"They just saw that she is a female Muslim officer who wears a hijab and decided she wasn't deserving as a result." Yes, this is correct
Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) profile pictureMetropolitan Police
@metpoliceukOct 22
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has responded to the unacceptable online abuse directed at a Met officer who received an award at yesterday's annual Police Federation Conference. PC Fiona Shaik Umar was recognised for the outstanding contribution she has made for women in policing.
I\u2019d like to congratulate Fiona on this well-deserved award for which she should rightly be very proud. She works in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, a frontline unit playing a vital role in the mission to protect our democracy by keeping Parliament and Parliamentarians safe.\u00A0 \u000B\u000BWe are currently advertising for additional talented, brave Londoners from all communities to join us. Every career path is open to you regardless of whether you happen to wear a kippa, turban or hijab like Fiona. She is being celebrated for being an excellent officer demonstrating this reality. \u000B\u000BBut it angers me that not for the first time, a day that should have been a celebration for Fiona was marred by hateful, intolerant abuse online. \u000B\u000BThese people haven\u2019t met Fiona. They know nothing of her important work. They just saw that she is a female Muslim officer who wears a hijab and decided she wasn\u2019t deserving as a result.\u00A0 \n

ALT I\u2019d like to congratulate Fiona on this well-deserved award for which she should rightly be very proud. She works in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, a frontline unit playing a vital role in the mission to protect our democracy by keeping Parliament and Parliamentarians safe.\u00A0 \u000B\u000BWe are currently advertising for additional talented, brave Londoners from all communities to join us. Every career path is open to you regardless of whether you happen to wear a kippa, turban or hijab like Fiona. She is being celebrated for being an excellent officer demonstrating this reality. \u000B\u000BBut it angers me that not for the first time, a day that should have been a celebration for Fiona was marred by hateful, intolerant abuse online. \u000B\u000BThese people haven\u2019t met Fiona. They know nothing of her important work. They just saw that she is a female Muslim officer who wears a hijab and decided she wasn\u2019t deserving as a result.\u00A0 \n

Readers added context they thought people might want to know
The vast majority of criticism was not because she is Muslim, but because she was not following very basic gun safety rules. Her finger was on the trigger and she pointed the barrel of the gun at a fellow officer. gunsafetyrules.nra.org hunter-ed.com/muzzleloader/s… x.com/BasilTheGreat/… x.com/WilkieisBack66… x.com/LozzaFox/statu…

Oct 22, 2026 · 4:06 PM UTC

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