Paris - French authorities have excluded a Muslim woman from a language course necessary for citizenship because she was wearing a burqa, the French daily Le Figaro reported on Friday.

In a decision rendered last month, the High Authority Against Discrimination and for Equality (HALDE) said that in certain regards the wearing of a burqa "is detrimental to republican values."

The decision was based on an assessment that wearing an all-body veil, such as the burqa which covers the entire body except for a slit for the eyes, hinders the teaching of language because
the instructor is unable to look at the student's face "to observe the expressions... accompanying the words."

As a result, HALDE found that forcing students to remove a burqa does not constitute religious discrimination.

Without completing the obligatory language course, the woman - who was not identified - will be unable to become a French citizen and remain in the country.

In July, the Council of State, the French supreme court for administrative justice, ruled that a 32-year-old Moroccan woman married to a Frenchman could be denied French citizenship because
of her religious practices, such as wearing a burqa.

That was the first-ever legal judgment on the ability of a foreigner to be assimilated in French society because of his or her religious practices. (dpa)