Ex-cult survivor Siti Aishah Wahab dies in UK at 81

Summary

• Siti Aishah Wahab, a Malaysian woman who escaped a Maoist cult in South London after 40 years of captivity, dies in Leeds at 81 due to lymphoma.

• Originally from Malaysia, she went to the UK to study, but fell under the influence of a Maoist leader and lived in a controlled commune for decades before being rescued in 2013.

• After her rescue, she reconnected with her faith, made new friends, and pursued Islamic studies at the University of Leeds, earning a diploma at 79.

Siti Aishah Wahab, the Malaysian woman who escaped a Maoist cult in South London after more than 40 years in captivity, has died in Leeds at the age of 81.

According to the New Straits Times, she passed away yesterday at the Gledhow Care Home in Leeds, after a battle with lymphoma. The cancer spread to her brain by March, prompting her hospitalisation before she was transferred to palliative care.

Aishah went to the United Kingdom in her early 20s to pursue studies in quantity surveying.

However, she fell under the influence of self-proclaimed Maoist leader Aravindan Balakrishnan and spent over four decades under his authoritarian control in a tightly regulated commune - a situation widely described as modern-day slavery.

Aravindan, better known as Comrade Bala, was found guilty of sexual assault and abusing women members of the group in 2016, and he later died in Dartmoor Prison in April 2022.

Originally from Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan, Aishah was finally freed in 2013 following a dramatic rescue that drew international headlines. She later reunited with her estranged siblings in Malaysia and began rebuilding her life in Leeds with the support of local authorities.

Despite the psychological scars from decades of isolation, she slowly reintegrated into society.

According to NST, she embraced a renewed connection to her faith at the Leeds Grand Mosque, formed new friendships, and even fulfilled her dream of performing umrah.

The report also stated that Aishah enrolled in Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of Leeds at the age of 79. Last September, she was awarded a Diploma of Higher Education with Merit in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies - the same month she was diagnosed with lymphoma.

“She always wished 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 Rafidah, quoted as a close friend of Aishah.

NST reported that Aishah will be laid to rest at the Whinmoor Muslim Cemetery following prayers at the Leeds Grand Mosque today.

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