A student has failed in his bid to sue Oxford University for racial discrimination.

Nadeem Ahmed, 34, claimed a professor had made racist remarks to him, and had passed a beginner in Arabic while he, an experienced student in the subject, had failed.

Mr Ahmed was forced to leave his master's degree in medieval Arabic philosophy at Hertford College after he failed an informal language test in 1999.

But Judge Jonathan Playford QC said yesterday at Reading Crown Court that there were insufficient grounds and lack of evidence for discrimination.

He said Mr Ahmed and his tutor -- poet and critic Dr Tom Paulin, who backed his claims -- had been mischievous in their unfounded claims of racism.

But the judge also criticised the university's flawed examination procedures. A spokesman for the university said steps had been taken to formalise these.

Jane Clark, a beginner in Arabic, passed the informal language test. The third student on the course, British-born Rahim Pirani, who had little previous experience in the subject, failed.

The test had no pass mark, was not second-marked, and was not properly invigilated.

Mr Ahmed, of Jericho, Oxford, alleged his professor, Dr Friedrich Zimmermann, had shown hostility towards him from the outset of the course and had made racist remarks.

Mr Ahmed complained to anti-racist officers at the university's student union, and to the School of Oriental Studies' governing body. But Judge Playford said he found it hard to believe that Dr Zimmermann, a man who had dedicated his life to the study of another language and culture, would be racist.

He also criticised the conduct of Dr Paulin who made about 200 phone calls regarding the case, but did not directly approach Dr Zimmermann.

He said Dr Paulin had been "excitable and may have had his own axe to grind regarding Dr Zimmermann".

He said there was no evidence of unfair discrimination against Mr Ahmed, racial or otherwise, and he had been hypersensitive.

He added: "I find Mr Ahmed to be a highly gifted student but a man who is capable of dishonesty when it suits him."

Mr Ahmed's lawyers said they were considering taking the case to the Court of Appeal. Mr Ahmed said: "I'm flabbergasted."