Siti Aishah Wahab, survivor of Maoist cult, dies at 81
LONDON: Siti Aishah Wahab, the Malaysian woman whose story made global headlines after escaping the grip of a Maoist cult in South London 12 years ago, has died in Leeds at the age of 81, following a battle with lymphoma.
Aishah first arrived in the UK in her early 20s to study quantity surveying.
However, she fell under the influence of self-proclaimed Maoist leader Aravindan Balakrishnan and spent four decades under his control in a tightly regulated commune in South London – a life now referred to as modern-day slavery.
Originally from Jelebu, Negri Sembilan, Aishah was eventually reunited with her estranged siblings in Malaysia and began rebuilding her life in Leeds.
Supported by local authorities, she gradually reintegrated into society, forming new connections and reclaiming her independence.
In September last year, Aishah was diagnosed with lymphoma.
By March, the cancer had spread to her brain, and she was hospitalised.
In early April, she was moved to the Gledhow Care Home in Leeds, where she died on May 8th.
Despite decades spent in isolation under Balakrishnan, who kept his followers cut off from family, friends, and the outside world, Aishah found ways to reclaim her life.
She rediscovered her faith at the Leeds Grand Mosque, where she forged new friendships, reconnected with her roots, and even visited her siblings in Malaysia.
She also fulfilled her dream of performing Umrah. At the age of 79, she enrolled in Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of Leeds, learning to read the Quran and deepening her understanding of her faith.
In September last year, despite her diagnosis, she proudly received a Diploma of Higher Education with Merit in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies.
Aishah will be laid to rest at the Whinmoor Muslim Cemetery after the jenazah prayers at the Leeds Grand Mosque on Friday.
"It has always been her wish that when she passed, her jenazah would be brought to the mosque where she reconnected with her religion and found a new community of friends," said a close friend, Rafidah.
The woman who once sought a new life in the West Yorkshire city of Leeds among strangers ultimately found friends and support within the student community of Leeds University, at the mosque, and among the Malaysian diaspora in Leeds.
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