Are you better protected against Islamophobia in France when, along with your veil, you wear a lawyer's robe, a nurse's coat or have the status of a journalist or a teacher?
For Slim Ben Achour, a lawyer at the Paris Court of Appeal, the answer is no.
“Women with higher levels of education are more visible and therefore more victims of racism,” he told Middle East Eye.
A specialist in equality and non-discrimination issues, Ben Achour has defended several Muslim women, including fellow lawyers, who were prevented from working or stigmatised in the workplace because of their headscarves.
One of his recent cases involves a business lawyer, Youssra Marzouq, who was targeted by Islamophobic attacks after a television report in November 2025 in which she appeared wearing a headscarf.
