Asian Muslim woman wins race case

An Asian woman working as a lawyer in British Army has won a racial discrimination case against the force after she claimed that she was victimised for being a Muslim.

36-year-old Major Rabia Siddique, who worked for the Army Legal Services, alleged she had been targeted for her faith and being an "Asian woman" before being subjected to months of sexual, religious and racial discrimination.

Major Siddique, an Australian-born British citizen brought up as a Muslim, claimed that her role in negotiations to rescue two SAS soldiers in Basra in September 2005 was marginalised when she was awarded a minor decoration while a senior officer was given the Military Cross.

Yesterday, the Chief of the General Staff, Sir Richard Dannatta, applauded her role as an interpreter and legal adviser in the tense stand-off between Iraqi police and British troops.

Major Siddique launched a case for a 625,000-pound compensation but after a day of negotiations between her lawyers and the Ministry of Defence (MoD), an undisclosed settlement was reached.

Her lawyer, Joanna Wade, said Maj Siddique had been "very happy" with the agreement, but refused to divulge details. Part of the deal was the letter from Gen Dannatta.

Maj Siddique, who is still a serving member of the Army but leaving to become a civil lawyer, said she was proud of her achievements since joining the Army in 2001, after qualifying as a lawyer in 1996.

An MoD spokesman said: "We can confirm that Major Siddique's claims have been resolved without admission of liability and without recourse to the employment tribunal".