Tragedi hidup Sufiah

Tragedi hidup Sufiah

LONDON 30 Mac – Sufiah Yusof, seorang kanak-kanak pintar matematik yang pernah menggemparkan dunia apabila layak memasuki Universiti Oxford pada usia 13 tahun, tidak putus-putus ditimpa nasib malang.

Selepas bapanya, Yusof Farooq dipenjara atas kesalahan melakukan serangan seksual ke atas dua gadis berusia 15 tahun yang mengikuti tuisyen matematik di rumahnya, Sufiah pula kini dilaporkan menjadi pekerja seks.

Tragedi yang melanda kanak-kanak genius itu dibongkar oleh wartawan News of the World yang menyamar sebagai pelanggan, di flat murah yang didiaminya di belakang lorong di Salford, Manchester.

Sufiah dikatakan terbabit dalam kegiatan tidak bermoral itu, untuk menyara hidupnya sejak beberapa tahun lalu.

Entah di mana silapnya, gadis dengan senyuman menawan itu yang kehebatannya sepatutnya menjadikan dia wanita kaya, terpaksa memilih jalan itu untuk terus hidup.

Menurut akhbar itu, Sufiah dilaporkan mengiklankan 'khidmatnya' melalui Internet dengan tawaran 130 pound (RM830) untuk setiap sesi.

Dengan memakai nama samaran Shilpa Lee, dia antara lain menggambarkan dirinya sebagai 'pelajar bijak dan seksi' yang menyediakan perkhidmatan setiap hari dari pukul 11 pagi hingga 8 malam.

Dalam iklannya, menurut tabloid tersebut, Sufiah juga menyatakan dia lebih gemarkan 'lelaki tua yang budiman'. Seorang bekas rakannya menyifatkan tindak-tanduk gadis itu sebagai: ''Sesuatu yang sungguh menyedihkan.''

"Dengan otak luar biasa yang dimilikinya, dia tidak mempunyai masalah untuk mendapat wang, sebaliknya hidup dia musnah dan menjadi tidak terkawal," kata bekas rakannya lagi.

Selepas tiga tahun belajar di Universiti Oxford, pada usia semuda 15 tahun, Sufiah mencetuskan kegemparan apabila menghilangkan diri.

Dalam e-mel kepada keluarganya, dia menyifatkan hidup dengan bapanya 'umpama dalam neraka'.

Ibu Sufiah, Halimahton berasal dari Muar, Johor manakala bapanya, Yusof berasal dari Pakistan.

Sufiah hanya ditemui dua minggu kemudian di sebuah kafe Internet di Bournemouth dan bekerja sebagai pelayan hotel.

Dia enggan kembali ke pangkuan keluarga dan diletakkan di bawah jagaan sebuah badan sosial sebelum kembali ke Oxford untuk menyelesaikan pengajian matematik peringkat sarjana.

Dia berkahwin pada 2004 ketika berusia 19 tahun dengan peguam pelatih, Jonathan Marshall, 24, tetapi rumah tangganya hanya mampu bertahan selama setahun.

A 12-year-old boy and his 16-year-old sister have arrived at the University of Warwick to study degrees in mathematics.
Iskander and Noraisha Yusof are among the UK's youngest ever undergraduates. Accompanied by their father Farooq, they met lecturers and tutors and said they were looking forward to student life.

Maths tutor Alan Newell says that the brother and sister have done "extraordinarily well"

Maths tutor Alan Newell emphasised that no concessions had been made on admitting the brother and sister because of their young age.  "We've had the best entry class that we've ever had. The standards are very high and Iskander and Noraisha both did extraordinarily well."  Iskander received a grade A in maths A level when he was 10, and a B in further maths a year later.

He also gained grade 1 in a special paper set by the University of Warwick.  He is the same age as Ruth Lawrence was when she accepted a place at Oxford 14 years ago. "It doesn't really matter and it doesn't bother me," he said.  "When I'm with my friends I talk about other things. I am just looking forward to getting on with the course." Noraisha, who hopes to go on to do research in mathematical biology, said she had chosen Warwick because it was one of the top three centres for mathematics in the country.  "I don't think it is a problem coming to university this young," she said. "I have already done my A levels, what else could I do?" Noraisha gained grade As at A level in maths and further maths before she was 15. Runs in the family Their siblings are also high achievers. Sister Sufiah, 14, is just beginning her second year at Oxford University and their four-year-old sister Zuleika is expected to sit her maths A level by the age of six. 

