Sir Mo Farah has stated that he was illegally taken to the United Kingdom as a child and forced to work as a domestic servant.
Olympic star Mohamed Farah revealed that he was given the name Mohamed Farah by people who transported him from Djibouti. His real name is Hussein Abdi Kahin.
He claims that a woman he had never met flew him from the East African country when he was nine years old, and then forced him to care for the children of another family.
The Team GB athlete states, “For many years, I simply ignored it.”
However, you can only ignore it for so long.
The long-distance runner earlier stated that he and his parents fled Somalia for the United Kingdom as refugees.
Sir Mo’s father, Abdi, was murdered by a stray gunshot during civil unrest in Somalia when he was four years old. Somaliland declared its independence in 1991, although it is not recognized globally.
Sir Mo claims he was between the ages of eight and nine when he was abducted from his house and placed with relatives in Djibouti. He was then flown to the United Kingdom by an unrelated woman he had never met.
He says he was “eager” to be transferred to Europe to live with family there, as she had informed him. He states, “I had never been on an airplane before.”
The woman instructed him to identify himself as Mohamed. He claims that she was carrying phony travel documents bearing his photo and the name “Mohamed Farah.”
When they landed in the United Kingdom, the woman took the man to her apartment in Hounslow, west London, and confiscated a piece of paper containing his family’s contact information.
“In front of me, she tore it up and placed it in the trash. I immediately realized I was in trouble “He claims.
Sir Mo states that he had to perform housekeeping and care for children “if I wanted food in my mouth.” According to him, the woman advised him, “Don’t speak if you ever want to see your family again.”
He says, “I would frequently lock myself in the bathroom and cry.”
His family did not permit him to attend school for the first few years, but when he was about 12 he enrolled in Year 7 at Feltham Community College.
The staff was informed that Sir Mo was a Somalian refugee.
Sarah Rennie, his former form instructor, told that he arrived at school “unkempt and uncared for,” knew very little English, and was “emotionally and culturally estranged” as a child.
She claims that the individuals who claimed to be his parents did not attend any parents’ evenings.
Alan Watkinson, Sir Mo’s physical education instructor, observed a change in the young kid while he ran on the track.
The only language he seemed to comprehend was that of physical education and sports,” he explains.
Sir Mo states that sport saved his life because “the only thing I could do to escape this [living] circumstance was to get out and run.”
Eventually, he revealed to Mr. Watkinson his true name, his past, and the family for whom he was compelled to work.
Genuine Mo
The physical education instructor called social services and assisted Sir Mo’s placement with another Somali household.
Sir Mo states, “I still missed my actual family, but from that point on, things improved.”
“I felt as if a lot of weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I felt like myself again. This is when Mo emerged – genuine Mo.”
Sir Mo began to make a name for himself as an athlete, and at the age of 14, he was invited to compete for English schools in a race in Latvia; however, he lacked travel paperwork.
Mr. Watkinson assisted him with his application for British citizenship under the name Mohamed Farah, which was approved in July of 2000.
In the documentary, attorney Allan Briddock informs Sir Mo that he “obtained his nationality through fraud or deceit.”
Legally, the government has the authority to revoke a person’s British citizenship if it was earned through fraud.
However, a Home Office spokesman told that no action will be taken over Sir Mo’s nationality, as it was thought that a youngster was not participating in the fraudulent acquisition of citizenship.
Mr. Briddock further emphasizes to Sir Mo that the likelihood of this happening to him is low.
“Trafficking is essentially transportation for exploitative motives,” he explains to Sir Mo.
“As a very young child, you were required to care for extremely young children and serve as a domestic servant. Then you informed the appropriate authorities, “That is not my name.” All of these factors reduce the likelihood that the Home Office may revoke your nationality.”
Sad songs
As his reputation in the Somali community developed, a woman approached him in a London restaurant and presented him with a cassette recording.
It was a message for Sir Mo from his mother, Aisha, whom he had not heard from in a long time.
Sir Mo explains, “It wasn’t just a recording.” “It was more of a voice, and it sang me sorrowful tunes, such as poems or traditional ballads. And I would listen for days, if not weeks.”
The side of the tape contained a phone number and a note that read, “If this is a problem or causing you trouble, don’t – simply leave it – you’re not required to contact me.”
Sir Mo adds, “I’m thinking, ‘Of course, I want to contact you.'”
The mother and son then engaged in their first telephone conversation.
“When I heard him, I felt so happy that I wanted to throw the phone on the ground and be transported to him,” Aisha says. “The exhilaration and happiness of receiving a reply from him caused me to forget all that had occurred.”
In the documentary, Sir Mo travels to Somaliland with his son Hussein to visit Aisha and his brothers.
She tells Sir Mo, “I never in my life imagined I would see you or your children alive.” “We lived in an area with nothing, no livestock, and demolished land. Everyone believed they were dying. Boom, boom, the boom was the only sound we heard. I expelled you because of the war. I sent you to your uncle in Djibouti to obtain something for you.”
When Sir Mo asks Aisha who decided to bring him from Djibouti to the United Kingdom, she responds: “No one advised me. I have lost touch with you. We had no phones, roads, or anything else. There were no items here. The land was in ruins.”
