Hamza Yusuf MSP

Humza Yousaf is a Scottish politician serving as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care since 2021. He is the first non-white and first Muslim member of the Scottish Cabinet. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Pollok since 2016, having previously represented Glasgow region from 2011 to 2016.Born and raised in Glasgow, Yousaf attended the University of Glasgow, earning a MA in politics. Before becoming an elected official, he worked as parliamentary assistant for many prominent MSPs including then First Minister Alex Salmond and then Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. In 2011, he became the youngest MSP elected to the Scottish Parliament, at age 26. Yousaf served in numerous junior ministerial roles including: Minister for External Affairs and International Development from 2012 to 2014, Minister for Europe and International Development from 2014 to 2016, and Minister for Transport and the Islands from 2016 to 2018.In May 2011, Yousaf was elected to the Scottish Parliament as an additional member for the Glasgow region. At just 26 years of age, he was the youngest MSP to be elected to the Scottish Parliament. When being sworn in, he took his oath in English then Urdu reflecting his Scottish-Pakistani identity.On 5 September 2012, Yousaf became the Minister for External Affairs and International Development after Alex Salmond had undertaken his first major cabinet reshuffle of the parliamentary session. This junior ministerial appointment saw him working under the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs. He is the first Scottish Asian and Muslim to be appointed as a Minister to the Scottish Government.In June 2020, following the murder of George Floyd in the USA, Yousaf gave a speech to the Scottish Parliament as part of a debate to show solidarity with anti-racism. In the speech, Yousaf listed 15 positions of authority in Scotland held by white people, in order to illustrate that there were few non-white people in positions of power. Yousaf was appointed to the cabinet position responsible for health and leading Scotland’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2021 following a cabinet reshuffle.#islamopobiaawarenessmonth#saynotoracism#elrec#edinburgh#islamophobiainscotland