Maths researcher Farooq, 40, and his scientist wife Halimahton, 41, gave up their careers to educate the children at home in Northampton. For the family of seven, who are all devout Muslims, each day begins with prayers, followed by exercise to focus the mind and body.    All five Yusof children are also talented tennis players. The eldest, Isaac, 17, was number four in the UK for his age, while Noraisha won the Northamptonshire women's title at the age of 12. Mr Yusof describes his children as self-motivated, mature youngsters, driven by the desire to succeed and compete with one another. 

All five were talking before the age of one and reading by two, but they are not considered exceptionally gifted by their Malaysian parents. Mr Yusof believes all children can achieve given the right encouragement, and is currently in negotiations for a book deal recounting his teaching approach.

Sukarnya Menjadi Genius

Adi Putra

Semasa kecil, emak beberapa kali mengingatkan saya tentang seorang kanak-kanak genius yang sudah mampu membaca surat khabar di usia tiga tahun. Mohd. Shukri Hadafi, nama diberi.

Kanak-kanak istimewa ini kemudiannya diambil berlakon oleh Jins Shamsuddin di dalam filemnya Menanti Hari Esok (1976/7) dan filem itu sentiasa menjadi titik yang mengingatkan saya kepada adanya seorang kanak-kanak pintar di usia yang hampir sama dengan saya, sebagai inspirasi untuk berjaya.

Tetapi Mohd. Shukri Hadafi hilang ditelan masa. Seolah-oleh tiada esok baginya (tajuk filem lain oleh Jins Shamsuddin pada 1979) dan tiba-tiba kita dikejutkan dengan berita pada akhir 90´an bahawa beliau bekerja sebagai penebar roti canai! Ada cerita yang memberitahu beliau menjual kelapa di Padang Terap, malah yang tidak enaknya ialah kisah beliau menjadi penagih dadah.

Anak angkat Prof. Diraja Ungku Aziz ini terbuang dari kelebihan yang pernah menjadikannya begitu terkenal di seluruh negara. Di mana silapnya?

ADI PUTRA

Ingatan kita kepada kanak-kanak pintar seperti Mohd. Shukri Hadafi kembali menghiasi muka depan akhbar Malaysia, apabila Adi Putra Abdul Ghani muncul dengan kelebihan luar biasanya di dalam Matematik.

Keupayaannya yang mengatasi tahap pelajar universiti di bidang itu, sejak awal-awal lagi telah mengheret Adi Putra ke pelbagai konflik. Dari sekolahnya di Sekolah Kebangsaan Matang Buluh, Bagan Serai, perjalanan penuh liku untuk mencari program yang sesuai dengan beliau berterusan ke International Islamic School di Gombak. UNISEL juga tidak pasti dengan perjalanan beliau, dan saya berdoa agar kelebihan yang ada pada adik Adi, tidak menjadi 'sumpah' ke atasnya sebagaimana Mohd. Shukri Hadafi 3 dekad yang lalu.

It figures: after completing year 12 subjects at 10, mathematician Yao-ban Chan has now become Melbourne University's youngest-ever PhD graduate. Photo: Craig Abraham

Bertuahnya Chan Yao-ban, seorang lagi anak kecil istimewa kelahiran Malaysia. Beliau yang kini menjadi pemegang PhD termuda dari Universiti Melbourne. Di usia 21 tahun, Chan Yao-ban telah menjadi salah seorang tenaga pengkaji penting di Universiti Melbourne, mengendalikan projek kajian metod statistik bagi mengenalpasti anomaliti protein di dalam otak untuk mendiagnos schizophrenia dan bipolar disorder.

Biar pun lahir di Malaysia, Chan Yao-ban telah dibesarkan di New Zealand. Beliau melalui proses home schooling oleh ibunya, seorang Mikrobiologist dan ayahnya, pengarah di sebuah syarikat industri makanan terkemuka, Heinz.

