Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

'No action against Mo Farah': UK after former Olympic champion's trafficking revelation

London’s Labour mayor Sadiq Khan said: “Everything Sir Mo has survived proves he’s not only one of our greatest Olympians but a truly great Briton.”

'No action against Mo Farah': UK after former Olympic champion's trafficking revelation

Olympic great Mo Farah won praise from across Britain's political spectrum Tuesday after the shock revelation that he was illegally trafficked as a child to the country and forced to work in domestic servitude.

The 39-year-old distance runner, one of Britain's best-loved and most successful athletes, told a BBC documentary that his real name is Hussein Abdi Kahin.

Rather than moving to the UK as a refugee from Somalia with his parents as previously claimed, Farah said he came from Djibouti aged eight or nine with a woman he had never met, was given a false identity, and then made to look after another family's children.

In fact, he said, his father was killed in civil unrest in Somalia when Farah was aged four and his mother, Aisha, and two brothers live in the breakaway state of Somaliland.

"The truth is I'm not who you think I am," Farah said in the documentary, explaining that his mother wanted him far removed from Somalia's civil wars.

He said his children had encouraged him to tell the truth about his past.

"That's the main reason in telling my story because I want to feel normal, and don't feel like you're holding on to something."

The admission could have raised questions about Farah's UK citizenship, but the interior ministry said he was in the clear.

"No action whatsoever will be taken against Sir Mo and to suggest otherwise is wrong," a Home Office spokesperson told AFP.

The ministry's guidance absolves children of blame if parents or guardians are later found to have obtained their immigration status under false pretences.

'Heartbreaking'
Popularly known as "Sir Mo" after he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017, Farah completed the 5,000m and 10,000m double at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics.

The London Games in particular catapulted him to stardom in Britain. Finance minister and Conservative leadership candidate Nadhim Zahawi said Farah remained "truly inspirational".

Zahawi, whose Kurdish family fled Iraq for Britain when he was 11, told BBC TV that hearing Farah reveal his life story made him feel "heartbroken, painful".

"All I can say is I salute Mo Farah," he said.

Lisa Nandy, a senior member of the opposition Labour party, said Farah's decision to speak out could be a "gamechanger" for other victims of trafficking.

"I spent a decade working with children who were trafficked to the UK and everything about this is heartbreaking," Nandy tweeted.

London's Labour mayor Sadiq Khan said: "Everything Sir Mo has survived proves he's not only one of our greatest Olympians but a truly great Briton."

"We must build a future where these tragic events are never repeated," he added, at a time when the UK government is trying to send asylum claimants to Rwanda under a scheme to deter cross-Channel migrants.

'Get out and run'
Farah's wife Tania said in the year leading up to their 2010 wedding she realised "there were lots of missing pieces to his story" but she eventually "wore him down with the questioning".

When he arrived in the UK, Farah said the woman who accompanied him took a piece of paper from him that had his relatives' contact details and "ripped it up and put it in the bin".

"At that moment, I knew I was in trouble," he recalled.

Farah said he was forced to do housework and childcare "if I wanted food in my mouth", and was told: "If you ever want to see your family again, don't say anything."

"Often, I would just lock myself in the bathroom and cry," he says in the documentary.

His life was transformed for the better when he went to live with Kinsi Farah, the sister-in-law of the woman who is alleged to have brought him to England.

He started regular schooling and Farah's physical education teacher, Alan Watkinson, noticed how the troubled youngster's mood changed when he was on the running track.

"The only language he seemed to understand was the language of PE and sport," says Watkinson.

Farah eventually told Watkinson the truth about his status, and the teacher informed social services.

It was Watkinson who applied for Farah's British citizenship, which he described as a "long process" that finally reached fruition in July 2000.

Farah revealed in the programme that he had since spoken to his now namesake and said he was "proud" he knows what he has achieved.

(AFP)

More For You

Essar-Oil-UK-Getty

Essar Oil UK is advancing decarbonization at its Stanlow Refinery with two key projects supported by Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) grants. (Photo: Getty Images)

Essar, 24 other firms get £51.9m to cut industrial carbon emissions

THE GOVERNMENT has allocated £51.9 million to support 25 businesses in reducing carbon emissions as part of the Plan for Change aimed at driving economic growth and rebuilding Britain.

The funding covers projects across various industries, including food manufacturing, cement production, and glass processing.
Companies receiving funding include Essar Oil UK, Nestlé's coffee processing site in Staffordshire, Heinz's baked bean factory in Wigan, and Hanson Cement in North Wales.

Keep ReadingShow less
Exclusive: 'Starmer must fill NHS staffing defecit'
Dr Chaand Nagpaul

Exclusive: 'Starmer must fill NHS staffing defecit'

LABOUR's latest announcement to cut NHS waiting lists, while welcome, does not go far enough, the former leader of the doctors’ union, Chaand Nagpaul has told Eastern Eye.

Prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, unveiled his plans on Monday (6). He pledged Labour would set up more NHS hubs in community locations in England, and the service would make greater use of the private sector to help meet the challenge.

Keep ReadingShow less
Exclusive: 'Stop spreading racial hatred'
Nazir Afzal

Exclusive: 'Stop spreading racial hatred'

POLITICIANS must dial down “dangerous and inflammatory” rhetoric and recognise the contributions of all communities in Britain, prominent south Asians have told Eastern Eye.

They are concerned that recent social media attacks on asylum seekers, immigrants, especially British Pakistanis, as well as ministers will lead to unnecessary deaths.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lisa-Nandy-Getty

The culture secretary retains powers to refer the case to the Competition and Markets Authority, which could trigger an investigation into press freedom concerns linked to Abu Dhabi’s involvement. (Photo: Getty Images)

Calls grow for Lisa Nandy to end Telegraph ownership stalemate

THE SALE of The Telegraph newspaper has drawn widespread political calls for culture secretary Lisa Nandy to intervene and end the prolonged uncertainty surrounding its ownership.

The newspaper has been in limbo for 20 months after an auction process initiated by RedBird IMI, an Abu Dhabi-backed investment fund, failed to secure a suitable buyer.

Keep ReadingShow less
Unlocking ancient healing: The power and precision of Vedic mantras

Divya Chikitsa Mantras use sound and vibrations to produce profound healing and transformational effects

Unlocking ancient healing: The power and precision of Vedic mantras

Ashwini Guruji

You may have heard of Sanjeevani Vidya, bestowed by Guru Shukracharya, which could revive the dead, or the Sanjeevani Buti that restored Lakshman’s life. Tales like Madhu Vidya, enabling immortality, and the Ashvini Kumars’ Chyawanprasha, rejuvenating Sage Chyawan, are not mere stories but the practical achievements of Vedic rishis. Masters of Creation, they understood the human body as a microcosm of the universe. The proof of these ancient sciences lies in modern scientific discoveries, many rooted in Vedic shastras. Visit www.dhyanfoundation.com to explore this connection.

Though much of this ancient knowledge has been lost in Kaliyuga and many herbs have become extinct, fragments remain accessible and potent. Divya Chikitsa Mantras from Sanatan Kriya are one such gem. These mantras use sound and vibrations to produce profound healing and transformational effects. Comprising seven mantras, they unclog energy channels (nadis), activate specific centers, and channel divine energies into the practitioner.

Keep ReadingShow less