(CBC) As Mahmoud Mourra was out hunting on the prairie in southern Alberta, he came across a familiar sight in an unfamiliar location: the dome of a mosque, replete with minaret and crescent symbol.
Only the mosque was not real. It was part of a training facility at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Suffield, about 250 kilometres southeast of Calgary.
Canadian Forces officials say such training facilities need to be as real as possible to simulate the types of environments that soldiers might see on tour. But for Mourra, who has made a life in Canada since emigrating from Lebanon decades ago, seeing the structure felt like a betrayal.
“It is a symbol not for terrorists, it is symbol for Muslims and I think that’s what is the problem,” he said.
