“The Moldovan society has been, and continues to be, in a process of rapid transformation. Implementation of human rights standards ranks high on the Government’s agenda, and significant progress has been made. This includes freedom of religion or belief, a human right by and large respected in the Republic of Moldova,” Heiner Bielefeldt , UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, said in a news conference held at the end of his visit to Chisinau, Info-Prim Neo reports. “Remaining obstacles mainly derive from the overly predominant position of the Orthodox Church which enjoys a privileged status at variance with the constitutional provision of a secular state. Moreover, important sectors of society see Orthodox Christianity, in particular the Orthodox Church of Moldova, as constituting the backbone of national identity. Extremist groups go as far as to explicitly demand, often in an aggressive manner, to put followers of other denominations – such as Protestants, Jews and especially Muslims – in a marginalized position. Although these extremist groups seem to account only for a small minority, they apparently are not met with much criticism from within the Church, thus leading to the perception that they somehow speak on behalf of the country's Orthodox believers in general, as well as with the tacit approval of the Church authorities,” said Bielefeld. The UN Rapporteur encourages the Government to take leadership in this regard, for instance, by issuing a robust anti-discrimination law, by facilitating interreligious communication, by investing in civic education and by speaking out clearly against incitement to religious hatred. “With a view to further improving the conditions for a non-discriminatory enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief by everyone, what seems to be needed, above all, is a public culture of appreciating diversity. I would like to encourage the Government to take leadership in this regard, for instance, by issuing a robust anti-discrimination law, by facilitating interreligious communication, by investing in civic education and by speaking out clearly against incitement to religious hatred,” said Heiner Bielefeldt. “I have come across many signs of good will and positive examples of professional commitment which give good reason to see the prospects for human rights in this country in an optimistic light.” A Professor of Human Rights and Human Rights Politics at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany, Heiner Bielefeldt was appointed as Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief in August 2010.