The purpose of this study is to investigate the lived experiences and treatment of Muslim women in their encounters with the social services. The primal themes for this study was: How does Muslim women experience the treatment of their case in the social services in a situation of need? How can the encounter and experience with the social services affect the clients trust in the social services?  What is the ideal treatment of women with a Muslim identity by the social services?

The aim of this study was to investigate and capture the respondents lived perceptions and experiences with the social services, and thus the qualitative interview methodology was implemented to answer the research questions and hypotheses. Seven interviews with Muslim women were conducted in various districts of Stockholm, a city in northern Sweden. Five of the respondents were of ethnic Swedish origin and two were of other ethic origin.

The results show that the majority of the respondents experienced a negative response at least once when in contact with the social services. Respondents emphasize that the unsafe and insecure meeting with the social worker was due to a non-verbal body language which they experience as an indication of preconceived notions about Muslim women, which is particularly experienced and described by the respondents with the Islamic headscarf. The trust in the social services decline in connection with the negative reflection of the respondents.

However, the lived experiences with the social worker and the social services have not all been of a negative nature. The suggested ideal is also taken from the respondents own lived experiences with the social services.  A pervasive and consistent ideal is that the respondents want to be listened to, understood and respected for who they are as well as empowered rather than suppressed. 

Key words: treatment, attitudes, Muslim women, social services, symbolic interactionism, trust, reliance (confidence) ideal, Rothstein, Mead, structural discrimination.

Nyckelord: bemötande, muslimska kvinnor, socialtjänsten, symbolisk interaktionism, tillit, förtroende, ideal, Rothstein, Mead, strukturell diskriminering.