8 April 2010 The Muslim Council of Britain was shocked and saddened to learn of replica mosques being used as Army firing targets in Catterick.
Allowing the places of worship to be used in this manner sends out all the wrong signals on so many levels. The MCB raised the issue with the Ministry of Defence in the past and is now raising once again to seek clarification.
Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain said “Over many months mosques in this country have been at the forefront of anti-Muslim hate campaigns, vandalism and even arson attacks.
This totally unacceptable and worrying practice of using replica mosques as firing targets plays into the very hands of those on the far-right who take aim at mosques.
The Army must go beyond simply apologising and acknowledging that this insensitive practice must now stop.
They have worked hard to highlight the contribution of Muslims in our armed forces. We hope swift action is taken to safeguard this good work and ensure cohesion”.
Turkish Forum uk