Chan Yao-ban telah bertemu dengan `perjuangan' yang bakal memanfaatkan kelebihannya.

Apakah seseorang itu perlu `melarikan diri' dari Malaysia, demi mencari program yang boleh menyokong kanak-kanak genius seperti Chan Yao-ban , Adi Putra dan Mohd. Shukri Hadafi? Mengapa kita masih tidak tentu arah dalam menentukan jalan yang betul untuk Adi Putra? Tidakkah kita belajar sesuatu daripada apa yang berlaku ke atas Mohd. Shukri Hadafi, juga tercabar oleh kejayaan Chan Yao-ban ?

SUFIAH YUSOF

Soalan ini menjadi lebih meruncing dengan kegemparan kita terhadap seorang lagi anak Malaysia yang genius, Sufiah Yusof.

Beribukan Halimahton dari Muar dan bapanya, Yusuf, berasal dari Pakistan, Sufiah Yusuf mencipta sejarahnya yang tersendiri apabila beliau diterima masuk ke pengajian di Universiti Oxford pada usia 13 tahun. Namun pada usia 15 tahun, Sufiah telah menghilangkan diri dari kampus hingga kemudiannya ditemui di Bournemouth, bekerja di sebuah hotel di sana.

Enggan pulang kepada keluarga, yang disifatkannya seperti hidup dalam neraka, Sufiah diletakkan di bawah jagaan sebuah pertubuhan sosial untuk kembali penyambung pengajian sarjananya di Oxford. Hidup Sufiah terus dilambung ombak, apabila perkahwinannya pada usia 19 tahun dengan Jonathan Marshall, runtuh hanya kira-kira setahun selepas diijabkabulkan.

Beberapa bulan yang lalu, ingatan kita kepada Sufiah Yusuf dikejutkan dengan berita buruk apabila bapanya ditangkap atas dakwaan mencabuli dua kanak-kanak berusia 15 tahun yang mengikuti kelas tusyen accelerated learing kendaliannya.

Dan segala-galanya mencapai kemuncak, apabila wartawan akhbar [1] News of the World, berjaya mengesan Sufiah Yusuf, yang terhumban ke lembah hitam dengan nama samarannya Shilpa Lee, sebagai pelacur di Manchester dengan bayaran £130!

Sufiah Yusuf yang begitu sopan, tertib dan berada di dalam segala kurniaan ketika di awal usianya di St. Hilda's College yang berprestij itu, menempuh kehidupan yang tidak menentu hingga berakhir dengan sesuatu yang tidak terbayangkan fikiran kita mengenainya. Seorang lagi kanak-kanak genius (muslim? melayu?) menjadi `mangsa'.

Apakah semua ini?

JOHN NASH

Masih ingatkah kita kepada [2] John Forbes Nash? Penerima anugerah Nobel bagi kehebatan Matematiknya di Universiti Princeton ini, menempuh dekad-dekad yang penuh liku akibat masalah schizophrenia yang mengongkong kehidupannya. Ia adalah suatu contoh yang amat besar tentang perlunya suatu pendekatan di luar kotak, untuk menampung kegeniusan seorang seperti John Forbes Nash ini. Anda boleh mendalami kisah mengenai Nash dengan menonton filem favourite saya, A Beautiful Mind.

Pencapaian IQ yang luar biasa sememangnya lazim terkait dengan ketidak sihatan mental. Hal ini diperkatakan oleh Daniel Martin di dalam [3] artikelnya yang tersiar di Daily Mail bertarikh 11 Februari 2007.

Katanya,

More than half a million people in the UK are believed to suffer from a form of the condition, which causes disordered ideas, beliefs and experiences. The most common ages for it to develop are 15-25 in men and 25-35 in women.

Kerana itu, saya sering khuatir dengan anak-anak muda yang memiliki idea yang hebat, tetapi memiliki ketidak seimbangan sikap yang sesuai dengan kehebatan itu. Teringat saya kepada sebuah ceramah berkaitan masalah ini yang disampaikan di HUKM tidak lama dulu. Penceramah itu memberitahu bahawa statistik menunjukkan, di mana-mana sahaja bilik atau dewan tempat manusia berkumpul, maka 1/4 daripadanya mempunyai masalah berkaitan mental!

