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. https://t.co/KfqAdNAa4f
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) October 22, 2026
I suspect part of the problem here is a fundamental difference between British and American firearms culture.
In Britain, firearms are sufficiently restricted that, for most people, getting your hands on one involves obtaining the appropriate government permissions, satisfying various legal requirements, and presumably presenting a signed note from the Archbishop of Canterbury confirming that you are a responsible adult.
Meanwhile, over here in the United States, we crazy Americans can, (subject to the applicable laws,) just BUY THE DAMN THINGS.
We own them. We shoot them. We clean them. We take them to the range. Some of us own enough firearms to equip a moderately sized Central American republic.
Contrary to what many of you seem to believe, this does not mean we’re all wandering around our living rooms casually pointing loaded shotguns at Uncle Bubba while shouting “YEEHAW!” Quite the opposite, actually. Because we regularly handle firearms, responsible American gun owners develop habits specifically intended to prevent Uncle Bubba from having to explain to an emergency-room physician why he’s suddenly acquired an additional hole leaking important biological fluids.
We follow multiple, overlapping safety rules precisely because we understand that mechanical devices can fail, people can make mistakes, and bullets are notoriously reluctant to return to the barrel once they’ve been fired.
And this brings us to the photograph.
The reason people are criticizing the officer in the hijab is not, contrary to your fascinating theory, that she is a WOMAN. Or that she is a MUSLIM. Or that she is wearing a HIJAB.
It’s that she’s handling a firearm in a manner that violates basic firearms safety principles.
Here’s the really astonishing part:
WE EXPECT TRAINED PROFESSIONALS TO KNOW BETTER. I know. Shocking. We expect electricians not to lick exposed wires. We expect surgeons to wash their hands. We expect airline pilots to remember that LANDING is generally considered an important part of flying. We expect police officers to demonstrate safe firearms handling.
These expectations do not magically disappear because the professional in question happens to belong to a demographic group you believe requires special protection from criticism. In fact, I’d argue that holding her to a LOWER standard because she’s a Muslim woman would be considerably more insulting than holding her to the exact same standard as every other armed professional.
Her religion is irrelevant. Her sex is irrelevant. Her clothing is irrelevant.
HER FIREARMS HANDLING IS THE ISSUE.
And if your first instinct upon seeing someone criticize unsafe firearms handling is to accuse them of religious bigotry rather than examine the actual safety concern, I would respectfully suggest that you have confused firearms safety with a sociology seminar.
This would be merely annoying if we were discussing something harmless, like the proper way to load a dishwasher. Unfortunately, we’re discussing a device specifically designed to propel a piece of metal at extremely high velocity. Those devices, unlike internet political arguments, have a nasty habit of producing consequences that cannot be fixed by deleting your post.