A retired author was left outraged after being told to move by "a group of Muslim men" in a hospital chapel.
Graham Wanstall said he was visiting Kent and Canterbury Hospital as a patient when he went to the facility's chapel for a moment of reflection and prayer.
However, not long after he had been in the chapel, a group of men entered and immediately asked him to move "very abruptly".
Wanstall, from Dover, said he felt "belittled and humiliated" by the men who he said were doctors at the hospital.
Kent and Canterbury Hospital
Google Maps
He told GB News: "They said they had a prayer meeting, and I was in the way. They asked me to move.
"Being very English and instinctively reasonable, I said 'I don't mind moving a couple of rows if you want to be together.' So I moved a couple of rows and they still weren't happy. They wanted me to move again."
When he asked where they wanted him to sit, Wanstall said: "They picked up a chair and put it in the corner of the chapel.
"So in other words, I was being treated as a naughty school boy facing away from the altar, which is disrespectful."
The chapel inside Kent and Canterbury Hospital
East Kent Hospitals and University
In "protest" against the group, Wanstall told GB News he decided to simply leave.
He added: "I felt belittled and humiliated by them. I had to make a decision. I was on my own, no witnesses.
"There were several Muslim men who were quite determined to get me out of the way. So I had to make a very quick decision.
"I thought 'it's better to make a protest', which I did, politely but firmly, and leave because it could have escalated."
Now, Wanstall has said that while he has been liaising with the hospital, he is calling for separate spaces for Muslims to practice their faith.
He told GB News: "The signage says chapel, and when you go in, it's just a chapel. There's a cross, maybe a picture of Christ, an altar and chairs.
"There are no signs of any other religion, and it doesn't say multi-faith room. But I understand, unofficially, they use it because they haven't got their own room.
"I don't go around preaching to anybody about my faith, but I strongly object to being interfered with when I'm in a Christian chapel and when I'm effectively thrown out and asked to move, I strongly object to that.
"So I'd rather resolve this, and if we could somehow create their own room so it doesn't happen again, I'd be happy. I don't want to be confrontational. I stress. I want to sort this out so both religions are respected.
"My aim would be to be constructive, to help them get their own room. And apparently the chaplain told me she's been trying to get it for over 20 years, but the trust won't do it."
The Kent and Canterbury Hospital
Google Maps
On the website, the trust says: "There are Chapels/Prayer Rooms in all our hospitals which are open for everyone to use for a bit of peace and quiet or to reflect and pray, regardless of religious belief or lack of it. They are clearly signposted and easily accessible.
"In some of our hospitals there are also special rooms set aside for use by those belonging to religions other than Christian."
A spokesman from East Kent Hospitals Trust told GB News: "Our multi-faith rooms are available to staff, patients and visitors.
"They provide a quiet space for prayer and reflection to members of all faiths and beliefs.
"On a Friday, the Muslim community meet for communal prayer. Our chaplaincy team are committed to facilitating support for all patients and staff across the Trust."
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