London, England - Britain's Hindus do not want to be described as "Asians", lumped together alongside others with roots in Britain's former South Asian colonies, according to a survey to be published in parliament.
Instead, 80 percent would prefer to be called British Indian or British Hindus, rather than be identified under the British Asian umbrella with others with ties to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
This was due to various reasons, including issues surrounding mistaken Islamophobia, the study found Tuesday.
The Connecting British Hindus report, which questioned about 800 Hindus of different backgrounds and ages, found that some often felt misunderstod and excluded from discussions on race.
The report suggested that Hindus should be supported in playing a fuller role in British society through the promotion of Hindu culture and beliefs, community engagement and creating more leadership opportunities.
It urged Prime Minister Tony Blair's government to ensure that Hindus were included in work undertaken to tackle racism in Britain.
Britain's 700,000 Hindus make up the kingdom's third largest faith group (one percent) after Christians and Muslims, and are mostly of Gujarati, Punjabi or Tamil ethnic origin.
"For many, the description of an identity as 'Hindu' was an attempt to correct others' assumptions in the light of the political context in which Islamophobia is widespread and much contemporary political focus has been placed on British Muslims," the report said.
"The development of British Muslim identities has left those who had at one time shared the British Asian category to consider where they now stand, and whether 'British Asian' is a socially meaningful identity."
Ramesh Kallidai, Secretary General of the Hindu Forum of Britain, called the report a "historical and pioneering attempt to document the feelings, aspirations, fears and contributions" of Britain's Hindus.
"Hindu community groups and organisations face multiple disadvantage and discrimination," he said.
"A legacy of inequality and stereotyping (where the community is seen as though they are self sufficient and economically progressive) has left the Hindu community isolated and with a limited capacity to engage with other communities or even to address their own problems."
Ruth Kelly, the secretary of state for communities and local government, said she hoped the report would help the government understand the needs of Hindu communities in Britain.
"British Hindus have made a positive contribution to both the social, cultural and economic prosperity of our rich and diverse society," she wrote in the foreword.
The report was conducted by the Runnymede Trust and funded by Kelly's department.
Researchers interviewed more than 120 people, carried out an Internet survey of nearly 700 and conducted telephone interviews.