A/65/295 international legal framework, in particular, in that provided by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 19. In conclusion, the Special Rapporteur affirmed that advocacy of racial or religious hatred is an external manifestation of something much more profound, which is intolerance and bigotry. While States have often relied on legislative responses to the advocacy of racial or religious hatred, the Special Rapporteur expressed the view that such responses are far from being sufficient to bring about real changes in mindsets, perceptions and discourse. Indeed, tackling the root causes of manifestations of religious intolerance affecting an individual’s human rights requires a much broader set of policy measures, for example, in the areas of education, awareness-raising and interreligious and intercultural dialogue. The Special Rapporteur therefore strongly recommended in his report that States put a strong emphasis on a broad range of preventive measures which aim at fostering a peaceful society in which, inter alia, freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief may be fully exercised by all individuals. 20. On 14 October 2009, the Special Rapporteur participated in an expert seminar on strengthening cooperation between the European Union and the United Nations in the struggle against all forms of discrimination, organized by the European Union and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in Brussels. 3 On that occasion, the Special Rapporteur was requested to speak on intolerance and discrimination against Arabs and Muslims. 21. As a United Nations expert on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, the Special Rapporteur recalled that discrimination targeting Muslims falls within his mandate when linked to discrimination on the ground of ethnic origin. There is a definite correlation between ethnicity and religious affiliation. In that regard, he mentioned that the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination had also come to that conclusion by referring to the intersectionality between race and religion. Thus, the Committee addresses issues of religious discrimination when linked to racial discrimination. 22. In Europe, people of Arab origin are often associated with Islam. The Special Rapporteur stated that it was therefore often very difficult to address cases of racial or religious discrimination as they relate to Arabs and Muslims separately. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights conclusively documented that cases of discrimination and violence affecting Arabs and Muslims were complicated by the fact that they were invariably linked with multiple forms of discrimination based on ethnic origin, religion and gender. The Special Rapporteur stressed that it was, therefore, essential to adopt a comprehensive approach towards those acts. 23. While there is evidence that most countries in Europe are aware of the magnitude of the problem and are committed to addressing it, the Special Rapporteur emphasized that the intolerance and discrimination experienced by Muslims and Arabs in the European Union remain a major human rights issue. In that regard, he strongly deplored acts of violence against individuals on the basis of their ethnic origin or religious affiliation. He stated that one could not remain silent when a woman was killed in a court room where she had gone to vindicate her rights against discrimination as a Muslim, when places of worship or cultural centres were __________________ 3 10-48481 Available from http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/racism/rapporteur/docs/ SpeechBrussels141009.pdf. 7