Keynote - Gifts From A Crisis

BY DAVID CAIN, SENIOR ADVISOR, COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

Wow! Rabia Siddique is an inspirational woman with an intriguing background that engaged all of our members as we heard her share her life’s story. We now know that she is a criminal and human rights lawyer, a retired British Army officer, a former terrorism and war crimes prosecutor, professional TUESDAY’S KEYNOTE SPEAKER speaker, trainer, MC, RABIA SIDDIQUE facilitator and published author. But as they say, there is more to the story! Here are just a few of the many quotes from our members as they listened to Rabia tell her amazing personal life story . . . .

“I am deeply moved by her powerful force for advocating for others, starting with protecting her brother at the age of 10”. Her story, “Makes having to work from home and dealing with COVID so trivial”.

“Thanks Rabia, what an amazing, brave and strong woman you are!”

“Amazing life story, beautifully told, real life lessons!” “Best keynote speaker I have ever seen. Thank you Rabia and CSMFO.”

“Love this! Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us today!”

“So inspiring, powerful, strong, brave, and kind!” “Shukrun Rabia!!! You are an inspiration.”

“Speechless... she is one strong and inspirational soul!”

“Thank you. Very inspiring. Makes me more motivated to get out of my comfort zone!” Rabia shared the challenges she had growing up in Australia and the abuse she suffered at a very young age and her coming to the defense of her bother when she was only ten years old. However, these would not be the only challenges Rabia would face in her life. From those early hard learned lessons of life, she focused on being a criminal defense lawyer and youngest ever federal prosecutor in Western Australia. Rabia then moved to the United Kingdom in 1998 where she was eventually commissioned as a Legal Officer in the British Army in 2001. An altercation occurred during her time serving the British Army that gained worldwide attention which riled Siddique after the incident was covered up by the Government. After rescuing two Special Force soldiers from Iraqi insurgents in Basra, Rabia’s colleague received a Military Cross whilst her participation was merely dismissed. Ordered by the British Military to never speak of how she was taken hostage while negotiating the release of captured Special Forces soldiers, Rabia developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In a fight for justice, she brought the case against the UK Ministry of Defense and won. Her brave action of suing the British Government for sexism and racism, against public ridicule, became a catalyst for policy change to ensure a fairer workplace for women and cultural minorities in the military. Having survived a 2005 hostage ordeal in Basra, Iraq, Rabia committed to living each day with purpose, serving others and speaking her truth. She went on to become a Crown Advocate in the British Counter Terrorism Division, prosecuting Al Qaeda terrorists and hate crimes and advising on war crime prosecutions in The Hague.

In 2013, Rabia authored and published her memoir ‘Equal Justice’, which told the story of her strength, resilience, bravery, conviction and determination. A common thread in all her roles is a desire to make the world a better place, to give voice to the voiceless and to lift up those around her so that they may be the best version of themselves. Consistently striving for personal and professional growth, Rabia’s most rewarding challenge is being a Mum to her triplet sons, now 12 years old. Rabia closed out her personal story with these key lessons (“Gifts”) we can all learn from a crisis. • We must choose to confront our realities – accept and embrace this new world we live in. • We must choose to challenge our perspectives – see the opportunities and gifts. • We must protect hope – focus on the silver linings. • We must choose to do things differently – do the uncomfortable and embrace our inner GIANT. Taking inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi, Rabia lives by the words, “be the change you wish to see” in the world. I want to close with one final quote from one of our members who had their own story to tell. They asked the following questions we all need to answer. “How will you choose to show up? Who will you choose to become? What mark will you leave on your world as a result of what you have learned?”