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A consultant unleashed a 'tirade of abuse' at two men in a hospital prayer room because they belonged to a different branch of Islam, a disciplinary tribunal has heard. Dr Nuri Attagour, a Sunni Muslim, subjected two Shia Muslims to a barrage of 'derogatory names' during a five to 10 minute outburst which occurred during the call to prayer near the end of Ramadan.

Dr Attagour, a locum consultant physician, has now been handed a three-month suspension following the incident at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary Hospital in Wigan, Greater Manchester, after a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service panel ruled him guilty of serious misconduct.

The tribunal determined that Dr Attagour launched a 'tirade of abuse' at two men, identified as Dr A and Mr B, inside the prayer room at lunchtime on April 19, 2023 and at Mr B the day after. The consultant, the panel concluded, branded the pair 'infidels', 'filthy' and 'disbelievers'.

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He also informed them that the direction in which they prayed was incorrect, that they were 'the biggest threat to Islam', and labelled them 'Kafir' which translates to infidels in Arabic. On April 20 Dr Attagour told Mr B he did not wish to be with Shia Muslims 'in this life or the afterlife', that 'he would be burning in the hellfire' and described Shia Muslims as 'low, evil, disgusting and liars'.

The tribunal was told that at the time, the majority of Muslims employed at the hospital 'appeared to be Sunni'. Dr A described the experience as 'very unpleasant and toxic', while Mr B called it an 'unexpected degradation' and a 'humiliation', reports Manchester Evening News.

Dr Attagour acknowledged that a 'verbal altercation' had occurred but denied making many of the alleged remarks.

He said: "I am genuinely remorseful about my behaviour that day. However, I feel there has been an element of embellishment in the accounts of [Dr A] and [Mr B] about what I said to them."

The tribunal heard that Dr Attagour has since undertaken 'remediation work', including completing courses in equality, diversity and human rights, as well as volunteering at a Shia mosque. Despite the conflicting testimonies, the panel concluded it was 'more likely than not' that Dr Attagour had made the alleged comments.

The panel determined that Dr Attagour held a 'prejudice' towards Shia Muslims 'based on his own beliefs as a Sunni Muslim and his experience in his formative years in Libya'. They further noted he was 'not being wholly truthful in his account and may have been embarrassed about how he had behaved'.

In a statement issued earlier this year, Dr Attagour said he now accepted his actions constituted 'direct discrimination', adding: "This is purely because, due to their religious beliefs being different to mine." The tribunal concluded that Dr Attagour's conduct constituted 'religious intolerance of a serious nature' and 'direct discrimination and harassment', finding him guilty of serious misconduct. He received a three-month suspension of his registration, subject to an appeal period.