More than 83,000 people have signed a petition backing a British doctor who could lose his job for asking a Muslim woman to remove her veil.

超过8.3万人签署了一份请愿书，支持一名可能因要求穆斯林妇女摘下面纱而失业的英国医生。

Dr. Keith Wolverson, 52, insists he only asked the woman to remove her niqab, a veil covering all but the eyes, so he could hear her while trying to diagnose her daughter at Royal Stoke University Hospital last June.

52岁的Keith Wolverson医生坚持说，去年6月，他在皇家斯托克大学医院给她的女儿做诊断时，只要求这名妇女摘下她的面纱，这是一块只剩下眼睛的面纱，这样他就能听到她在说什么。

“I asked a lady to remove her face veil for adequate communication, in the same way I’d ask a motorcyclist to remove a crash helmet,” insisted Wolverson, a primary doctor for 23 years, according to the Independent.

据英国《独立报》报道，23年来一直担任主治医生的沃尔福森坚持说:：“我要求一位女士摘下面纱，以便进行充分的交流，就像我要求摩托车手摘下头盔一样。”

“I’m not racist. This has nothing to do with race, religion or skin color,” he previously told the Daily Mail.

他在接受《每日邮报》采访时说，“我不是种族主义者。这与种族、宗教或肤色无关，”

But the unidentified woman complained, and now Wolverson says he is “fearful of the consequences” of a formal probe by the UK’s General Medical Council (GMC) as well as a racial discrimination inquiry.

但这位身份不明的妇女做了投诉，Wolverson表示，他对英国医学委员会(GMC)的正式调查以及种族歧视调查的“后果很担心”。

“I’m a little bit sad the country has been committed to depths such as this,” he complained, having been suspended during the investigation, according to the report.

在调查期间被停职的他抱怨道:“我有点难过，这个国家已经陷入这样的困境。”

News of the probe sparked a change.org petition, “Stop Dr Wolverson getting fired,” which as of Sunday morning had more than 83,000 signatures.

有关调查的消息引发了change.org网站上的一份请愿书，题为“抗议Wolverson博士被解雇”，截至周日早上，该请愿书已经有83000多个签名。

“I have been absolutely bowled over by the support,” Wolverson said. “I am going to fight it until the bitter end.”

“我完全被他们的支持所折服，”Wolverson说。“我要战斗到底。”

The petition seeks to “save this man’s reputation.”

请愿书旨在“挽救这个人的名誉”。

“I believe he acted in the best interest of the child involved and there was no racist or religious discrimination in his actions,” the creator states.

请愿书发起者说：“我相信他所做的一切都是为了那个孩子的最大利益，他的行为没有种族主义或宗教歧视。”

“We need to ensure the General Medical Council treat this man fairly and look at all the evidence.”

“我们需要确保英国医学委员会公平对待这个人，并公布相关证据。”

The Doctors Association called on the GMC to issue “clear guidelines to protect both doctors and our patients,” according to the Independent.

据《独立报》报道，医生协会呼吁英国医学委员会公(GMC)发布“保护医生和患者的明确指导方针”。

“It is of utmost importance that the religious wishes of our patients are respected,” a spokesperson added.

一位发言人补充说：“最重要的是尊重病人的宗教意愿。”