Hamza Yusuf, the first Muslim to become leader of a major political party in Britain and head of government in Scotland, raises the challenge of continuing the fight for the province’s independence after the long tenure of Nicola Sturgeon, of whom he was one of her closest allies.
Yousuf, the 37-year-old new leader of the Scottish National Party, was sworn in in Urdu and English in 201 when he was elected to the Scottish Parliament.
On Tuesday, he is expected to be elected head of the provincial government.
After his victory on Monday, he paid tribute to his paternal grandparents, who came from Pakistan 60 years ago, and said, “They could never have imagined that their grandson would one day become the new Prime Minister of Scotland.”
“It reminds us that we should (…) celebrate immigrants who make a significant contribution to our country,” he added, in an explicit criticism of the British government’s desire to tighten asylum conditions in the United Kingdom.
Yusuf, who in 2012 became the first Muslim to hold a cabinet position in Scotland and is also the youngest leader to head the SNP, has been particularly praised for his communication skills to unite the party at a time when support for independence – his main demand – stagnates in the country.
During her final appearance in Parliament as prime minister last week, Sturgeon called for unity, indicating that her successor would be either the second woman to become prime minister or the first leader from an ethnic minority.
“Whatever the outcome, it will send a powerful message that any young man in Scotland can aspire to the highest office in the country,” she said.
Hamza Yusuf was born in Glasgow and received his education in a private school and then obtained a degree in political science from the university of his city, before becoming an assistant to Alex Salmond, Sturgeon’s predecessor in the leadership of the Scottish National Party.
Recalling his beginnings in the political field, Youssef talked about being subjected to racist attacks and comments, especially after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
“I have been exposed to a huge number of attacks on the Internet, and unfortunately sometimes in person,” he said.
In 2021, his second wife, Nadia Al-Nakhla, filed a complaint for discrimination against a nursery school that refused to receive their daughter. The nursery school denied the accusations, but the auditing body found the complaint justified. Since then, the couple dropped the lawsuit.
And Joseph, who is very close to Sturgeon and who is considered the candidate for continuity, must first of all prove his willingness to turn the page on Sturgeon in the Scottish National Party.
He will assume the duties of a symbolic official at a time when the country is going through crises in its health system – for which he was responsible as a minister – and in education.
His performance in government was heavily criticized during the election campaign.
But far from wanting to sever bridges with Sturgeon, he indicated he would remain in close contact with her for her advice while promising a more inclusive rule “that would not be restricted to a narrow group”.
About Hamza Yusuf
Yusuf’s family hails from the state of Punjab, and his father, Muzaffar Yusuf, immigrated with his family to Scotland in 1960, and married Kenyan immigrant Shaitsa Buta, who was born in Kenya and worked in the field of accounting.
Youssef was born in 1985, grew up in Scotland, and received his education in private schools, specifically the Hutchesons School, which opened the way for him later in the world of politics, to enroll in his undergraduate studies at the University of Glasgow, and obtain a bachelor’s degree and then a master’s degree in political science.
In 2019, Youssef married Nadia Al-Nakhla, a Scottish woman of Palestinian descent. He had one child with her, and was married to former Scottish National Party executive committee member Jill Lythgoe between 2010 and 2017.
Youssef was active during the university in student work, and previously headed the Muslim Students Association, membership of the Student Union at the university, and participated with students in many public activities on behalf of Muslim students in Glasgow.
He also participated in the work of charitable societies, and volunteered on a local radio station, in collecting donations for the needy and asylum seekers.
Youssef began political work in parliament, by serving as an assistant to Deputy Bashir Ahmed, the first Muslim deputy in the Parliament of Scotland, but Ahmed’s death in 2007 did not give him enough time to gain experience in the work of parliament, but despite that, Youssef became the focus of attention of politicians. He had a close relationship with former Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and worked as an aide to her.
During the years following 2008, Youssef participated in an international leadership grant program organized by the US State Department, and was elected in 2011 to the Scottish Parliament, at the age of 26, for Glasgow. He was the youngest candidate in Parliament, and he took the oath in both English and Urdu, the language of his family. , which aroused great appreciation from the ranks of his constituents for respecting his identity.
And he held the position of coordinator between Parliament and the government, which opened the way for him to gain experience in the work of the government, which he joined in 2012, as a state clerk in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, then in the Ministry of Culture and Foreign Affairs, and he was the first Scottish Muslim to hold a position in the government.
Youssef moved between ministries, and took over the Ministry of Transport in 2016, by Sturgeon, and in 2018, he took over the Ministry of Justice, and fought a battle to pass the “hate crimes” law to protect minorities from racist crimes in the country, which he actually succeeded in passing.
