A/61/340 A. Religious minorities 49. Religious minorities remain, by and large, the main victims of violations of the right of freedom of religion or belief and other acts of religious intolerance. In this respect, one must take into account that while a certain religion may be a minority in one part of the world and suffer accordingly, it may constitute the religion of the majority of the population in another part of the world. 50. The problems related to the existence of religious minorities remain as important as ever and the rules pertaining to the principles of freedom of religion or belief have to be constantly re-emphasized. In addition to lack of respect, ignorance of these principles is often at the source of violations. The Special Rapporteur insists on the need to strengthen technical cooperation in order to train governmental officials in several parts of the world in the principles related to her mandate. 51. Moreover, when religious minorities are groups that follow a so-called nontraditional or newer religion, the members of these communities may be the object of suspicion and, consequently, suffer greater limitations to their right to freedom of religion or belief. B. Registration and restrictions on freedom of information on religion or belief 52. In her first report to the Commission on Human Rights (E/CN.4/2005/61, paras. 55-58), the Special Rapporteur addressed the question of registration. The reluctance on the part of Governments to officially register certain religious groups or communities of belief is due to a number of factors. In many countries, there is a deep mistrust of so-called non-traditional religions. In these cases, the main or more traditional religious communities often put pressure on the Government to restrict the freedoms of non-traditional religious communities. In other cases, the Government itself actively denies registration to certain religious communities, in particular religious minorities. During country visits, representatives of many Governments have indicated that rising religious extremism was increasingly a cause of concern to them. Some Governments have resorted to measures that place registration of religious communities in the hands of regulatory bodies that apply the law in a rigid and narrow manner, often going beyond it. 53. Moreover, the Special Rapporteur recalls that registration should not be a precondition for practising one’s religion, but only for the acquisition of a legal personality and related benefits. Moreover, the requirements for registration should comply with the minimum safeguards that the Special Rapporteur referred to in her 2005 report to the Commission on Human Rights (ibid.). 54. In certain cases, very tight control is exercised by the authorities on the content of religious literature. In this respect, the authorities should demonstrate that their scrutiny of religious books is necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals and that they exercise this control in a reasonable manner. Moreover, the Special Rapporteur believes that the right to freedom of expression as protected by international standards provides a certain latitude for religious communities in the drafting and dissemination of their literature, even in cases where they do not agree 10 06-52068