British Asians 'treated worse after terror attacks'

Almost a third of British Asians say they have been treated worse following a terrorism attack, a ComRes survey for the Asian Network suggests.

Muslims (40%) were most likely to have experienced a rise in negative treatment, followed by Sikhs (26%).

The poll also implied British Asians were less likely than others in the UK to say immigration is too high.

More than 2,000 British Asians responded to the poll as part of the BBC's Big British Asian Summer.

Among those who said they had been treated worse, the most common observation was that they had been treated with more awkwardness (59%) and more suspicion (53%).

Just under a third said other people had been abusive, while 11% said they had been excluded from events.

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Of the 2,026 respondents to the British Asian survey, 1,197 were born in the UK - with countries of origin being predominantly India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

Security think tank Quilliam director of policy David Toube said: "The purpose of terrorism is to sow division within our society. It should be a matter of concern to everybody when a large minority within any ethnic group feels that some in this country are against them.

"A vital part of fighting Islamist terrorism and extremism is ensuring that far-right reciprocal radicalisation also fails."

The survey will be discussed on a special live debate show on the Asian Network, on Tuesday from 22:00 BST until midnight.

Results from the survey also suggested British Asians were less likely than the wider population to say the level of immigration is too high - though 34% said it was.

When the wider population was asked the same question, 56% said they felt it was too high.

Only 8% of British Asians say immigration is too low, in comparison with 3% of the general population.

The survey also looked into sporting allegiances among British Asians.

With regards to international football, British Asians overwhelmingly support one of the UK nations.

More than three quarters of respondents said they supported one of England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, with only 6% supporting other countries.

However, when asked about allegiances in cricket, 19% support a UK team while 54% support an Asian team.

The Big British Asian Summer is a season of programmes across the BBC this August, in which British Asians share their stories.