Saya masih ingat kepada seorang lagi kanak-kanak genius, Chiang Ti Ming, yang telah menempuh episod hidup yang luar biasa. Menjadi pelajar termuda di California Institute of Technology (CalTech) lebih dua dekad yang lalu, Chiang Ti Ming telah meninggal dunia pada awal Januari 2007 di Seremban, selepas khabarnya mengalami tekanan perasaan yang amat teruk hingga dimasukkan ke HKL pada tahun 2002.

PENGAJARAN

Semua ini harus menjadi pengajaran buat kita.

Pengajaran buat kerajaan untuk memikirkan tanggungjawabnya terhadap pendidikan. Atau mungkinkah segala ini membuktikan bahawa kerajaan sepatutnya tidak campur tangan dalam soal pendidikan sebagaimana yang terakam dalam sejarah tamadun Islam yang panjang itu?

Sejarah Islam merakam ramai tokoh yang genius di zaman kanak-kanaknya. Figura seperti al-Syafie, al-Ghazzali, al-Nawawi, malah tokoh lewat era Moden seperti Muhammad Abduh dan Badi' al-Zaman Said al-Nursi, telah mempamerkan ketokohan mereka semenjak di usia kecil.

Apakah rahsia mereka?

Saya fikir, persoalan ini memerlukan kepada kajian yang mendalam. Namun, sepintas lalu kita akan dapat melihat bahawa tokoh-tokoh ini mendapat pendidikan awal mereka dari sentuhan ibu bapa. Proses pendidikan juga tidak berlaku di sekolah-sekolah rasmi milik pemerintah, sebaliknya setiap mereka dibesarkan dengan model pendidikan yang tersendiri lagi khusus. Malah di era Moden, tokoh seperti al-Tahtawi dan Muhammad Abduh berdepan dengan krisis diri semasa bersekolah di sekolah kerajaan, sehinggalah mereka melarikan diri dan mencari model sendiri yang lebih responsif kepada keperluan mereka dan keperluan semasa.

BUAT PENDAKWAH

Pengajaran juga buat para pandakwah. Bahawa usaha memahami masalah manusia bukannya seperti kelakuan pembaris yang hanya tahu melukis lurus.

Rayau-rayau saya di laman sesawang, menemukan saya dengan komen-komen mudah ramai pihak yang secara simplistik menyalahkan Sufiah dengan alasan genius beliau hanya pada IQ dan tetapi lemah spiritual. Tentu sahaja saya tidak menolak [4] peranan spiritual dan hubungkaitnya dengan depression. Tetapi menyarankan secara mudah bahawa agama sebagai penyelesaian, harus lebih diperincikan lagi.

Perlu diingat bahawa antara simptom masalah mental berkaitan depression lazim terkait pula dengan obsesi seseorang kepada agama!

Malah mungkin sisi ini diperlukan untuk kita menilai semula beberapa perlakuan ganjil genius Muslim di dalam sejarah untuk menjustifikasikan perihal yang berlaku ke atas mereka.

Apabila kegagalan hidup berlaku ke atas sesetengah manusia, apatah lagi insan genius seperti Mohd. Shukri Hadafi, Sufiah Yusof malah John Nash dan Chiang Ti Ming, jangan terlalu dangkal memberikan alasan `lemah didikan agama' atau `hidup tidak mengikut sunnah'.

Sesungguhnya agama mengajar manusia untuk lebih bertadabbur dan bertafakkur tentang peranannya sebagai khalifah, pentadbir alam, bahawa manusia itu sangat seni kehidupannya. Ketelitian dalam mencari jalan mengacu dan membentuk manusia, adalah syarat survival ummah. Keperluan melihat aspek psikologi manusia, harus dilihat sebagai sebahagian daripada tuntutan agama itu sendiri.

Saya mengangkat tangan memohon doa untuk masa depan yang lebih baik untuk adik Adi Putra yang sedang menyusuri jalan yang penuh liku itu.

ABU SAIF @ www.saifulislam. com
56000 Kuala Lumpur

Semuga misi menyelamatkan Sufiah berjaya.

