Algerian woman denied French citizenship for refusing to shake man’s hand

A Muslim Algerian woman who wears the Niqab was denied receiving the French citizenship after she refused to shake a man’s hand.

The woman, who married a French national in 2010, was attending her citizenship ceremony when she refused to shake hands with a male official.

France’s highest administrative court upheld the decision to deny the Algerian national from obtaining the citizenship. The ceremony took place in Isere, south-east of France.

According to a ruling seen by AFP, the woman insisted that her “religious beliefs” prevented her from shaking hands with a senior official at the ceremony.

The government said her behavior showed she was “not assimilated into the French community.”

The woman appealed the decision to deny her citizenship in April last year, claiming it was an “abuse of power.”

However, the State Council supported the initial ruling and noted that the authorities applied the law appropriately.