Army says sorry to Muslims over 'mosques' built on firing range

The Bradford Council for Mosques demanded the structures at Bellerby firing range at Catterick Garrison be taken down immediately.

Seven installations with distinctive green domed roofs have been put in place apparently to replicate conditions for troops ahead of engagements in Afghanistan.

The Army claimed it was vital soldiers trained in an environment which replicated where they were deployed, but last night a spokesman said plans were being laid to "restructure" the range in the wake of the controversy.

Muslim groups described the installations as "offensive".

The chief executive of the Bradford Council for Mosques, Mohammed Saleem Khan, said the shape and colour of the structures symbolised an Islamic place of worship.

"It is clearly very offensive. We feel there should be an apology and they should be removed straight away," he said.

"Anyone looking at it will think about mosques and Muslims and think about them negatively.

"What angers me very much is that we are conditioning the young British to say that mosques are a place where you are going to find danger and a place to target. That is really disturbing."

Colleague Ishtiaq Ahmed said the group was particularly angry as it had been assisting the Army in its efforts to recruit more Muslims to the forces.

"The shape of the structures, the colour of the dome – the green dome – symbolises an Islamic place of worship," he said.

"We were very angry, surprised and confused as to why the British Army have erected these structures. It is very silly and a major blunder on their part, and is very offensive to the Muslim community.

"They are extremely visible from the public road and they are near a holiday park so many people will be able to see them.

"The Army say they are training troops for the environment they may face in Afghanistan. But these mosques look just like mosques that could be found anywhere, such as London or Bradford.

"We have worked extremely hard over the last six months to improve the relationship between the British Army and Muslim communities to encourage young Muslims to take advantage of the job opportunities the British Army has to offer.

"Something like this undermines what we are trying to do and undermines the fragile relationship we have with them. They should be much more sensitive and understanding, particularly in the current difficult climate we all live in."

The Army yesterday said it had not intended to cause offence .

A spokesman said the structures were "generic Eastern buildings" and were not used as target practice.

He added: "We apologise for any offence that we may have caused. We are working with representatives from the Muslim community and will restructure the range.

"It was never our intention for these generic structures to look like or replicate mosques, only to provide a setting similar to operational environments in which our personnel could train.

"Providing the best training facilities for our armed forces ahead of deployment to operational theatres is a priority for us.

"Facilities at Bellerby have been upgraded in response to operational feedback from Afghanistan as it is crucial that our armed forces train at ranges that replicate the environment they will be deployed to. We have no intention of offending religious sensibilities."