Semuga ALLAH mempermudahkan urusan.

Sufiah mangsa agenda Barat?

Tindakan Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan Yadim untuk menghantar misi khas menyelamatkan wanita genius itu sangat dialu-alukan sebagai tanda prihatin dan sensitiviti kita terhadap umat Islam lain biarpun masih ramai remaja dan gadis Islam tempatan yang perlu diselamatkan.
Kata-kata atau pandangan seperti membazirkan duit rakyat, menyibuk, pilih kasih dan sebagainya terhadap misi murni itu adalah amat dangkal serta tidak mencerminkan sifat umat Islam sebenar.

KETIKA umat Islam di seluruh dunia digemparkan dengan filem pendek Fitna di Belanda yang cuba memburuk-burukkan imej dan wajah sebenar Islam, dalam tempoh sama pula kita dikejutkan dengan perlakuan tidak bermoral seorang wanita genius Islam yang meletakkan Islam dan umatnya berada dalam dilema fitnah masyarakat dunia.
Sepuluh tahun lalu, Sufiah Yusuf pernah menggemparkan dunia apabila menjadi kanak-kanak Islam berjaya memasuki sebuah universiti ternama di Britain iaitu Oxford ketika berumur 13 tahun.
Hari ini dia sekali lagi menggegarkan masyarakat dunia apabila dengan bangga menawarkan khidmat seks kepada orang ramai, terutama melalui laman web.
Walaupun perbuatan tidak berakhlak itu bukan sesuatu yang luar biasa di United Kingdom (UK), namun dengan statusnya sebagai seorang genius Islam, laporan perlakuan sumbangnya kini dibincang dan diperdebatkan di seluruh dunia.

Apatah lagi dia mempunyai pertalian rapat dengan Malaysia kerana ibunya berasal dari negara ini.

