A/HRC/25/58/Add.2 background of the refugee children plays no role in their admission and education at the school. B. Climate of tolerance 15. Besides the vast majority of Muslims (estimated at accounting for 95 to 97 per cent of the population), Jordan is home to a Christian minority (around 3 per cent of the population). While Christianity in Jordan includes a broad variety of traditional and less traditional denominations, almost all Muslims belong to the Sunni branch of Islam. The number of Shias traditionally residing in the country is very small, and might number only a few hundred persons. Whether and how the influx of refugees will change the composition of the Muslim population in Jordan in the long run remains an open question. The Bani Maaroof (usually referred to as “Druze”), constitute another small part of the religious minority population. Reportedly, the Bani Maaroof may comprise up to 15,000 people, all of whom are registered as Muslims. Jordan also has a community of Baha’is, the number of which ranges between a few hundred to 1,000 people. All estimates remain vague and controversial, since established statistical information concerning the religious composition of Jordanian society does not exist. A topic scarcely explored is the number of de facto non-believers, namely, persons who may be registered as Muslims or Christians but do not regard themselves as really belonging to any religion and who may in part see themselves as agnostics or atheists. The Special Rapporteur heard very different assessments concerning this issue. 16. In Jordan, relations between people of different faiths, in particular Muslims and Christians, are very positive and amicable. Representatives from both communities repeatedly described their relations as “brotherly”, and many see this as a major accomplishment in which they take pride. This positive atmosphere is cherished on a daily basis in neighbourhoods in which Muslims and Christians live together, often since times immemorial. The Special Rapporteur heard many narratives about people greeting each other on their respective religious holidays, sometimes even celebrating together or attending funerals jointly regardless of the denomination of the deceased. When visiting a number of schools, both public and private, he saw students from Muslim and Christian families learning together under the supervision of teachers who likewise came from different religious backgrounds. He heard about a female Muslim student who volunteered to play the organ during a Christian devotion held in a private school run by the Roman Catholic Church. Obviously, schools play a pivotal role in sustaining and further developing the culture of peaceful coexistence, since they facilitate daily encounters of young students during their formative years. Religious differences are mostly seen as something natural, perhaps not even worth highlighting. Indeed, teachers and headmasters of the educational institutions that the Special Rapporteur visited stated that religious differences did not play a major role, if any, in the daily operations of their school. 17. At the level of State institutions, measures have been taken to support good relations between Muslims and Christians further. Such measures include a minimum guarantee of nine out of 150 seats in the Lower Chamber of Parliament (Chamber of Deputies) for Christian candidates. Unlike in some other countries, in which minorities constitute separate electorates, the Jordanian election system provides for a single, unified electorate, which implies that Muslims may also vote for Christian candidates and vice versa; reportedly, this also happens in practice. While a formal quota concerning the religious composition of the cabinet does not exist, Christians have usually held positions in the Government alongside Muslims. They also hold high-ranking posts in other State institutions, such as the police force, public media and universities. 7