Authorities have denied citizenship to a man who forced his French wife to wear a face-covering veil, saying he had rejected national values of secularism and gender equality.

The government is moving toward banning head-to-toe veils in public after a long public debate over French national identity in the age of globalization.

The couple were not identified, but news reports said the man is a Moroccan and a member of the hard-line Tabligh missionary movement.

Immigration Minister Eric Besson said Feb. 3 the decision was rooted in French law, which permits authorities to reject applicants who fail to respect national values.

Besson's office said the man's application was rejected because officials had determined that he had deprived his wife of the freedom to go about with her face uncovered.