobic platforms under the guise of combating terrorism, defending national identity and promoting national preference, and combating illegal immigration. These developments have a serious impact, not only in the form of greater participation in coalition governments by political parties overtly accepting these platforms, and thus access by their to leadership positions with the potential for transforming the State, but above all in the form of legislation and administrative and security practices that criminalize non-nationals, immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers. The Special Rapporteur analyses this grave threat to democracy in his study on the question of political platforms which promote or incite racial discrimination, also submitted to the Commission (E/CN.4/2006/54).