Humza Yousaf will continue to raise his voice for Gaza, Scotland's First Minister or not

9/11 will always be remembered as a tragedy that struck the whole world, thousands lost their lives or a loved one.

A day later, thousands of miles away, a then-16-year-old Humza Yousaf was bombarded with questions at his school, asking him why Muslims hate America, why the attack took place, and if he knows where Osama bin Laden is.

"We were expected to know the answer when, of course, we knew nothing more than the people who were asking the questions," Yousaf told The New Arab.

From that moment, Yousaf decided to educate himself on the current affairs of the day, tuning into to watch Jon Snow on Channel 4 News every evening with his father,  so fascinated by it all he went on to study politics at university.

Following the Iraq War, Yousaf started questioning why Scottish sons and daughters were being sent to fight in a war the nation disagreed with.

For him, the penny dropped when he learned about the struggle for Scottish independence and decided to join the Scottish National Party soon after.

Just over 20 years later, Yousaf made history by becoming the first person of colour, the first second-generation immigrant, the first Muslim and the first South Asian to be elected as First Minister of Scotland.

"It's never been a question of me choosing one identity over the other," Yousaf says.

"You shouldn't have to choose one over the other; actually, you could be really proud and celebrate the fact that you have heritages of both."

Youssaf believes we should celebrate the fact that people can have many identities, although he believes this is becoming increasingly difficult.

"It was an incredible honour, something I'll be proud of for my whole life," he adds.

"You are the one who gets to call the shots, you get to make the decisions, you get to make the change and transformative change that you've been fighting for your whole political life, and you get to represent your country in the world's stage."

Being first minister came with its own domestic and international challenges, including when Israel launched its devastating assault on the Gaza Strip, during Humza Yousaf's first seven months of leading Scotland.

The politician knew he had to call for a ceasefire and ensure community tensions did not widen, but he also had to navigate what was happening at home with his Scottish-Palestinian wife's parents trapped in Gaza for four weeks during a visit to family in the besieged enclave.

"In truth, it was probably the most difficult four weeks of my life and certainly of my wife's life," Yousaf tells The New Arab.

"We didn't know day-to-day whether my in-laws were going to survive or going to die and if they're going to die in the most horrific and brutal manner possible, and that's not an easy thing to live with."

It was difficult managing the dual tasks of leading the country through this foreign crisis and ensuring the safety and supporting his wife's family in Gaza, but Youssaf won the respect of the nation for handling both issues with a clear conscious.

"There was a job to do as First Minister, which was to represent the values of my nation on a global stage, calling for a ceasefire, for example, an end to arms sales to Israel and the recognition of a Palestinian state," Yousaf says.

"On the other side, of course, being a father, and a husband, and a husband to a wife who was in absolute and complete turmoil, so that was a tricky moment."

He was "proud" of providing a voice to the people of Gaza as First Minister on a global stage.

"It's one that I will continue to raise my voice for regardless of being First Minister or not."

Yousaf has always vocally opposed Israel's occupation of Palestine and advocated for a two-state solution well before 7 October.

"For me, the issue is about being pro-humanity and pro-international law. If you are pro-international law, and you believe it should apply equitably," Yousaf says.

"If you believe in international law, it should apply equally to all, and you shouldn't pick and choose who international law applies to, if you do that, you obviously have a certain agenda."

'I don't want to leave my home'

From battling the cost-of-living crisis and poverty to party divisions, Yousaf also had to deal with the growth of the far-right, although that phenomenon has been more of an issue over the border in England than in Scotland.

Following the tragic killing of three children in Southport, North West England a series of riots driven by misinformation and far-right extremist groups broke out with a mosque attacked, people of colour targeted, and two hotels housing migrants almost set ablaze.

Muslims and people of colour across the UK feared for their safety, terrified that their country might not always feel like home to them.

As a Scottish-Pakistani and Muslim man with children of Pakistani and Palestinian parentage, the events hit closer to home, with Yousaf questioning his family's future in the UK.

"I can't say with certainty that my children would be safe here [the UK]," he said.

"I'm a father and husband first and foremost, those are the two most important jobs in my life, bar none.

"Can I say for sure, with certainty, that they [his children] would be safe in the UK in the future, that they wouldn't be targeted or attacked?"

Humza has experienced such racism and Islamophobia himself, telling The New Arab that despite loving Scotland, the place he was born, raised, educated, and until recently led, needs to still think about the issue.

"You cut me open, and I'm as Scottish as they come, but, for every single parent, you will think about your children's future," Yousaf said.

"I don't have another home, this is the only country I call home, it's the only country I will ever call home.

"I don't want to leave my home, but I've got to think about the safety of my children, and that's a tough decision to make, and plays heavily on my mind."

Yousaf said rhetoric on social media platforms such as X has heightened Islamophobia and racism, while decades of negative media and political speech about immigration could have contributed to this.

"This doesn't happen in a vacuum, politicians of different administrations for far too long have adopted a language of the far-right in our political discourse and our media discourse," he said.

"The only way to deal with it is to address the underlying root causes, which as I say are the mainstreaming of xenophobia, anti-migrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric in our media and political discourse."

It's one of the reasons why he wants to focus on combatting the far-right and extremism after stepping down as First Minister.

"Those that have been riding a wave of populism, that is driven by extremism, particularly anti-Muslim sentiments in Europe and the West, that has to be confronted," Yousaf explains.

"Otherwise, we end up in a dismal situation where not just me, but 25 million Muslims across Europe will just walk up and get up and leave if they don't feel their families are safe here, and Europe would be poor for it."

'I'm not angling to be First Minister again'

It has been almost five months since Yousaf resigned as leader, and the politician admits that while he misses the job and making history, he is not planning on returning as head of Scotland for a second time.

"I'm not angling to be First Minister again," Yousaf told The New Arab.

"Being leader of the country that is your home is wonderful, but it is a very stressful existence. But I've kind of been there, done that, and got the T-shirt."

While Yousaf will remain a member of the Scottish parliament until 2026, he said he'd consult with his wife, family and friends about whether to pursue another term.

As for what's next, along with tackling the far-right, Yousaf wants to see where he can contribute to human diplomacy, with a focus on conflict resolution – a matter that is close to his heart.

"Given that so much conflict is happening in Muslim countries and being somebody who is Muslim and proud to be Muslim, and that pains me greatly," Yousaf says.

"So, can I play a role in helping to reduce that conflict, prevent conflict in the first instance, but certainly trying to time to mediate in that conflict, where it's happening."

Yousaf said it is critical to nurture and invest in the next generation of leadership, particularly in the Arab world and beyond, and ensure they lead their countries based on morals and values.

"We have this huge rising tide of populism," Yousaf said.

"If we can ensure the next generation of leadership is rooted in values, inclusive values that bring people together, that respect and celebrate multiculturalism and the plurality of the world that we live in, as opposed to being insular, then I think that is where we all have to invest now. I want to play a role in that."