France to deny citizenship to man who forced wife to wear burqa

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said Wednesday that he would sign a decree denying citizenship to a Moroccan man who forced his French wife to wear the all-body Islamic veil, DPA reported.

"It is French law. The civil code has foreseen for a long time that citizenship could be refused to anyone who does not respect the values of the republic," he told Europe 1 radio.

He said he had made the decision after the Council of State, the country's highest administrative court, said it had no objections to the move.

On Tuesday, Immigration Minister Eric Besson had sent the decree to Fillon, saying that preventing a spouse from going around with her face unveiled would be equivalent to rejecting "the principles of secularism and equality between men and women."

The measure is the latest move in the continuing attempt by the French government to limit or ban women from wearing the full-body veil, which is known in France by the Afghan term burqa.

Last week, a parliamentary commission recommended measures to prevent women from wearing the burqa on public transport and in other state venues, but stopped short of calling for a law to ban the garment outright.

Police estimate that fewer than 2,000 women in France wear the burqa.