Keadaan itu membuka peluang media Barat di seluruh dunia mengambil kesempatan semaksimum mungkin mengenai isu serta polemik sensasi itu untuk mencemarkan Islam dan umatnya.
Perubahan sikap dan sifat Sufiah yang sangat mengejutkan itu menjadikan ramai tersentak membaca kisah hidupnya menjadi pelacur dan hidup dalam keadaan sangat menyayat hati di lembah kehinaan.
Ramai bingung dan bimbang dengan perkembangan yang sedang terjadi kepada wanita yang mempunyai IQ pintar yang menakjubkan itu.
Dia mungkin menjadi mangsa ibu bapa yang terlalu menekan dan mengejar kecemerlangan anak dalam akademik tanpa memikirkan aspek kerohanian dan didikan agama.
Kemungkinan juga menjadi mangsa keadaan apabila terpaksa menjadi manusia cemerlang dan berjaya di universiti seawal usia 13 tahun berbanding rakan yang masih bergembira di sekolah menengah.
Sejak kecil Sufiah tidak pernah memasuki sekolah, sebaliknya hanya menerima pendidikan di rumah daripada ibu bapanya hingga menjejakkan kaki ke menara gading.
Jadi untuk menyalahkan sistem dan keberkesanan pendidikan di UK adalah meleset. Dan atas alasan apakah Sufiah bertindak sedemikian, sangat menimbulkan tanda tanya.
Jika hendak dikatakan masih mentah dan tidak matang, dia pernah berkahwin dan sempat menikmati kehidupan berkeluarga selama hampir setahun sebelum bercerai.
Pada usianya kini, kita tidak boleh menyalahkan sesiapa melainkan dirinya sendiri.
Sepatutnya dengan kecerdasan akal yang hebat, Sufiah sepatutnya kaya, popular dan ternama serta dapat menyumbangkan kepakarannya kepada umat Islam supaya masyarakat bukan Islam melihat kehebatan agama ini.
Sebaliknya, kini tubuhnya dilanggani menyebabkan beban serta masalah tersebut terpaksa ditanggung umat Islam.
Inilah jadinya apabila kecerdikan yang dimiliki tidak dihargai dan disalahgunakan.
Inilah juga jadinya apabila nafsu sudah bertakhta di hati dan terlalu menurut perasaan yang buruk.
Dulu guru mengimpikan pelajar mereka setanding Sufiah dan ibu bapa juga sanggup bekerja keras untuk memberikan pendidikan sempurna agar anak dapat menjejaki wanita genius itu.
Dia umpama model dan ikon remaja pintar suatu ketika dahulu.
Sufiah pencetus fenomena sehingga kerajaan Malaysia turut menawarkan cadangan untuk menaja kos pembelajaran beliau hingga ke peringkat paling tinggi.
Kini mungkin ramai akan berfikir dua kali dan terpaksa mempertimbangkan sama ada berbaloi memiliki anak genius.
Biarpun begitu, adalah tidak adil ketika Sufiah berada di puncak kejayaan dan kegemilangan, semua berbangga dan mendabik dada dengan kejayaan yang diciptanya.
Dia diangkat sebagai contoh Melayu terbaik di perantauan dan gadis Islam yang berjaya menaikkan imej agama di mata Barat.
Apabila dia kini tersesat, keliru dan berada di persimpangan hidup, kita mencerca dan menghukumnya tanpa meneliti masalah serta realiti yang dihadapinya.
Sufiah mungkin sedang dipergunakan pihak tidak bertanggungjawab atau sedang berhadapan dengan konflik dan masalah jiwa yang serius hingga sanggup melacurkan diri.
Ataupun, ia mungkin permainan jahat dan kotor yang cuba dimainkan media Barat atau propaganda yang sengaja diada-adakan untuk mencemarkan Islam.
Dalam keadaan dunia Islam sentiasa difitnah dan diburuk-burukkan, tidak mustahil juga isu Sufiah adalah taktik dan agenda terancang musuh Islam untuk menjatuhkan agama suci ini.
Apapun, hanya Sufiah yang boleh memberitahu perkara sebenar dan apa yang terjadi kepada dirinya.
Hingga kini usaha mencari dan menyelamatkannya sedang dilakukan.
Modal insan cukup berpotensi seperti Sufiah tidak boleh dibiarkan begitu sahaja kerana dia turut membawa imej Islam dan orang Melayu.
Semua pihak perlu bekerjasama menyelamatkannya untuk mengelakkan dia jauh tersasar, menyimpang dan boleh memusnahkan diri.
Tindakan Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan Yadim untuk menghantar misi khas menyelamatkan wanita genius itu sangat dialu-alukan sebagai tanda prihatin dan sensitiviti kita terhadap umat Islam lain biarpun masih ramai remaja dan gadis Islam tempatan yang perlu diselamatkan.
Kata-kata atau pandangan seperti membazirkan duit rakyat, menyibuk, pilih kasih dan sebagainya terhadap misi murni itu adalah amat dangkal serta tidak mencerminkan sifat umat Islam sebenar.
Sufiah masih boleh diselamatkan jika semua pihak berusaha memulih, mendoakan dan menasihatinya memandangkan jika gagal, dunia akan melihat betapa hodohnya umat Islam hari ini walaupun memiliki otak bergeliga.
Kisah Sufiah wajar menjadi iktibar kepada semua agar apa yang berlaku kepada diri dan keluarganya tidak berlaku kepada orang lain.

Sticky: Getting the latest news

April 9th, 2008

As we’ve said a few times now, most of the news in the mainstream press regarding the Yusof family and Sufiah’s childhood is inaccurate, because the editors tend to filter everything we say even when we do agree to do interviews.

If you’d like to know what’s really happening, though, this site is the place to go; we’ll try to update it as often as possible so that everyone stays informed. We’d also like to ask that you spread the word about hyusof.com whenever Sufiah or the family are under discussion online or elsewhere, because it’s good if people know the real facts!

The easiest way to stay up to date with all the latest news is through our newsletter. It’ll include all the news updates posted here, and occasionally Halimahton will write a little about her easy-to-use teaching methods. Sign up here.

FAQs

April 10th, 2008

Some people have commented that the Corrections of Misconceptions post is a little hard to read. They’re quite right, so here’s a short FAQ that hopefully will be easier to understand. It’s still worth reading the other post, though, because it goes into more detail in some areas.

