A/HRC/13/40 the name of religion or belief”, i.e., based on or arrogated to religious tenets of the perpetrator. A. Discrimination and violence on the grounds of religion or belief 34. The most prominent example of a general, worrying pattern all over the world is the discrimination and violence suffered by members of religious minorities. Many religious minorities are in a vulnerable situation, which is further aggravated when States specifically target them by registering their members’ names and scrutinizing these individuals. Worse still are laws that openly discriminate against individuals on the basis of religion or belief or the perceived lack of religious fervour. Indeed, dissenting or dispassionate believers are being marginalized and face interreligious or intra-religious problems. Admission to schools and employment in Government and private enterprises are denied to people because of their religious or belief affiliations. Many violent acts or threats against members of religious minorities are also perpetrated by non-State actors, all too often with impunity. 35. Another worrying general pattern is the targeting of places of worship and other religious buildings or properties. The Special Rapporteur is seriously concerned about frequent attacks on places of worship and the desecration of cemeteries. Such attacks violate the rights of not only a single believer, but also the group of individuals forming the community attached to the place in question. In this regard, the General Assembly has adopted resolution 55/254 on protection of religious sites, calling upon all States to exert their utmost efforts to ensure that religious sites are fully respected and protected. 36. National policies, legislation and practices which are designed to combat terrorism have had and continue to have adverse effects on the enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief worldwide. The Special Rapporteur notes with concern the worsening situation of minority communities in the wake of the events of 11 September 2001 and the estrangement of communities who earlier lived together without suspicion. While States are obliged to take effective measures to counter terrorism, the Special Rapporteur would like to underline that States must also ensure that counter-terrorism measures comply with their obligations under international law, including international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law. 37. There are also further issues of concern in relation to her mandate, which seem to be more prevalent in particular regions or countries. For example, some domestic registration procedures for religious communities are applied in a discriminatory manner by the authorities, often curbing the freedom of religion or belief of minority communities such as new religious movements or indigenous peoples. In addition, she is concerned about undue State interference in religious teaching and dissemination of related publications, for example when the authorities censor, monitor and write sermons or persecute religious leaders. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur has noticed a number of restrictions imposed on different forms of religious expression, for example, on the wearing of distinctive clothing or head coverings. At the same time, she is concerned about reports of women who are forced to wear religious dress in public in certain countries. 38. A number of societies are facing obstacles to ending all forms of discrimination on religious grounds and creating informed public opinion that can effectively challenge religious bigotry. The Special Rapporteur has noticed with regret that, as far as her mandate is concerned, denunciation of human rights abuses is often selective; the religion of the victim and of the perpetrator, rather than the act itself, seems to be a determining factor as to who feels obliged to publicly condemn the incident. Where the victim belongs to one religion, but the perpetrator to another, public outrage from the victims’ community unfortunately seems to be greater than if the perpetrator and the victim had the same 12 GE.09-17648