Humza Yousaf set new records last month. He became the only Muslim leader of a major UK political party and the first person with an ethnic minority background to lead Scotland’s government.
But his journey to political success started during his school days when he inculcated a solid work culture and endurance. His former teachers at Hutchesons’ Grammar, an elite school in Glasgow, talk of his diligence and sincerity.
“I would have thought he was going to be successful because he was an earnest, sincere, hard-working young person, but he tended to be a little reserved in class,” Laura Stuart, who taught Yousaf politics, told The Times.
“He was interested in the subject matter, would ask questions and answer questions, but he wasn’t anything like he is now,” she told the newspaper.
Yousaf’s Pakistani-born father had a successful career in Glasgow as an accountant and his mother was born into a South Asian family in Kenya.
Yousaf said he was toughened after facing racist abuse while growing up, especially after the 9/11 attacks in the US.
He recalled how he was bombarded with questions such as “Why do Muslims hate America?’ and “Why are they celebrating?”
“But I’d seen the same stuff as them. I was aghast, like them,” he said.
“It was the first time in my life, one of the only times, I’ve felt like I didn’t quite belong here. At that point, I thought ‘I’ve either got to bury my head in the sand here or I’ve got to educate myself’.”
Reflecting on his time in politics, he said he “definitely had tough times”.
“I’ve thought to myself, ‘goodness, is there more that I can take personally’ because I also come under a tremendous amount of abuse online and, unfortunately, sometimes face to face.”
In 2021 Yousaf and his wife Nadia El-Nakla launched a legal complaint against a nursery, accusing it of racial discrimination after it denied admission to their daughter.
The complaint was upheld by education inspectors although the nursery denied the accusations. The couple, however, have now dropped the case.
Yousaf said he will “always fight for the equal rights of others” and not legislate based on his faith.
