Who is Humza Yousaf?: Former Head of SNP & First Muslim Party Leader In the UK

(CTN News) – Humza Yousaf, the first UK Muslim party leader and former head of the Scottish National Party (SNP), has made headlines for his unexpected resignation as Scotland’s First Minister and SNP leader.

This sudden turn of events has left Scotland’s pro-independence ruling party in a state of disarray.

Humza Yousaf Early Life and Career

Humza Yousaf was born on April 7, 1985, in Rutherglen Maternity Hospital, Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, to first-generation Pakistani Punjabi Muslim immigrants.

His father, Mian Muzaffar Yousaf Arain, was born in Mian Channu, Punjab, Pakistan, and emigrated to Scotland in the 1960s, eventually working as an accountant.

His paternal grandfather worked in the Singer sewing machine factory in Clydebank in the 1960s. Yousaf’s mother, Shaaista Bhutta, was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to a family of Pakistani-Punjabi descent.

Due to their non-African background, her family was regularly harassed and occasionally assaulted, leading them to emigrate to Scotland.

Yousaf attended Mearns Primary School in East Renfrewshire, where he was one of two ethnic-minority pupils.

He was privately educated at Hutchesons’ Grammar School, an independent school in Glasgow, where his Modern Studies lessons inspired him to become involved in politics.

Yousaf studied politics at the University of Glasgow, where he was President of the Glasgow University Muslim Students Association.

He graduated in 2007 with a Master of Arts (MA) degree. Prior to the September 11 attacks, Yousaf was close to two pupils whom he sat next to in his registration class, but after the attack, they asked him questions such as, “Why do Muslims hate America?”

This experience had a profound impact on Yousaf, and he described it as the “day that changed the world and for me.”

 

Political Involvement

From an early age, Yousaf was involved in community work, ranging from youth organizations to charity fundraising.

He was the volunteer media spokesperson for the charity Islamic Relief, worked for community radio for twelve years, and on a project which provided food packages to homeless people and asylum seekers in Glasgow.

Yousaf joined the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 2005, while studying at Glasgow university.

Speeches by then-party leader Alex Salmond and anti-war activist Rose Gentle speaking out against the Iraq War convinced him that independence would be the only way for Scotland to avoid going to war.

He started campaigning extensively for the SNP, including for the 2007 Scottish parliament election, which resulted in the first SNP government in Scotland and Yousaf’s first job in the Scottish parliament.

Personal Life

Yousaf was married to SNP activist Gail Lythgoe from 2010 to 2016. Following their divorce, he married Nadia El-Nakla, a psychotherapist of partial Palestinian descent, in 2019. Together, they have two daughters, one from a previous relationship of El-Nakla’s.

They live in the Dundee suburb Broughty Ferry. Yousaf is a fan of the legendary Glasgow-based Celtic football team and is also a motorcycle enthusiast.

Political Career

Yousaf was elected as an MSP for the Glasgow region in May 2011 and to the constituency of Glasgow Pollok since 2016.

He has held a number of ministerial positions in the Scottish Government since 2012, and joined cabinet in June 2018 as Cabinet Secretary for Justice. He was appointed as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care in May 2021.

Yousaf became the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the sixth first minister of Scotland when he replaced Nicola Sturgeon in March 2023. He is the second Muslim to lead a major British political party and the first person of colour to serve as Scotland’s first minister.

Resignation and Leadership Contest

Yousaf’s resignation as Scotland’s first minister plunges the Scottish National Party into its second leadership contest in two years.

The SNP now governs as a minority administration, struggling in the polls and reliant on opposition parties it has cheesed off. Oh, and there’s a Westminster general election breathing down its neck.

The roughly five-week campaign for the leadership was often acrimonious and included a spate of personal attacks by candidates. It was punctuated by the resignation of the party’s deputy leader, who had been a key ally of Yousaf’s.

Conclusion

Humza Yousaf’s resignation as Scotland’s First Minister and SNP leader marks a significant turning point in Scottish politics. His leadership was marked by controversy, including the collapse of his coalition government with the Green Party.

The SNP is now in crisis mode, and the party’s future direction is uncertain.

The leadership contest will be closely watched, and the outcome will have significant implications for Scotland’s political landscape.

SEE ALSO: The SNP’s Leader Yousaf Has Resigned. What Happens Now?