Following the announcement of Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon of her resignation from office, advertisements of candidates wishing to replace her at the head of the National Party and prime minister poured in, among them Hamza Yusuf.

Youssef held the position of Minister of Health in the Sturgeon government, and he is one of the young faces rising strongly in the National Party, which encouraged him to be among the first to announce his intention to run to succeed the resigned Prime Minister.

Within a decade, the name of Yusuf - a Muslim of Pakistani origin - turned into a difficult and important figure in the Scottish political equation, by holding a number of important ministerial positions, as well as his work in the team of two of the most important leaders of Scotland during the past two decades, and it relates to both Sturgeon and Prime Minister Preceded by Alex Salmond.

Yusef may enter political history not only in the United Kingdom but also in the West in general, as the first Muslim to hold the position of prime minister in a Western country, and although the competition is fierce between a number of candidates, Yusuf has great chances in view of the relationships he succeeded in weaving within the National Party, and the need of the latter For a young leadership with new slogans and rhetoric.

Youssef has great chances of reaching the position, given his relations within the National Party (Getty Images)

Birth and origins

Hamza Harun Yusef was born in Glasgow on April 7, 1985. His father is Muzaffar Yusuf, who was born in the state of Punjab in Pakistan, and immigrated with his family to Scotland in 1960. As for his mother, Shaitsa Buta, who was born in Kenya and descends from a family from South Asia, She also immigrated with her family to Scotland and worked there in the field of accounting.

Study and youth

Youssef was one of the fortunate children whose families had the financial means to study in private schools, which opened the door for their students to career and political advancement. Thus, he began his journey of education at the Hutchesons School in Glasgow, after which he studied at the University of Glasgow and obtained a master's degree in political science in 2007.

During his undergraduate studies, Youssef headed the Muslim Students' Association at the University of Glasgow, in addition to being a member of the University Students' Union. There, he gained experience in public speaking, participation in public activities, and pleading on behalf of Muslim students.

He participated in many charitable campaigns, to collect donations to help the needy and slums, after which he became the media spokesperson for the “Islamic Relief” charity, which is considered one of the largest charitable societies in the United Kingdom, in addition to working on a local radio for 11 years as a volunteer to collect donations, food aid and clothing. For asylum seekers and homeless people.

Don't get to spend enough time with my family so v pleased to have them in @ScotParl yesterday with me 🙂 pic.twitter.com/1b8dCQOswb

- Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) May 13, 2016

political work

Youssef entered political work through the parliament gate, through his work as an assistant to parliamentarian Bashir Ahmed, who was the first Muslim parliamentarian in Scotland in 2007, but this did not last long because Ahmed died months after his arrival in parliament.

Youssef's entry into parliament brought him to the attention of a number of political leaders who attracted him to their work teams, and perhaps the most important of them was Salmond, who later served as prime minister in 2008.

After that, he moved to work as an assistant to Sturgeon, who was then one of the most important figures in the country, and this stage was the beginning of a strong political relationship between them, after which Yusef assumed a number of important ministerial positions.

Among the steps that helped Youssef enhance his political experience was his benefit in 2008 from the "International Leadership Scholarship" program organized by the US State Department, and after that, in 2009, he won the "Young Minorities" award in Scotland.

Youssef was responsible for communication between Parliament and the Scottish Prime Ministry (Getty Images)

Parliamentary work

In 2011, Youssef was elected to Parliament at the age of 26 from the Glasgow region, making him the youngest candidate to be elected to Parliament. He drew attention when he took the oath in English and then Urdu as an indication of his Anglo-Pakistani identity, and worked in the Parliament's Justice Committee.

After that, Youssef was responsible for communication between the parliament and the prime minister, and this position gave him an opportunity to get acquainted closely with government work, and he continued in this position until 2012, after which he started a new path in government work.

.@HumzaYousaf just gave his swearing in oath in Urdu.

Look how great it sounds: pic.twitter.com/mvPqRucslx

- Siraj Datoo (@dats) May 12, 2016

Ministerial positions

In 2012, Youssef was appointed to a government position, his first, as Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, during the Almond era, and he worked under the banner of the Ministry of Culture and Foreign Affairs, and was then the first Muslim of Asian descent to hold a ministerial position.

He continued in this position, after Sturgeon came to the premiership in 2014, and kept him in office until 2016, when he was appointed Minister of Transport.

And in 2018, Youssef held the position of Minister of Justice until 2021, and during this period he entered into a battle to pass the “hate crimes” law, and its purpose was to provide greater protection for minorities, emphasize hate crimes, and distinguish between freedom of expression and incitement against any of the components of society, despite opposition After conservative votes for this law, Youssef succeeded in passing it.

In the year 2021, he assumed the position of Minister of Health and Social Work in the circumstances of the Corona pandemic, and during this period he was subjected to many criticisms, and he found himself in the face of a storm when he demanded that people think twice before calling the emergency, in order to relieve pressure on hospitals, which many considered an endangerment of people’s lives. risk and depriving them of health services.

However, 500 deaths were recorded due to the long wait for emergency aid, prompting Youssef to request the army's assistance with emergency services.

personal life

Youssef is a father of a child and married to a Muslim nurse. He lives with his family in Glasgow. He is a big fan of Glasgow Football Club. He does not find any problem in appearing with his mother and his wife's sisters, all of whom are veiled women.