Rome, 30 March (AKI) - Italy's Supreme Court on Friday agreed with a lower court that a different culture was no reason for a Moroccan man to be allowed to beat his 12-year-old daughter for failing to correcetly recite the Koran.

The court upheld a ruling that the father was guilty of abuse and aggravated assault for hitting his daughter with a broom handle.

A defense lawyer argued that the culture of resident in northeastern coastal city of Ravenna allowed him to strike his daughter for "educational" reasons.

In the ruling, the judge said the father's actions were "violent and unjustifiable" for Italians and foreigners alike.