E/CN.4/2003/66 page 19 101. On 23 May 2002, the European Monitoring Centre for Racism and Xenophobia published a report entitled “Islamophobia in the EU after 11 September 2001”, which consisted of 15 country reports based on enquiries conducted by the European Racism and Xenophobia Information Network (RAXEN). The report describes an alarming upsurge in hostility and an increase in verbal and physical assaults on Muslims, both as a group and individually, in European Union States. The country reports describe not only repeated attacks on Muslims and on anything symbolizing or personifying Islam, but also acts of vandalism in synagogues and verbal and physical attacks on Jews, in parallel with the renewed crisis in the Middle East. 102. At the same time, the world has veered dangerously in the direction of what is depicted as unavoidable war and repression, a path that will lead to increasingly violent confrontation, which can only foster and fuel both terrorism and terror, deepen prejudice and stir up violence. 103. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international authorities continue to express grave concern at the “total security” drive being implemented under cover of anti-terrorist laws, arsenals of legislation designed to restrict immigration and selective measures that have a direct and immediate impact on the entire human rights protection system. 104. At such a time of unprecedented international tension, when it seems possible to justify anything by the war on terrorism, it is not surprising that initiatives such as that of the League of Arab States, which met in Cairo on 26 and 27 September 2002 to discuss ways of correcting the negative image of Arabs in the West following the 11 September attacks and which rejected the use of language accusing others of irreligiosity, have not received the attention they deserve. B. Follow-up of the International Consultative Conference on School Education in relation to Freedom of Religion and Belief, Tolerance and Non-Discrimination 105. The Special Rapporteur has always stressed the need for younger generations to be shielded from the hatred, intolerance and discrimination that are fuelled by ignorance and incomprehension and stoked by simplistic clichés and crude stereotypes. 106. Believing that the preparation and adoption of a prevention strategy should make it possible, in the long-term to put an end to violations of freedom of religion or belief, the Special Rapporteur, on the basis of Commission on Human Rights resolution 1994/18, which encouraged him to examine the contribution that education can make to the promotion of religious tolerance, conducted an enquiry in 1994, in the form of a questionnaire to States on school syllabuses that deal with freedom of religion in primary or elementary and secondary education. 107. Based on the replies to this questionnaire from 78 States, a study entitled “Racial discrimination, religious intolerance and education” (A/CONF.189/PC.2/22) was submitted to the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the Durban Conference. The Special Rapporteur then launched consultations in order to benefit from the experience of various international, regional and national, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and decided that there was a need for an international consultative conference on school