London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 09, 2025

Britain's first hijab-wearing firefighter urges other Muslim women to follow her

Britain's first hijab-wearing firefighter urges other Muslim women to follow her

Uroosa Arshid says she gets some confused looks from members of the public as 'a lot of people do still stereotype firefighters' but she wants to see the fire service become 'so diverse that a stereotype isn’t possible'

Britain's first hijab-wearing firefighter has called on other Muslim women to follow in her footsteps.

Fire chiefs sourced a special fire-proof hijab for Uroosa Arshid to wear under her breathing apparatus.

The 27-year-old, from Aspley, Nottingham, said she gets some confused looks from members of the public.

But she is loving being in her dream job - and wants more women to join up for the fire service.

She said: “A lot of people do still stereotype firefighters, so when they see people like me they are very shocked and confused,” she said.

“You get all sorts of comments.

What is your view? Have your say in the comment section

“Partly because I’m a female and partly because of my faith and I wear hijab, but I do definitely get quite a few strange looks.

“When I say that I’m from the fire service some people think I’m some kind of a fraud coming to the door because they don’t quite believe me.

“But when they see the big red truck and all my team around me it kind of drills it in a little bit."

Uroosa always wanted to be a firefighter and says she dreamed about it since she was little.


“I’ve always viewed the service as very equal and diverse. It is a nice thing to know that I have broken down barriers," she said.

“I personally don’t feel as though I am anything special. I’m a normal person who wants to do the job.

“The job is incredible. It’s so rewarding. I go to work every day and know I am contributing and possibly helping to save lives."

The trailblazer now wants to see so many more women in the fire service that "you no longer feel like a minority."


She added: “I want it to be so diverse that a stereotype isn’t possible.

“I want to see women realising their potential and pursuing their goals, whatever they may be.

“I’ve actually found it really easy to practise my faith while being a firefighter and everything that’s involved.

“As a Muslim I try to pray five times a day, but the compulsory part of the prayer is only about five minutes long.


“So, if I have a few minutes I shoot off and do my prayer.

“If there’s something urgent that needs doing, I will of course do that first.

“But as long as there’s flexibility on both parts from my watch and the service, as well as myself, we can work through it.”

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “We are extremely privileged and honoured to be able to say we have the UK’s first hijabi firefighter.”

Matt Wrack, of the Fire Brigades Union, added: “Firefighters are no strangers to breaking down barriers and Uroosa is no different, paving the way for more female Muslim firefighters to join the service.

“We are pleased to see more people from minority ethnic communities are joining.

“Although this is a step in the right direction, there is still a woeful lack of race and gender diversity that needs to be addressed.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
×