A/HRC/10/8/Add.2 page 19 were hideous crimes and also a violation of his right to manifest his religion or belief. With regard to missionary activities and propagation of one’s religion, the Special Rapporteur would like to refer to the relevant chapter in her report to the 60th session of the General Assembly (see A/60/399, paras. 55-68). 62. Furthermore, the approximately 2,000 Christians in the Gaza Strip have been openly warned by militants that after June 2007, no missionary activity will be tolerated any longer and that those suspected of trying to convert local Muslims to Christianity will be harshly punished. There are also reports of forced conversions to Islam by Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip. For example, in August 2007, militants allegedly forced a female professor at Palestine University in Gaza City to convert from Christianity to Islam. 9. Further concerns within the Occupied Palestinian Territory 63. The Special Rapporteur was informed that religious minorities and women face several forms of pressure or violence within the Occupied Palestinian Territory.16 (a) Honour killings and social pressure on women 64. Women seem to be in a particularly vulnerable situation and bear the brunt of religious zeal. The Special Rapporteur was informed about cases of honour killings carried out in the name of religion with impunity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Reportedly some women in Gaza have recently felt coerced into covering their heads not out of religious conviction but out of fear. These are worrying allegations and the Special Rapporteur would like to emphasize that nobody should be subject to coercion which would impair the freedom to have, or to adopt, a religion or belief of his or her choice. It is vital to safeguard both the positive freedom of religion or belief as manifested in observance and practice and also the negative freedom from being forced to wear or display religious symbols (see E/CN.4/2006/5, paras. 36-60). (b) Situation of religious minorities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory 65. Further apprehensions concerning the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory have been expressed by minority communities, including some small Christian groups, who fear a rising level of religious intolerance. The Special Rapporteur was informed of a significant decrease in recent years in the number of Christians living in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. For example, the Christian proportion of Bethlehem’s population has reportedly dropped from 85 per cent (in 1948) and 62 per cent (in 1995) to currently about 15 per cent. Safety concerns, contacts abroad and a relatively high level of education were cited to be the main reasons for the trend of emigration of many Christian families. 16 In relation to the obligations of the parties - Government of Israel, Palestinian Authority and Hamas - to respect the rules of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, see Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the implementation of Human Rights Council resolution 7/1 (A/HRC/8/17, paras. 4-9).