A/CONF.189/PC.1/7 page 33 effects of education and the media, social tension, economic crises or difficulties, authoritarianism and lack of democracy, the use of ethnic and religious differences for political purposes or as international policy, use of religion for ethnic purposes, etc.132 Comment No. 6 125. In many of the cases studied, however, certain factors are conducive - sometimes dramatically so - to aggravated discrimination. Extremism is one such factor, and an essential one.133 Whether the extremism is based on an interpretation of the religion or on political factors, whether it is violent or not, whether it is intra-religious or inter-religious, whether is exists only within the society or at the State level, extremist movements tend to confirm and disseminate with a good deal of success, an association between the religion or ethnicity of the other (Muslim, North African Arab, Black, Jew, White, Christian, Indian) and certain events real or imagined - that have negative or unfavourable connotations (economic crisis, unemployment, fanaticism, terrorism, Zionism, insecurity, crime, colonialism). Ignorance of the other prevails and is consciously exploited, in order to foment antipathy and hostility. Arabs or North Africans are frequently equated with Islamists, terrorists or fanatics. Likewise, Jews become Zionists or are blamed for all the world’s ills. The Christian is automatically White and a colonialist; the Asian is a Buddhist or a dangerous scoundrel. Lastly - though the list could go on - in situations of intolerance and systematic human rights violations, women are the targets of the worst forms of discrimination, including violence. No society or religion has a monopoly on extremism; extremism deserves special attention because it can produce situations which are difficult to control and can imperil the human right to peace (E/CN.4/1998/6, para. 114; E/CN.4/1999/15, para. 74ff). It can even be said that it requires special treatment: it goes further than mere intolerance, amounting purely and simply to a denial of freedom, religion and any right to diversity. A special strategy is therefore needed in order to address both its causes and effects. III. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 126. On the basis of the legal and factual elements of the issue of religious discrimination aggravated by racial discrimination, the following five conclusions can be drawn. Conclusion 1 127. None of the instruments studied contain any special provisions establishing a specific legal regime or special treatment covering acts of aggravated discrimination, particularly those that affect minorities. That applies also to other forms of aggravated discrimination not included in this study (for example those that affect women or children belonging to ethnic and religious minorities). All the instruments, regardless of their nature, legal status or scope, strongly condemn racial and religious discrimination. In some international instruments, the right to non-discrimination is even treated to some extent as a right from which no derogation is permitted, which gives it a status similar to the peremptory norms of international law (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, art. 4, paras. 1-2; art. 18). However, discrimination based on the identification of the victim with multiple groups does not appear to receive particular attention.