British Olympic star Sir Mo Farah has said he continues to live with the "sadness and trauma" of being trafficked to the UK as a child to work as a slave.
The four-time Olympic champion recalls being taken away from his family in Djibouti by a woman he had never met and told he was to live with relatives in the UK.
But when he arrived in the UK, the woman told him he was no longer to be called by his birth name Hussein Abdi Kahin and was now Mohammed Farah.
"When I came with that woman, I was told your name is not Hussein it's Mohammed," he told BBC Radio Four.
"Coming through the airport, she was saying 'Mohammed, Mohammed, Mohammed'. I was just being told constantly 'remember that, remember that and that is all'."
He had been given a list of contacts from his family, but the woman ripped it up in front of him and he was forced to live with her and work as a slave looking after her children.
"When I was leaving, all my family had their details written down for me," Sir Mo said, before a documentary about his true identity, The Real Mo Farah, was broadcast on BBC iPlayer at 6am UK time and at 9pm on BBC One on Wednesday.
"Then, right in front of me, the lady took it off me and ripped it up and said 'don't say anything, this is it'. Pretty early on I knew my life would be different living with that lady.
"I wasn't allowed to play with other kids, I was not allowed to be myself, I had to cook, clean, change diapers.
"It was tough for me and all I ever wanted as a kid was to have my parents or someone who cared for me. Early on I knew that no one was going to be there for me, so I learnt to block it out. I still feel sadness and trauma."
London's Metropolitan Police has said it was assessing the allegation that Sir Mo was trafficked, after his mother sent him away to escape civil war in their native Somalia.
His father was killed in civil unrest when Sir Mo was 4 and his mother, Aisha, and two brothers lived in the breakaway state of Somaliland.
He was encouraged to speak out now by his wife and children — one shares his real birth name Hussein — after burying the truth for decades.
"My reaction was heartbreak and sadness for him," his wife Tania told the BBC.
"I just pictured nine-year-old Mo being so helpless and vulnerable and I was so angry at the people who did that too him and put him through that. I do not know how anyone can live with themselves.
"I knew he was always carrying that hurt and pain and that gave him that edge and driving force to go on to achieve great things."
Sir Mo, 39, revealed his suffering after asking his PE teacher, Alan Watkinson, for help.
He confided in Mr Watkinson about his true identity, his background, and the family he was being forced to work for. He later gained UK citizenship, but under his new name.
"Alan did go to social services. We did report it, we did tell them exactly what was my name ... so we went through the right channels, but I don't know why nothing was ever done," he said.
The British Home Office has ruled out taking any action against Sir Mo over his citizenship status.
"He is a sporting hero, he is an inspiration to people across the country," a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
"It is a shocking reminder of the horrors that people face when they are trafficked. And we must continue to clamp down on these criminals who take advantage of vulnerable people."
Sir Mo told the BBC he was not in touch with the woman who forced him into slavery — and said he "does not want to be".
Nadhim Zahawi, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, told LBC that the family who trafficked Sir Mo should only be investigated if the athlete wished it.
"If Mo Farah doesn't want it investigated, then it shouldn't be," he told LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast.
"I think we need to talk to Mo Farah because he is a great man, he's been through an extraordinary life, and what a harrowing tale.
"I thought my journey from an immigrant boy from Baghdad to this great country of ours was an extraordinary story, but what he has had to endure, in my view, should make him the priority for all of us.
"The police need to talk to Sir Mo Farah first before they do anything else."
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies – by Kiana Danial
There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.
Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.
Begin your cryptocurrency journey here.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The low down on MPS
What is myofascial pain syndrome?
Myofascial pain syndrome refers to pain and inflammation in the body’s soft tissue. MPS is a chronic condition that affects the fascia (connective tissue that covers the muscles, which develops knots, also known as trigger points).
What are trigger points?
Trigger points are irritable knots in the soft tissue that covers muscle tissue. Through injury or overuse, muscle fibres contract as a reactive and protective measure, creating tension in the form of hard and, palpable nodules. Overuse and sustained posture are the main culprits in developing trigger points.
What is myofascial or trigger-point release?
Releasing these nodules requires a hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure to release muscular shortness and tightness. This eliminates restrictions in connective tissue in orderto restore motion and alleviate pain. Therapy balls have proven effective at causing enough commotion in the tissue, prompting the release of these hard knots.
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
