Fighting for Hakeem
How People Power Challenged Two Monarchies, a Military Junta, and the World's Largest Sporting Institutions...and Won
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Fighting for Hakeem
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Narrated by:
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Craig Foster
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Anthony LaPaglia
About this listen
With a foreword by Anthony Lapaglia.
Football is the world game. It unites. At a grassroots level it creates communities and, in 2019, those communities helped save the life of one of its own.
In 2012, Hakeem al-Araibi was a promising young player on Bahrain's national football team when he was arrested for attacking a police station during the Arab Spring, despite television footage showing him playing soccer at the time of the alleged attack. After three months of torture and wrongful imprisonment, Hakeem was released. He fled the country and made his way to Australia, where he was granted refugee status. Hakeem made a life here and was playing for the suburban Pascoe Vale Football Club, in Melbourne. He thought he was safe.
But, in November 2018, on a holiday to Thailand with his wife, Hakeem was again arrested. The Bahraini government wanted to extradite him to face a ten-year jail sentence, or worse. What happened next shows the best of what soccer can do, and the worst the governing body of FIFA brings. If it wasn't for the Australian soccer community and former Socceroo Craig Foster, Hakeem may never have been freed.
This powerful memoir reveals how a local soccer legend fought tirelessly to help bring home a man he'd never met. From Pascoe Vale to Switzerland, Canberra to Thailand, Foster raised his voice and tens of thousands of Australians were galvanised to #FreeHakeem. Foster lobbied FIFA and the United Nations and worked with human rights organisations worldwide to enable Hakeem's safe return to his wife in Australia.
Despite being from different backgrounds, religions and generations, Craig Foster and Hakeem al-Araibi are united forever through their love of the world game and their fight for freedom.
Craig Foster is Australia’s 419th Socceroo and its 40th captain with 29 appearances. Following his on-field retirement, he has combined an awardwinning broadcast and media career with a number of social, governmental and diplomatic roles.
These include as former CEO and Chairman of Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), the Australian players’ representative body, programs for refugee and Indigenous children and the homeless. Craig is a Refugee Ambassador with Amnesty International, a member of the Australia Committee of Human Rights Watch, the Australian Human Rights Institute (UNSW) and Australian Multicultural Council.
©2019 Craig Foster, Alex Engel-Mallon (P)2023 Audible Australia Pty Ltd.What listeners say about Fighting for Hakeem
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sonia beecher
- 04-07-2023
Very interesting listen
I found this book to be a fascinating ‘read’ never realising before what was involved in saving Hakeem. What an amazing job done by all. Something Hakeem will never forget and in his own way I am sure will pay back in spades.
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- Anonymous User
- 10-05-2024
Under the iceberg
I knew of the story but what incredible persistence and resilience from so many incredibly dedicated people. A true wonder of an Australian story.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 27-10-2023
Amazing listen
Well written
Well read
Inspiring and uplifting
Contrasting the best and the worst of human nature
And the intersection of global powers and regular people in Australia and elsewhere.
Craig foster is an extraordinary person
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kindle Customer
- 11-06-2023
brilliant!
what amazing powers of human resources coming together to do what was right! compelling read!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- julie minogue
- 13-05-2023
Wow ! Incredible couldn’t stop listening
This is one of the best books I’ve listened too. Incredible to hear how passionate people on all level’s working together were able to achieve the release of an innocent “kid” we all know as Hakeem, AND the insight into how Royalty rules and treats their own citizens. It’s enough for me to never travel to certain countries. Thank you to these incredible individuals (authors) for sharing this real life experience with us all. I’ve never sobbed so hard. #youdidit !!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Judy Townsend
- 08-07-2023
A really good read!!
This book is a great read for all!
It shows what the power of dedicated people from all walks of the community can achieve by just not giving up. I had no idea at the time when I simply signed a petition, the work that was going into saving Hakeem. Although Craig downplays his part, if I was a sticky situation, I’d certainly want him on my team. Great job everyone who played apart in the release of Hakeem… you should be all so very very proud!
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- Jack
- 10-07-2023
Fascinating recount of overcoming challenges
This book is a truly incredible tale retold by Craig Foster, Hakeem a protected refugee in Australia travels to Thailand on his honeymoon with his wife and they get stuck. The complexity in this story with so many different political and social factors make it unbelievably gripping. The show of teamwork and strength to free Hakeem is quite remarkable, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in how movements occur and how social media can be used for good.
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- Anonymous User
- 26-06-2023
Captivating narration and story thank you
I lived through this time and had not appreciated the work that had gone to saving Hakeem.
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- Anonymous User
- 01-11-2024
An amazing story of courage, perseverance and people power
Well worth listening to and it's great that the book's author is also the narrator! An amazing story which is bigger than just one football player! ⚽
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