Equal Justice: My Journey as a Woman, a Soldier and a Muslim

by Rabia Siddique

Muslim, lawyer, soldier, hostage. As the daughter of an Indian Muslim father and a white Australian mother, growing up in the conservative environment of 1970s Perth, Rabia Siddique was always going to be marked as different. Escaping her traumatic childhood, Rabia moved to London after graduating from law school to pursue her passionate commitment to social justice. She joined the British Army as a military lawyer just days after 9/11, finally finding herself stationed in Southern Iraq, where she pushed herself to make a difference in one of the most dangerous and testing environments on earth. On 19 September 2005, Rabia and another soldier were taken hostage by Islamic insurgents as they tried to negotiate the release of two kidnapped British SAS operatives. She battled for hours to save their lives, using her legal expertise, knowledge of Islam and Arabic to negotiate with their captors as a violent mob tried to storm the compound where she was being held. After their release, her colleague received a Military Cross, while Rabia received nothing. Her subsequent sex and race discrimination case against the British Army made headlines around the world. Her memoir is a story of grit, courage and conviction, born out of a unique perspective.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Feminism, Book Club, Australia, Memoir

272 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2013

Reviews

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so I'm pretty torn about this book.

It was a very compelling story, however, I feel it would have been better told by a third person. Sometimes people do some incredible things (and the author is definitely one of them) but maybe their stories would come off better if they let someone else tell if for them (I'm looking at you Mark Inglis)? The problem for me, I think, is that if a person is telling their own story it is obviously very one sided (no matter how balanced they try to be), we get no one else's views of the events, and nothing has to be fact checked. It just makes me feel a bit skeptical, sometimes manipulated, and I often spend time thinking 'But what does the other person recollect? Think? Feel?' or 'Did that really happen or is that just how you remember it?'. I also find the continued use of I, I, I a bit repetitive and tiresome.

That said, I do think this would be a good addition to girls' secondary school library collections. There are many positive messages in here and Siddique has lived a very interesting life. In fact, if anyone wants my copy to add to their library collection I'll be happy to send it to you :)

[Eilagh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow I felt this book missed the opportunity to be truly gripping. Part of the problem perhaps was to me a sketchy description of the incident which did not impart as much drama as it might have done. Good read - very interesting though.

[Olwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this I felt inspired to stand up more for myself as a woman, having seen a stronger woman do it already. It must have taken an immense amount of courage for Rabia to take on the established cultural norms of the British Army and stand up for what she believed was right, knowing that in doing so she would likely have to wave goodbye to her army career. Fortunately for us there were other more enlightened organisations ready to utilise her extensive skills. Its empowering reading.

Besides the feminist aspect, Rabia’s story is also an interesting insight into the culture and practices of the British army, and what life within a war zone is like.

[Julie Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book in three sessions. Rabia is an amazing woman. I believe her. She writes in a manner that you feel she is in the room talking to you. I'd like to know James version and the "official" version of the army. I'd also like to know if the passage of time and grandchildren has healed family wounds somewhat. I hope so. Thank you for sharing your story Rabia :-)

[Kym B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't rate this highly for the writing or creativity, I rated it highly for its daring truth and inspiring theme of equality for all.

[Maddi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Loved reading about Rabia’s passion for human rights and her intriguing life story as an Australian Muslim in the British Army! Not an overly gripping book and I still have a few questions, but overall a really motivating and inspiring story, especially for myself as a future human rights lawyer (hopefully!) ✨

[ZzZ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like she comes from a family of spies… there’s something majorly dodge about her. And I went on her 𝕏 profile and she has NEVER tweeted “Palestine 🇵🇸” in her 11 years on the site… which is funny as she mentions the “genocide” of Uyghurs in China… and about “Iran” (🫠)

[SteveRrread · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read. A memoir and story - of grit, courage and determination - born out of a unique perspective.
Focussing on perspective, I identify with the perspective of being born outside India but having lived there as a child / teenager. Similar to Rabia, I
have ancestral connection with Iran. My family has, also, intermarried with different ethnicity - Western and Eastern. My family has, also, had issues with religion and discrimination … be it Zoroastrian, Islam and Christianity. Lastly, I came to live in Perth, Western Australia, though older, about the same time (in 1975) that Rabia did.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book in a day. It was easy to read and such a compelling story. I'm sure what was conveyed by Rabia was only a portion of what she actually experienced. The way in which she expresses her story did not seem accusatory or drowned in emotion, it was fact based as pragmatic which demonstrates the high level of self awareness she must have.

[Jaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this amazing book. And holey Miley how did I not know about this amazing woman. Also why is this book being rated so low. Everyone and I mean everyone should read this book. This book has changed the way I see things and has definitely made it onto the list of the best books I've read this year. An obvious 5/5 read.

