I'll allow myself to add a few things.
First it depends a lot on where you plan to stay. The worst place to be is clearly Paris, even if it may not seem logical. It can also be the best depending on how you manage your life, but it's totally on you and your mental strength and will... It's the place where the extremes are most present and people most demonstrative of their... "opinions". In good or bad.
The other places to avoid to me are the North (Nord pas de Calais, Picardie...), and the South (especially the East like the Cote d'Azur). They're historically more inclined to racism, for multiple reasons. In the old days, mostly because foreign workers were cheaper and hence "stole" work from french workers, and now because of the strong immigration that causes multiple problems and causes people to make amalgams and just be racist (because it's easier than to just think for a minute you know... ).
On the other hand, there are some places where, I won't say we don't care but, we're more open. I'm from Normandy, and here or in Brittany people aren't really interested in all that. Except old people. We're historically lands of ports, merchants and exchange. So it's culturally normal to see all kind of people mixing. The proximity of England and the history of our regions with it might also play a role in that. The RN and other extremists parties are really less represented here than in others places. And I think the same might go with places like Alsace which has been shared with Germany a lot.
I am white too, but like olive skin, dark hair eyes and big nose white and I have many times been mistaken for either Maghrebian or East European and I never felt ill at ease because of that, except in Paris...๐
Really you shouldn't consider France out of what you see in the media. Even us, if we were to believe what they show us on TV we wouldn't put a foot out. But in the end, what is shown the most are isolated events. Often happening in the same perturbed places. And again, Paris or around it, or Marseilles mostly.
Mostly the problem isn't Muslim people. And most of us know it, hijabs are mostly accepted. The problem is proselytizing, and medias want to scare us showing only this extremity, with the few extremes Imams, burkas, too conservatives families or ideas etc. Normal people know how to make the difference really, you shouldn't worry too much. And your best allies will be other """good""" muslims (I think you'll understand the multiple "" ๐
). They will accept you in the community and also help you integrate. Because yes, unlike what racists people think, you can do both! Keep you culture AND live here in peace!
Really don't be afraid. It's like on the Internet, the screaming minority is what we see the most, but it's absolutely not representative!
