A/71/269 B. Root causes and motives 24. It is often assumed that violations of freedom of religio n or belief mainly originate from religious intolerance, that is, an attitude of narrow -mindedness that does not accommodate any interreligious or intrareligious diversity. While intolerant interpretations of religions or beliefs are in fact one of the mos t important root causes of numerous violations in this area, one should not ignore the relevance of various societal and political factors, such as interference by control -obsessed authoritarian Governments, the utilization of religions for defining a homo geneous understanding of national identity, loss of trust in public institutions and concomitant processes of societal fragmentation, the prevalence of a “macho culture”, economic and social disparities, widening power gaps between different groups within a society and other variables. Again, the observations set out below remain non-exhaustive. 1. Intolerant interpretations of religions or beliefs 25. It cannot be emphasized enough that religious intolerance does not directly originate from religions themselves, but always presupposes the intervention of human beings. The basic insight that there can be no understanding of a text without human interpretation also applies to the sources (written or oral) of various religious or belief-related traditions. Although there may be differences between inclinations towards open-mindedness and tolerance in various traditions, there is scope for interpretation in all of them. Thus, human beings themselves are ultimately responsible for open-minded or narrow-minded interpretations, which actually exist side by side in virtually all religious and philosophical traditions. While some believers may demonize anyone professing a slightly different view, other believers of the same faith group may appreciate broad interreligious and intrareligious diversity as a stimulant necessary for profound theological or philosophical reflection and a precondition for productive exchanges. Some may dream of a religiously homogenous society as their ultimate political aspiration, whereas others would fear such homogeneity to be the end of any authentic belief. 26. Awareness of the relevance of human intervention, including human interpretation of religious sources, may help to overcome widespread “fatalistic” misperceptions. While in one country the followers of various religions or denominations have coexisted amicably since time immemorial and may even intermarry with the full approval of their respective communities, the relationship between the same communities in a neighbouring country may seem hopelessly complicated. Moreover, situations can change over time, be it for the better or the worse. There is a broad variety of amicable or hateful interactions and productive or tense relationships in different countries, which bears witness to the impact that human beings — individuals, communities and societies — actually have in shaping interreligious coexistence positively, including by developing open-minded interpretations of religious doctrines and of religious norms of conduct (see A/HRC/25/58/Add.1). Awareness of that possible impact is the precondition for overcoming fatalistic misunderstandings, which, at the end of the day, would discourage any commitment in this field. 27. In a number of countries, however, intolerant interpretations of a religion are actively supported and encouraged by the Government. As a consequence, Governments may fail to adequately protect religious minorities from hate crimes 16-13296 9/22