[Megan Crust · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an easy read and an interesting biography - it is incredible the path some people's lives take from 'ordinary' beginnings. I flet Rabia's account of her life in the British Army was very balanced and unbiased considering what she experienced.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A readable autobiography from a Western Australian (although many of the main events occur overseas). I would have liked to see the army's official account and explanation for why she was not included in the debrief and report of the incident, but Rabia has got her debrief out, finally.
3.5 stars

[Lib · Rating 5 out of 5]

This amazing woman has lived and is living her life to the fullest. Her accomplishments she declares humbly but I suspect truthfully throughout this book. I would recommend this book to everyone especially our youth. If they want it enough they too can fulfil your dreams and desires.

[Zohal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spontaneous reads can often be the best type of reads. That is definitely true of this book! :)

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rabia Siddique (2013) EQUAL JUSTICE (AUDIOBOOK)
BorrowBox - Bolinda Audio

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5 stars

BorrowBox writes, "Muslim, lawyer, soldier, hostage. Her memoir is a story of grit, courage and conviction, born out of a unique perspective.
As the daughter of an Indian Muslim father and a White Australian mother, growing up in the conservative environment of 1970s Perth, Rabia Siddique was always going to be marked as different. Escaping her traumatic childhood, Rabia moved to London after graduating from law school to pursue her passionate commitment to social justice. She joined the British Army as a military lawyer just days after 9/11, finally finding herself stationed in Southern Iraq.
On 19th September 2005, Rabia and another soldier were taken hostage by Islamic insurgents as they tried to negotiate the release of two kidnapped British SAS operatives. She battled for hours to save their lives, using her legal expertise, knowledge of Islam and Arabic to negotiate with their captors as a violent mob tried to storm the compound where she was being held. After their release, her colleague received a Military Cross, while Rabia received nothing. Her subsequent sex and race discrimination case against the British Army made headlines around the world."
=====
Full on.
=====
#RabiaSiddique #EqualJustice #Book #Books #Read #Reads #Reading #Review #Reviews #BookReview #BookReviews #GoodReads #Audiobook #Audiobooks #BorrowBox

[Arna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having seen the author present an inspiring and polished talk about her experiences, I was disappointed that her autobiographical account did not live up to the "live performance". It may well be that there were parts of her story that she can't tell, because of various confidentiality agreements and national security reasons, but I felt that there was so much more that could have been added, about her legal strategy for instance, and the outcome of the review of discrimination policies in the military, that I was left feeling excluded from what should have been an exciting and inspirational story.

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remarkable story about principles, determination and standing up for yourself, that is unfortunately let down by the clinically detached presentation. While I was impressed by Siddique, her values and her achievements, I really struggled to connect with her and some of the shocking events in her life. The writing style really lessened the impact of the book for me. I liked the way she tried to present a balanced view (perhaps too balanced at times) of events and her insights into her family, religion, the British military and life in a war zone. I am pleased to have read the book, and it was an easy read, but felt that it was not as good a read as it should have been.

[Gill Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interestomg premise for this memoir that didn't quite live up to the summary. Rabbia is an Australian/Indian muslim woman who becomes a lawyer with a focus on social justice. She joins the British Army after a stint in corporate and criminal law and heads to Iraq where things go wrong.

The story simply didn't have enough depths to satisfy me. Situations and lives where dealt with, for the most part, on the surface and not enough time was spent at each point in her life.

[Phoebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an incredible book, I couldn't put it down. Rabia's story is so engaging I had to keep turning the page to find out more. Reading Rabia's journey as a women, a soldier and a muslim was inspiring, what a strong woman. I felt so many emotions reading happy and excited and then angry and frustrated with the way she was treated differently because she was a women?

I definitely recommend this book!

[MG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to audiobook narrated by author. A very interesting memoir and story worth reading. There are important themes such as fortitude and resilience. I ignored the odd writing problem. I listened to the first three chapters dog walking and the next day finished it on a very long drive. The equivalent of not being able to put it down.

[Lorraine Tracey]

Brilliant read!
Such an amazing insight to Rabia's life. It was so inspiring and took me through joy, sadness, concern and now the hope that she will appear as a guest speaker somewhere in Perth so I can shake her hand!

[Sophia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened to the audio version of this on a flight. I didn’t find it very engaging, I enjoyed the chapters on Rabia’s upbringing but that was about it. She’s clearly an amazing woman, but I just felt that the story/language was lacking in emotion.

[Mat Greener · Rating 5 out of 5]

an amazing story of a woman Muslim challenging & succeeding in a predominantly white male environment. many things that has happened to her would put most people on a different route through life so everything she has achieved is even more awe inspiring

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but not gripping

[Kamal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring gutsy lady

[Anna Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating story about Rabia Siddique, human rights lawyer, and her experience of discrimination in the British Army.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Charlotte Cake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful and interesting. Would defo recommend for something non -fiction

[Carole888 · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and inspiring book by a remarkable person, who stayed courageous, determined and positive when times were tough. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

[Julie Swann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5