E/CN.4/2006/5/Add.3 page 11 51. Nevertheless, at the same time, the reaction to such inappropriate behaviour has been sharp and somewhat alarmist. The resulting acts of violence and threats against the Christian community clearly are in violation of their freedom of religion or belief. D. Other forms of religious tension 52. Although the tensions between Buddhists and some Christian communities attract the most attention, the Special Rapporteur wishes to underline that in some places, including in the east, instances of violence between other religious minorities have been reported, including between Christians and Hindus or Muslims and Hindus, although at a more limited level than the attacks described in part VI and not always motivated on purely religious grounds. E. Desecration of religious symbols 53. In many occasions, people complained to the Special Rapporteur about the improper use of some religious symbols, in particular Buddha. In the majority of cases, the complaints related to commercial use of Buddha. This inappropriate exploitation was sometimes compounded by the fact that pictures of Buddha were associated with images or behaviours that constitute an insult to the religion such as the case of a picture of Buddha printed on underwear or trousers. 6 54. The Special Rapporteur has also observed that Sri Lankan legislation includes provisions that criminalize acts of defilement or discretion of religious symbols. The interpretation of these provisions by the Sri Lankan judiciary has appeared to be relatively strict. In one case where young boys had been found in possession of Buddha Bar CDs, prison sentences were suspended only because the boys confessed to their offence. 55. The Special Rapporteur was told by a number of interlocutors that the use of the image of Buddha was not done with the intention of insulting Buddhists, or in any way calculated to disrespect Lord Buddha. Some insisted that the Buddha symbol is often used as a sign of respect and admiration for the message of tolerance, peace and serenity spread by him. V. DRAFT LEGISLATION ON “UNETHICAL CONVERSIONS” A. Background and overview 56. The idea of criminalizing certain conduct or acts leading to unethical conversions has circulated in Sri Lanka for some years. Recently, however, a number of initiatives have led to the drafting of at least three different bills. Some of the Special Rapporteur’s interlocutors asserted that these bills were political manoeuvres rather than being essentially related to religious tensions. 57. The adoption process nevertheless remains relatively slow. This is probably due to reluctance on the part of Sri Lankan society, in particular the authorities but also to the outcry from the international community. For example, the governmental bill prepared by the Ministry of Buddha Sasana has been delayed several times. 58. While she is not able to ascertain to what extent these texts are public documents, the Special Rapporteur has received a copy of each of the drafts and observed that they have been