Join us for an interview, Q&A, and a tasty breakfast with Rabia Siddique. Originally from Perth, Rabia trained in law and was deployed in Iraq as a lawyer and human rights monitor for the British Army. After an incident in which she was held hostage, she made headlines fighting in the courts for recognition of her role in that day's events. Her new book, Equal Justice, tells all.
During her deployment in Iraq, Rabia Siddique's knowledge of Arabic and willingness to engage with Iraqi culture lead to a good rapport with the local law enforcement and judiciary, a feat many others had failed to accomplish. That's why when two plain-clothed SAS officers were kidnapped by Iraqi police in September 2005, she was the only person the they would negotiate with. They asked for her by name. Sent in to talk the British Army out of a very sticky situation, she and another soldier were themselves taken hostage after the police compound was overrun by angry extremists. After hours of level-headed bargaining and negotiating, and with British tanks rolling in, her captors were finally persuaded to release her and all of the other hostages. Her colleague received the Military Cross for his role in the events. For her part, Rabia received nothing more than a hug; she was not debriefed and her name was not even mentioned in the operational report. Instead of accepting the slight without making a fuss, she fought for recognition.
Her new book, Equal Justice, is the story of that fight. Issues of discrimination in the military continue to make waves in the Australian media, and as an accomplished lawyer, a soldier, a Muslim and a woman, Rabia is uniquely placed to speak about them. This event is bound to be enlightening and thought-provoking, touching on issues of gender, race and religion in our wider community as well as in Rabia's own life.
