A FIRING range in Wirral is using pictures of runaway teen Shamima Begum for target practice — a decision condemned by the Muslim Council of Britain as “incredibly dangerous.”

Exclusive: a shooting range in Wallasey defends using images of Shamima Begum as target practice because of a ‘record number of requests’ from its customers. It allows people ‘to have some light-hearted fun bringing out the inner child in all” they tell us. More at 10am ⁦ pic.twitter.com/AzYlhY1ne6

— Victoria Derbyshire (@vicderbyshire) February 27, 2019

The Ultimate Airsoft Range says it began using photos of Ms Begum, who was groomed online and lured into joining Isis in 2015, in response to demand from customers.

Children as young as six can use the firing range, which also features targets such as Donald Trump, Rupert Murdoch, Adolf Hitler and Osama bin Laden.

But faith groups warn that the range’s move will promote violence against Muslim women who dress like Ms Begum.

Its bosses have defended the decision, saying in a statement to the BBC: “The targets provide some fantastic reactions and conversations and allow people to have some lighthearted fun and bring out the inner child in us all.

“The targets don’t always reflect personal opinions and we don’t want to condone terrorism. But after watching Ms Begum being interviewed, there was a lack of empathy that she had shown and we decided to listen to our customers and use [the images] as targets.”

In a statement, the Muslim Council of Britain warned: “In a society where hate and violence against Muslims, particularly Muslim women, is most prevalent and on the rise, it is deeply concerning that people requested an image of a real person as a shooting target, especially in the presence of young children.

“While people may feel strongly about Shamima Begum’s actions in joining [Isis] as a 15-year-old girl, it is incredibly dangerous to use this sentiment to feed into the broader dehumanising of Muslim women or lead to the incitement of violence towards those who happen to look or dress like Ms Begum.”

The sinister targets emerged at a time when the Begum family’s solicitor is facing a barrage of death threats and hate mail.

Lawyer Tasnime Akunjee has reported one anonymous letter to the police. It threatened that if he managed to assist Ms Begum’s return to Britain, “you will be punished most severely, you will not be the first person we have killed or the last.”

It goes on to say: “Within two or three weeks you will be brown bread. We know where you live, so we will be coming for you unless you drop the Begum case.”