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Muslim leaders condemned a new war game where teams of soldiers shoot at enemies - dressed as Arabs.Men in camouflaged military gear battle opponents wearing shemaghs-the traditional headdress of Arab men-at Zulu 1 Tactical Airsoft Simulations. Participants use replica machine guns, pistols and sniper rifles which fire 6mm BB rounds at a 20-acre former RAF hospital in Nocton, Lincs.Images from the company's website show soldiers pointing rifles at hooded "Arab" men spreadeagled on the floor following "close quarter battles." Founders Peter Jenkins, 41, and Darren Howells, 42, denied the use of Arab headdress was racist, claiming it was the "easiest way to tell who the enemy are." But the Muslim Association of Britain slammed the scheme as "short-sighted and foolish."Executive member Mokhtar Badri said: "Any sort of game that associates guns and violence with a particular culture is clearly wrong."They could use any other type of colour or dress to tell between teams which would not cause offence."Using Arab dress, especially in the current climate, is short-sighted and foolish."And regardless of the offence causes, young people should not be given the opportunity to play in an environment where guns are being glamourised."Launching with a grand opening on May 25, organisers are planning a series of battles between 120 men over woodland, trenches and disused buildings.They will be split into teams with one half wearing the shemaghs for identification.Members as young as 16 pay a £30 joining fee and receive an hour of health and safety training before battle.Over 40 have already signed up for the battle opening.Jenkins said the use of the shemaghs was to add authenticity to the experience and they were frequently used by British soldiers.He added that Airsoft is safer than paintballing as pellets only travel 30 to 40 metres.He said: "We simply use the shemaghs to differentiate between teams. Just because some terrorists."You can buy them on any high street and the British army give them to their own troops."They are very visible and can be easily spotted in battle. This is a very popular sport and people should remember it is just a game at the end of the day."BB guns are essentially toys."BB hand grenades, smoke grenades, night-vision scopes and silencers are also used during the battle.The guns, which can cost up to £1,000, include the ArmaLite M-16 replica which fires 200 rounds a minute at 350ft per second.One Nocton resident, who asked not to be named, said: "After the 7/7 bombings in London they assessed Lincolnshire as unlikely to be a hard target but useable for storage of terrorists and for training purposes."If we start allowing stuff like this we don't know what type of people it will attract."http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=557791&in_page_id=1770
As in the days of Noah....
