A Muslim First Minister For the First Time — Why Did the Scots Choose Humza Yousaf?

Humza Yousaf, 37, has become the first Muslim to lead Scotland as its First Minister and the first Muslim Prime Minister in Europe after he was elected by members of the ruling Scottish National Party on March 27, 2023, following a two-week vote.

Yousaf, who was the Health Minister, received 48.2% of the vote in the first round, followed by Forbes with 40.7%, and Ash Reagan with about 11.1%, according to the Scottish National Party.

Yousaf secured the second round with 52.1% of the vote, while Forbes received 47.9%, succeeding the party leader and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who resigned unexpectedly in February 2023 from her position as First Minister and the leadership of the Scottish National Party.

 

First Muslim Leader

BBC said on March 27, 2023, that Yousaf became the first Muslim to lead a major political party in the United Kingdom and will be the first leader from an ethnic minority (Pakistan) in a devolved government.

This paved the way for the new PM to become the first Muslim to be the head of the Scottish government in its history and the history of the United Kingdom.

His supporters say he is a skilled mediator and the most capable of unifying the party and maintaining the power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Green Party, which was heavily divided over leadership, as well as leading the independence from Britain, according to the BBC report on March 27, 2023.

The irony is that Humza Yousaf, who is of Pakistani Muslim origin, will enter into a conflict with his British counterpart of Indian origin, Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of Britain, due to his commitment to accelerating Scotland’s separation from the United Kingdom.

Time described his election as “historic” not only for Scotland but also for the United Kingdom, as his victory came after the election of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in 2022 and Leo Varadkar as the President of the Government of Ireland in 2017.

This means that this is the first time the prime ministers of Britain, Scotland, and Ireland are of South Asian origin, and the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is also Muslim and of Pakistani origin.

Lawyer and activist Shola Mos-Shogbamimu pointed this out by saying that three British Asian men now hold prominent positions in British politics.

She tweeted: “Humza Yousaf – 1st British Asian Scottish First Minister. Rishi Sunak  – 1st British Asian UK Prime Minister. Sadiq Khan – 1st British Asian London Mayor.”

 

 

The Islamic Council in Britain described the election of Yousaf as the first leader of a British nation (Scotland) from an Islamic and ethnic minority background as “of great importance.” He promised that his victory will be a seminal moment and a step forward in ensuring fair representation in a diverse society, and he hopes to be a source of great unity across communities, according to The Independent, on March 27, 2023.

Muslims make up about 2% of Scotland’s population, and their numbers are increasing. They hold key positions in both supporting and opposition parties, and their youth supports independence from Britain, according to the Hyphen website that publishes news about Muslims in Europe on August 15, 2023.

Observers suggested that Yousaf’s selection may be due to his strong stance in support of Scotland’s separation from Britain, unlike his competitors who lost. The election battle was about Scotland’s independence from the United Kingdom between Yousaf and his main competitor, Kate Forbes.

Yousaf believes that independence should begin immediately and a “republic” should be formed away from the British crown. In his last election debate, he announced that if he becomes First Minister, he will call for early elections, guarantee an absolute majority of over 60% in alliance with the Green Party, and then a referendum on independence from Britain.

In another interview with The National newspaper on March 13, 2023, he emphasized that Scotland could abandon the monarchy within five years of independence and replace Prince Charles with an elected president.

According to his announced program, his goal is to defend Scotland from Westminster’s seizure of power and achieve independence. Therefore, some London newspapers describe him as the Muslim politician who may cause Britain’s disintegration.

 

Great Challenges

In contrast to the team that was thought to be the Scots’ choice for Yousaf, based on his firm support for their independence from the United Kingdom, other observers believe there is another reason. That reason is his presentation of himself as a Muslim who separates between religion and politics and will not bring his faith into the administration of the country.

However, Yousaf has shown a contradiction in his positions and statements. He does not present himself as a secularist or anti-Islam, and he said in a press statement that he is a Muslim, a person who is proud of his faith, and he will fast during the month of Ramadan.

But on the other hand, he said he does not use his faith as a basis for legislation because being a Muslim does not mean that he is unable to make a decision regarding legislation; Yousaf also explicitly announced his support for same-sex marriage.

When asked by Radio Times in March 2023 about the impact of his Islam on his stance on the issue of same-sex marriage, Mr. Yousaf said: “I couldn’t come on your program and tell you that I’m able to change what Islam says about gay marriage, or gay sex or what the mainstream Islamic view is.

“I would be lying to your viewers if I said…everybody will know what the position on mainstream Islam in that respect is. But the question is, do people use the basis of their faith as legislating? I haven’t done so, I wouldn’t do so because I don’t believe that’s the job of legislators or policymakers.”

Humza Yousaf’s ideas have shocked Muslims, not only because of his position on same-sex marriage but because he acknowledges that his views contradict Islam and then claims that there is a difference between religion and governance, meaning that he separates religion and politics.

Critics have pointed out that despite his defense of same-sex marriage, he was absent from a key vote in the Scottish Parliament on legalizing same-sex marriage in 2014, and they said he evaded it since he is a Muslim.

However, he said he was absent due to an important meeting about a Scottish citizen facing a death sentence in Pakistan for his attack on Islam.

Alex Salmond, who was a minister at the time, told Sky News that Yousaf was absent from the vote due to religious pressures from a mosque in Glasgow, a claim that Yousaf strongly denied, according to BBC on March 27, 2023.

After facing pressure to explain why he did not attend the final vote on the marriage and civil partnership law in Scotland in 2014, he said he often consulted with the Muslim community about his political positions.

It is believed that this contradiction in his position is an attempt to reconcile being a Muslim with the requirements and customs of the country he lives in.

There is an issue that drives some Muslim candidates for positions in the West to accept and support practices that are prohibited by Islam in their communities, such as homosexuality. Some of them claim that they will reconcile their religious principles with extreme Western values.

Just as members of the U.S. Congress, like Muslim Ilhan Omar, supported homosexuals and defended their demands, Muslim Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf did so before his election, as these elections were dominated by the issue of homosexuality and gender change law.

He also tried to appease religious extremists among Christians in the community by appearing as a “moderate” Muslim, a description in the West for Muslims who are considered more accepting of Western values.