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Muslim leaders in Britain are outraged about a new game that calls for camouflaged players to shoot BBs at "enemy" players dressed in traditional Arab headdresses, or shemaghs.

The game's creators, however, say using the shemaghs is the "easiest way to tell who the enemy are," according to a report in the London Daily Mail.

"Any sort of game that associates guns and violence with a particular culture is clearly wrong," said Mokhtar Badri, executive member of the Muslim Association of Britain.

"They could use any other type of color or dress to tell between teams which would not cause offense," Badri is quoted in the Mail.

The Zulu-1 Tactical Airsoft Simulations game’s founders, Peter Jenkins, 41, and Darren Howells, 42, deny that using shemaghs is racist.

"We simply use the shemaghs to differentiate between teams," Jenkins is quoted in the newspaper. "Just because some terrorists decide to wear them doesn't make it racist."

Airsoft participants dress in camouflage or shemaghs and use replica machine guns, pistols and sniper rifles that fire 6 mm BBs at their opponents. The game is held at a former Royal Air Force hospital on 20 acres of land in Nocton, Lincs, England, and enthusiasts say it is safer than paintball.

More than 40 people have signed up for the game, which is expected to pit 120 players against each other over woodland, trenches and empty buildings.

According to the Zulu-1 Web site, the game is open to anyone over 16 and participants first must attend a health and safety briefing.




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