New Report of Minority Rights Group Shows Religious Intolerance Growing Worldwide

The London-based Minority Rights Group International -- in its 2010 report -- calls religious tolerance the "new racism" and says its impact is felt on religious minorities across the globe, according to the VOA News website.

It says discrimination against Muslims is on the rise in the United States and Western Europe, and cites increasing physical violence against religious minorities in Iraq and Pakistan.

In Asia and Africa, the report says religious affiliation is overtaking race and ethnicity as a key factor driving discrimination and violence against minorities.

The report -- issued on July 1, 2010 -- also notes an increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents against Jewish communities in Europe.