Rabia Siddique (born 25 November 1971) is an Australian criminal and human rights lawyer, retired British Army officer, author, professional speaker and hostage survivor.
In 2008, she successfully sued the UK Ministry of Defence for discrimination after it failed to acknowledge the role she played in the rescue of two captured Special Forces soldiers in war-torn Iraq.
In April 2005, after being promoted to the rank of major, Siddique was deployed for a seven-month tour as the sole legal advisor to 12th Mechanised Brigade in Basra, Iraq.
[4] As a Muslim able to speak Arabic, Siddique worked closely with Iraqi authorities, earning the trust of local judges and legal officials.
[3] Siddique visited the cell where the British soldiers were held, negotiated for the removal of their hoods and chains and a set of conditions for the men to be released into her custody.
[4][6] Against advice from fellow officers, Siddique submitted a formal grievance with the Army Board, suing the UK Ministry of Defence for race and sex discrimination in May 2007.
[5] In June 2008, minutes before her case was due to be heard at Central London Employment Tribunal, the UK Ministry of Defence persuaded Siddique to settle out of court.
She was awarded an undisclosed sum as damages, a letter of apology and praise about her role at al-Jameat from the Chief of the General Staff, Sir Richard Dannatt.
In 2015, an audience of 1700 people gave her a standing ovation for her TEDx talk Courage Under Fire, and in 2016 Siddique was a state finalist in the Australian of the Year Awards.