New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS): India's fashion industry has come to the defence of Indian American Nina Davuluri, who has come under racist attack after winning the Miss America title.

Models and designers say it is a shame that a chunk of the American population does not even know how to differentiate between an Indian and an Arab.

"Half of the people in America are highly uneducated and illiterate. They don't know anything beyond their own town and country where they live in," model Noyonika Chatterjee told IANS.

"They don't know the difference between an Indian girl and an Arab girl. I think, Americans are not colour biased, but they are more concerned about terrorism," she added.

As soon as Davuluri won the title, microblogging site Twitter was flooded with hate tweets.

Some of the tweets reads: "How is miss America Indian? This is America...Not India."

"Miss America ummm wtf?! Have we forgotten 9/11?" and "So miss America is a terrorist."

Such hate comments put the "developed nation" in a bad light, said model Shamita Singha and added: "I think it's the ignorance of the American people."

Designers too aired the same sentiments.

Hemant Sagar of famous international designing duo Lecoanet-Hemant said: "I don't talk about such remarks seriously when their own president is of black tone."

This is not the first time an Indian has been subjected to a racist remark.

In 2007, actress Shilpa Shetty had to bear the racial remarks on Britain's reality show "Celebrity Big Brother".

Five years later, Indian British model Deana Uppal faced similar "insults" from a fellow contestant on the British reality show.

According to reports, Uppal, winner of 2012 Miss India UK crown, hails from Birmingham and had done modelling assignments in India and Britain. On the show, she was addressed as a "piece of s***" by one of the housemates - Conor McIntyre.

After watching the show, 1,200-plus viewers filed complaints against the racist remarks to Ofcom, Britain's television regulator and it has mounted a probe.

Model Sonalika Sahay said that "any kind of racist comment coming from whichever side is not good".

However, she feels such remarks should not affect a women like Davuluri, who has become a role model for many young girls.

"I am sure she will not bog herself down with such comments as she is a strong woman," Sahay told IANS.

Seconds Indrani Dasgupta.

"Racism exists in every business and it is a part of every job. But it depends on individual how he or she takes it up. I think the words will make her stronger," Dasgupta told IANS.