We’d also like to thank everyone who has shown their support and understanding thus far. Keluaga kami ingin mengucapkan ribuan terima kasih kepada semua masyarakat Malaysia diatas sokongan, fahaman dan segala nasihat yang bermanfaat.

Added a gallery

April 9th, 2008

The site was looking a little bland, so we added a gallery to liven things up a little. At the moment they’re just random family pictures, but they do give some idea as to how things were when the Yusof children were young.

Corrections of Misconceptions

April 8th, 2008

Much has been written in the press about Sufiah’s current occupation, but to be perfectly frank, the vast majority of news articles out there are completely misleading on a number of crucial points regarding the family history. Sadly, it seems that most journalists would rather entertain their readers than focus on writing factually accurate articles; it’s not entirely their fault, though, as Farooq often talked nonsense to journalists and sometimes seemed to be actively trying to cultivate the appearance of eccentricity. Most of the family were embarrassed whenever he gave an interview to the press. In any case, let’s clear up some of those inaccuracies right now.

Misconception 1: All the Yusof children were taught via Farooq’s “accelerated learning methods” — a tortuous regime involving studying in the freezing cold, punishments for answering questions incorrectly, and “stretching and breathing exercises”.

Actually, Farooq wasn’t even responsible for the majority of the teaching! For most of the Yusof children’s early life, Halimahton was practically a single parent as Farooq was in prison (having been convicted of mortgage fraud) or on the run for six years — he only returned to the household when Iskander, the youngest at the time, was seven years old. By this stage, the Yusof children were already prodigies and were also anything from three to seven years ahead in most academic subjects, in spite of the fact that they spent most of their time engaged in less bookish activities (such as tennis or playing with other children).

So who really taught the Yusof children? Why, Halimahton of course! That said, she never intended to “create prodigies”, hothouse/homeschool her children, or in fact do anything other than bring up her children as well as she could under difficult circumstances. But even though she was on her own, Halimahton had a unique skillset that made her ideally suited to the role of caregiver, teacher, and provider for four young children. She quickly recognised that all babies are naturally curious and enthusiastic about learning, so it made perfect sense to not waste the early years of a child’s life by failing to give them any mental stimulation. And in a nutshell, this is why all the Yusof children became prodigies — Halimahton was able to develop a special bond with each of her children that made it very easy for them to learn from her.

Eventually, when Zuleikha was born, Halimahton realised that she had developed something resembling a “method” without really meaning to, but rather than being comprised of a strict set of rules, her techniques were flexible and varied depending on the personality, interests, and mood of the child. She didn’t call it an “accelerated learning method” because she believed it was foolhardy to try to teach a child faster than they were already willing to learn, and there is considerable evidence to suggest that in the long run this only hinders a person’s memory and understanding. In fact, Halimahton wouldn’t even try to teach any of her children unless they were in a good mood and interested in what she had to say, because she felt it was important that her children associate the act of learning with pleasant emotions.

The end result was that by the time the Yusof children were old enough for school, they were already many years ahead of their peers, but like most parents Halimahton decided to enroll them at the local Northampton school anyway — she had no intention of trying to homeschool her kids. Unfortunately, at that point in time (around 1989) most UK schools made absolutely no serious provision for highly able students who were so far ahead. While the school did make an effort to provide resources so that the Yusof children could keep themselves occupied, all that happened in practice was that they were left to study on their own and Halimahton invariably needed to supplement their schoolwork at home. In the end, Sufiah said that she no longer wanted to go to school and wanted her mother to teach her at home; Halimahton was dubious, as she was a single parent with limited finances and she knew that homeschooling would require a substantial commitment of time and effort. But after a long discussion with all her children, it became clear that they were all adamant about the fact that they would rather learn at home, and Halimahton enjoyed teaching (and learning with!) her kids so much that she eventually agreed.

After this decision was made, Halimahton resumed teaching her children; essentially, she just taught them according to her own comprehensive curriculum at whatever rate at which the children wanted to learn. There was never any need to try to get them to learn particularly quickly, as they were already many years ahead. All the “prodigy stuff” had been done in the first five years — the kids just worked for one or two hours per day, and that was it as far as formal schoolwork was concerned.

