Under Fire: In Conversation with Humza Yousaf

Description

When Scotland’s First Minister, Humza Yousaf, got a call from Gaza on the morning of 7 October 2023, he feared the worst. His wife’s parents, Elizabeth and Maged, had been visiting the Palestinian territory to see Maged’s sick mother and found themselves trapped as violence escalated on both sides. 

In Under Fire: My Family’s Escape from Gaza and The Cost of Leadership, Yousaf recounts the month that followed: coordinating across governments to get his in-laws to safety via the Rafah crossing, while leading Scotland through one of the most fraught periods in its recent history and reassuring a traumatised Jewish community, all under intense public scrutiny. 

Join us as Yousaf talks about the book, and about his own journey from the son of immigrants to the first Muslim leader of a Western European country. He’ll reflect on the rise of far-right populism, and on what he believes true leadership demands: holding personal loyalty and public duty together, and keeping hold of empathy when the pressure is greatest.

Related Book

Under Fire: My Family’s Escape from Gaza and the Cost of Leadership

Humza Yousaf

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About the Author

Humza Yousaf

Humza Yousaf served as Scotland’s First Minister from 29th March 2023 – 7th May 2024. Upon assuming office, Humza became the first Muslim leader of a Western European nation. Elected to the Office of First Minister at the age of 37, he became Scotland’s youngest First Minister, and the first Person of Colour to become First Minister of Scotland. He has served in several government roles in twelve years as a Minister in the Scottish Government, including; Minister for External Affairs and International Development, Minister for Transport, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. He became the first Person of Colour and Muslim member of the Scottish Government in Scotland’s history when he was made Minister for External Affairs and International Development in 2012, aged 27. He was also appointed to lead the SNP’s campaign against Brexit in 2016. Humza is the only First Minister to have made the front cover of Time Magazine, where he was described as an “extraordinary leader” and “trailblazer”.