London, July 2 (Reuters): Random police searches of Asians under Britain’s anti-terror laws have risen four-fold, according to new figures today, prompting accusations of Islamophobia by rights groups.

The government pledged to ensure so-called “stop-and-search” measures were used properly in the future, but Muslim groups said the latest figures were unjustifiable.

“We have been receiving complaints from the Muslim community for some time that they are being stopped for no reason except for being a Muslim,” Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, said. “It seems to have nothing to do with the profile of terrorists and more to do with Islamophobia.”

The number of searches on Asian people under sweeping Terrorism Act powers brought in by Britain after the September 11 attacks increased four-fold to 2,989 in 2002-3 from the previous year, although they did not specify whether the searches were on Muslims or people from other Asian religions.

Searches of Whites increased 118 per cent and of Black people by 230 per cent. The total number of anti-terror searches went up to 21,577 from 8,550 over the same period, according to the figures in the “Race and the Criminal Justice System” report. Fewer than a fifth of those stopped were actually arrested.

Muslim rights groups accused police of heavy-handed tactics earlier this year after 10 people, reported to be of north African and Iraqi Kurdish origin, were held and then released without charge in a major British anti-terror swoop.

Such operations have raised concerns that moderate Muslims could be driven into the arms of extremists.

“It is extremely counter-productive because it alienates the very community police need the help and support of to fight this terror,” Shadjareh said.

Inayat Bunglawala, spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, also said the figures chimed with anecdotal evidence. “With an arrest rate of only 13 per cent, this seems to indicate police are using their powers in an indiscriminate manner,” he said. “While we understand that the country is facing an increased security threat, it is vitally important that the police use their powers on an intelligence-led basis.”