Met Commissioner condemns 'vile' abuse of Muslim police officer after award

Sir Mark Rowley speaks out after PC Fiona Shaik Umar receives women in policing award

By LineZotpaper

Published22 October 2026

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Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has condemned the 'vile' racist and misogynistic abuse directed at PC Fiona Shaik Umar, a Muslim officer recognised for her work championing women in policing. Sir Mark revealed the award triggered an 'online tirade' that included an AI-generated image depicting the officer with a suicide bomb.

PC Umar, the first hijab-wearing officer within her policing area, received the Outstanding Contribution to Women in Policing Award at the Police Federation Annual Conference on Wednesday. The Police Federation commended her for leading the Hijab Project, which introduced new uniform options for Muslim women officers, and for her work supporting female officers and strengthening relationships between policing and Muslim communities.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's PM programme, Sir Mark Rowley said: 'The federation put out this really positive thing about this award, and the online tirade of vileness, of racist, anti-Islam and all sorts of other abuse, and misogynistic, was horrific.' Describing the AI-generated image as an extreme example, he added: 'I mean, the stuff out there is just vile.'

The commissioner said female officers, officers from minority ethnic backgrounds, and women MPs are more likely to suffer online abuse. 'This is a vile world to be a public servant in,' he said.

In a statement, Sir Mark Rowley said the case demonstrates that every career path is open regardless of whether an officer happens to wear a kippah, turban or hijab. He expressed anger that a day of celebration for PC Umar was 'marred by hateful, intolerant abuse online' from people who knew nothing of her important work and targeted her because she is a female Muslim officer who wears a hijab.

Reacting to the award in a video shared by the Metropolitan Police Federation, PC Umar said: 'I'm truly humbled to receive this award because I'm super passionate about the work I do around representation and inclusion for women in policing.' She said her daughter's question of 'Can women like you do that job?' drove her commitment to creating a space for women who look like her in policing across the UK.

Analysis

Why This Matters

Highlights the severe online abuse, including AI-generated imagery, targeting public servants, particularly women and ethnic minorities.
Raises questions about the safety and retention of officers from diverse backgrounds in UK policing.
Underscores the challenges faced by Muslim women in public-facing roles.

Background

PC Fiona Shaik Umar is the first hijab-wearing officer in her policing area. She was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Women in Policing Award for her work on the Hijab Project and supporting female and Muslim officers. The Police Federation is the representative body for police officers in the UK.

Key Perspectives

Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley: Condemned the abuse as vile and part of a pattern of online hatred targeting female and minority public servants, calling for the abuse to stop. PC Fiona Shaik Umar: Expressed humility at receiving the award and framed her work as ensuring representation so that women who look like her can see themselves reflected in policing. Critics and online abusers: Represented by the commissioner's account of an anonymous 'online tirade' involving racist, anti-Islam and misogynistic abuse, including a deepfake image.

What to Watch

Whether the Met investigates the AI-generated image and threats as a criminal matter.
Wider policy debate in the UK around protections for public-serving officials and regulation of AI-generated abuse.
Potential impact on police recruitment and retention from minority backgrounds.

Sources

Met Commissioner slams 'awful abuse' of Muslim female officer · The Standard London

Checked

11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedThe Met Commissioner condemned vile abuse of a Muslim police officer after she received an award.The Standard London: “Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has condemned the “vile” racist and misogynistic abuse directed at a Muslim police officer after she received an award for championing women in policing.”
SupportedSir Mark Rowley spoke out after PC Fiona Shaik Umar received a women in policing award.The Standard London: “Pc Fiona Shaik Umar was recognised for her “exceptional commitment” to supporting female officers and improving representation at the Police Federation Annual Conference on Wednesday.”
SupportedRowley said the award triggered an online tirade that included an AI-generated image depicting Umar with a suicide bomb.The Standard London: “Sir Mark revealed that the award had triggered an “online tirade” of abuse, including an AI-generated image depicting the officer with a suicide bomb.”
SupportedUmar was the first hijab-wearing officer within her policing area and received the Outstanding Contribution to Women in Policing Award at the conference on Wednesday.The Standard London: “Pc Umar, the first hijab-wearing officer within her policing area, was presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Women in Policing Award.”
SupportedRowley said: “The federation put out this really positive thing about this award, and the online tirade of vileness, of racist, anti-Islam and all sorts of other abuse, and misogynistic, was horrific.”The Standard London: ““The federation put out this really positive thing about this award, and the online tirade of vileness, of racist, anti-Islam and all sorts of other abuse, and misogynistic, was horrific.””
SupportedRowley described the AI-generated image as an extreme example before saying: “I mean, the stuff out there is just vile.”The Standard London: ““At one extreme, somebody did an AI-generated image and put a suicide bomb on her. “I mean, the stuff out there is just vile.””
SupportedRowley said female officers, officers from minority ethnic backgrounds, and women MPs are more likely to suffer online abuse.The Standard London: “Sir Mark said female officers, and those from minority ethnic backgrounds, are more likely to suffer online abuse. He added that the same is true for women MPs”
SupportedThe Federation commended Umar for leading the Hijab Project, which introduced new uniform options for Muslim women officers, and for supporting female officers and strengthening links with Muslim communities.The Standard London: “Pc Umar was commended by the federation for leading the development of the Hijab Project, through which new uniform options were introduced to meet the needs of Muslim women officers. She has provided one-to-one support to Muslim officers and staff and strengthened relationships between policing and Muslim communities, the federation said.”
SupportedIn a statement, Rowley said every career path is open regardless of whether an officer wears a kippah, turban or hijab, and said the abuse marred a day of celebration for Umar.The Standard London: ““Every career path is open to you regardless of whether you happen to wear a kippah, turban or hijab like Fiona.” “But 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.””
SupportedUmar said: “I'm truly humbled to receive this award because I'm super passionate about the work I do around representation and inclusion for women in policing.”The Standard London: ““I’m truly humbled to receive this award because I’m super passionate about the work I do around representation and inclusion for women in policing.””
SupportedUmar said her daughter's question, “Can women like you do that job?”, drove her efforts to create space for women who look like her in policing across the UK.The Standard London: ““I never thought about a career in the police until my daughter at the time said to me, ‘Can women like you do that job?’, and I was really offended because obviously she’d never seen anyone who looked like me being a police officer, and it’s because of that that I have continued to do this work and to try and create a space for women who look like me in policing across the UK.””