The young Muslim pupil at a high school in Seine-Saint-Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris, says he has been growing his beard out for two years.
But the facial hair is not to the liking of the school's headmaster, who reportedly asked the pupil to trim it back.
"I explained that I grew it for religious reasons, and he said it was a sign of radicalization and told me: You cut it or you leave," the student told Le Parisien newspaper.
There are no rules against pupils having beards, and the 21-year-old was quick to point out that he wasn't alone in having one.
"I'm not the only one with a beard, there are teachers and students that have them," he said. "It's important to me, the Prophet [Mohammed] had one," he said.
The bearded pupil said that he has since told the headmaster that he would be dropping out of the school. [The Local] Read more
