Mia Jin Haagensli
On March 27, Humza Yousaf was elected the successor of Nicola Sturgeon, becoming the new leader of the SNP and the First Minister of Scotland. With that, “the continuity candidate” became the first ever Muslim and person of colour to lead the nation of Scotland.
In his inauguration speech, the previous Scottish Health Secretary declared himself a “proud European” and promised to return Scotland to the European Union (EU) as a way for the country to play their part in “building a continent based on human rights, peace, prosperity, and social justice”.
Yousaf is now faced with the challenge of uniting a deeply divided party coming out of a bitter leadership contest while also facing a Scotland ravaged by splits, discontent, and differences.
Before leaving office, Yousaf´s predecessor, Nicola Sturgeon, faced widespread internal division over her strategy for gaining independence for Scotland. Facing this inheritance, Yousaf has vowed to put the drive for Scottish independence into “fifth gear”. It seems his most recent attempt to do this was by promising to take Scotland back into the EU. This quest has, however, been met with differing opinions.
Political commentator Piers Pottinger was quick to comment on the matter, stating that re-entering the EU would be “utterly crazy”. In the interview with GB News, Pottinger voiced his confusion tied to the SNP wanting to be independent of Westminster whilst also pursuing to re-enter the EU. In his opinion, that will leave the SNP with “even less independence than they have now”.
The dividing matter of the independence of Scotland is only one of the major political issues Yousaf’s predecessor and close ally throughout many years left him when she suddenly resigned in February, throwing the SNP into turmoil as the country had to engage in its first leadership contest in roughly 20 years. When the race to replace the longest serving First Minister of Scotland did begin, however, it all came down to three candidates:
Kate Forbes, Finance Secretary of Scotland, Ash Regan, former junior minister; and Health Secretary Yousaf. As a close ally to Sturgeon for almost ten years, many saw Yousaf as her natural successor and as a candidate who would continue the work and efforts of the preceding First Minister, giving him the label of “continuity candidate”.
Despite this, it came to what some have labelled a concerningly close tie between Yousaf and his opponent, Kate Forbes. Ending with a staggering 48% of the votes to Forbes and 52% to Yousaf, the 37-year-old politician won the SNP leadership contest and is now left with the “tremendous mess” of his predecessor. Yousaf, however, seems prepared for the task, saying that he felt like “the luckiest man in the world” when elected.
Humza Yousaf is not only the youngest ever First Minister of Scotland, but he is also the first ever Muslim and person from an ethnic minority background to hold the title.
In his victory speech, Yousaf reminisced on how his grandparents immigrated from Punjab to Scotland many decades ago, saying that “they could not have imagined in their wildest dreams that their grandson would one day be […] the next First Minister of Scotland”.
Continuing, Yousaf said, “We should all take pride in the fact that today we have sent a clear message, that your colour of skin, or your faith, is not a barrier to leading the country we all call home”. And with that, the previous member of the newly established Scottish Islamic Foundation, aiming to promote Scotland as an ideal country for Muslims to live, work, and invest in, marks a historic moment for the UK.
From studying politics at the University of Glasgow to becoming the parliamentary assistant of SNP MSP Bashir Ahmad and later Alex Salmond and being elected transport minister in 2016 and then health secretary, he has climbed his way to the very top.
And despite allegations that he is against equal marriage for same-sex couples, Yousaf has assured his voters that he will “always fight for the equal rights of others” and not rule based on his personal faith.
Yousaf’s election was welcomed by the Muslim community.
“The election of Humza Yousaf is not only momentous for Scotland but also for the United Kingdom: the first leader of a British nation from a Muslim background,” said Zara Mohammed, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain.
“We hope the new First Minister will actively work to address those critical challenges facing communities at this current time and be a source of great unity across communities,” added Mohammed, who is from Scotland.
Founder of the Muslim Council of Scotland, Mazhar Khan, told The Muslim News that the election of Yousaf was “a fantastic achievement for Muslims.”
He added that Scotland was able to elect its First Minister from a minority community “in a very short period of time since it achieved devolution. It bears well for not only Muslims but also other minority communities within Scotland.”
Lansana Bangura, Chair of Elgin Mosque, in Elgin, Moray, Scotland, told The Muslim News he was “quite happy” that the SNP has elected the first Muslim and the First Minister. “We are excited about it but at the same time I am worried he should not forget his roots, his culture, where he is coming from.”
Photo: Newly elected leader of SNP Humza Yousaf arrives to be sworn in as Scotland’s First Minister at Scottish High Court in Edinburgh, Scotland on March 29. (Credit: Oğuz Kağan Meydan/AA)
Additional reporting by Ahmed J Versi
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