Dubai: The French government has refused to grant citizenship to a man who forced his wife to wear the full Islamic veil or niqab, the BBC reported on Wednesday.
The man needed citizenship to settle in France with his French wife.
Immigration Minister Eric Besson said the application was turned down because the man was impeding on his wife's rights not to wear a veil.
Your guide to Islamic veils
"It became apparent during the regulation investigation and the prior interview that this person was compelling his wife to wear the all-covering veil, depriving her of the freedom to come and go with her face uncovered, and rejected the principles of secularism and equality between men and women," he said.
Besson's decree has now been sent to Prime Minister Francois Fillon for approval. He stressed that French law required anyone seeking naturalisation to demonstrate their desire for integration.