Unfortunately, everything changed when Farooq returned home in 1993. The children were initially very enthusiastic about his returning home — aside from just being happy to see him, they all wanted to show him what they were capable of. Halimahton had considered divorcing him, but her children’s excitement about their dad being back home made her feel that it was not worth proceeding with a messy divorce, as long as he learnt from his mistakes and avoided any criminal activities in the future. But things quickly took a turn for the worse. Farooq’s conviction made it difficult for him to find a job, so he decided to stay at home to “help” Halimahton raise the kids, and this was the beginning of all the problems.

Farooq’s ego proved to be the biggest problem — he believed himself to be more intelligent and knowledgeable than his wife, so he took over the children’s tennis coaching from her (but their academic work continued as normal). Unlike Halimahton, Farooq knew nothing about how to relate to children and he frequently grew impatient because he could not get them to do what he wanted them to do; the public nature of tennis would also often hurt his pride, as he would feel personally embarrassed whenever they didn’t perform. This would lead to outbursts on the tennis court where he would shout at the children and occasionally smack them. Again, Halimahton considered divorce but because of her precarious financial situation and the fact that she was pregnant with Zuleikha, she decided to try reasoning with him instead to persuade him that his behaviour was wrong. In retrospect, this was clearly a bad decision but at the time it seemed like divorce would only have lead to extreme hardship and an uncertain future.

While Farooq was coaching the children in tennis, their academic work was still progressing (independently and with Halimahton) and eventually they were ready to start working on their A-levels (apart from Iskander, who was much younger than the others and preferred to study for his GCSEs with his mother). Most of the childrens’ A-level work was undertaken independently; Farooq did not spend much time teaching them except when their exams were near. He was just as bad at teaching maths as he was at tennis coaching, and his inability to relate the material to his children caused the same kinds of outbursts as on the tennis court. Fortunately, the work Halimahton had done with the children previously had given them the ability to work very effectively on their own, so in spite of Farooq’s poor behaviour they still performed very well in their A-levels.

In summary, Farooq contributed very little to the children’s education and academic achievements before university — probably about 75% of their education was with Halimahton when they were still young, and the rest was due to their own independent work. Without him, the Yusof children would have done things just as early but without any of the scandals that he so often created for himself.

Misconception 2: The Yusof children only became prodigies because they were forced to work unreasonably hard and/or were homeschooled.

False. Halimahton never worked with them for two hours per day, and during their A-levels the kids studied as much or as little as they wanted to.

As explained above, the children were only homeschooled because they were already prodigies by the time they enrolled at their local school and it was unable to provide for them. Today, though it depends to a certain extent on the area, many good schools are better-equipped to handle such highly able children.

The children were not born prodigies, but Halimahton’s ability to figure out lots of ways to stimulate and encourage their natural love of learning helped them achieve the potential that she believes is innate in every child.

Misconception 3: TV and pop music were banned in the household.

This isn’t even remotely true. All the children regularly watched many TV series like Fawlty Towers, the X-Files, and Star Trek, in addition to the usual movies, sports, and so on. Their tastes have changed a lot since then, though!

Pop music certainly wasn’t banned either — everyone in the family likes music and it was common to hear anything from rap to classical all over the household. Halimahton actually considers music, singing and dancing (not to mention acting) to be an excellent way to relate things to young children.

Misconception 4: The Yusof parents put tremendous pressure on their kids to succeed.

Untrue, because they didn’t need to — high achievers naturally tend to have correspondingly high expectations and thus they put a lot of pressure on themselves to do well. Most of the truly ridiculous expectations were held by people outside the family, who often seemed to believe that a prodigy should be perfect at absolutely everything; in reality, prodigies fail just as often as anyone else, which isn’t actually a bad thing as eventually everyone needs to learn to cope with failure in a sensible manner.

Misconception 5: Sufiah’s abilities were unique, even within the family.

Not really — while she was very good, she’s just been in the media spotlight much more than the others because of what happened after she went to Oxford. Iskander was a year younger when he went to university and Zuleikha was considerably younger than either when she completed her A-levels (although she already has the qualifications, Zuleikha has not yet applied to university as she wants to explore many of her interests and further develop as an individual before entering uni). Of course, the media like to portray Sufiah as a unique case because it makes for a better story