A tale of three people: Humza Yousaf, a former Hamas Commander and the cousin who praises extremist preachers

Recently I had been asking if Scotland's left leaders have an anti-Semitism problem, but perhaps the bigger issue is if it has a Hamas problem?

Two cousins founding the SIF

Humza Yousaf helped found the Scottish Islamic Foundation (SIF) which was described as a lobbying group whose first Chief Executive was his cousin Osama Saeed. The SIF would under Osama Saeed go on to be dogged by allegations of cronyism after the SNP government awarded it hundreds of thousands of taxpayers pounds in the form of grants. All while Mr Saeed was a parliamentary candidate, and Mr Yousaf himself would get elected in 2011.

For those who don’t know, Osama Saeed (former SNP candidate) had previously in 2005 written a piece for the Guardian titled ‘The return of the caliphate’, in which he suggested a restoration of a Caliphate in the Muslim world wasn’t to be dismissed, while also insisting Sharia law has really just been misinterpreted. Saeed in the past has also expressed support for Islamists including Anwar al-Awlaki, a known extremist preacher who inspired numerous Muslim terrorists, but who he insists “preached nothing but peace”.

The SIF which the First Minister had helped found, previously run by his cousin Mr Saeed, was accused by the counter-extremism organisation Quilliam of acting “to provide a platform for a wide range of high-profile Islamists”.

Issues concerning the SIF and Osama Saeed also extended to a 2009 speech he made in which he sought to argue Islamism and Sharia law were irrelevant issues in the context of countering extremism. He insisted “the debate on Islamism is irrelevant” as “In any state, most laws are going to be man made”.

That Holyrood meeting…

Humza Yousaf who has a troubling history of calling for an arms embargoes on Israel, met with a notorious former Hamas commander Mohammad Sawalha, whose nom de guerre is Abu Obada.

The SIF in 17 January, 2008 brought ex-terror bigwig Sawalha and other extremists to the Scottish Parliament to meet officials which included the-then Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture, Linda Fabiani.

Known Islamists Mohammed Sawalha, Anas Al-Tikriti, Ismail Patel were all brought to the Scottish Parliament at the SIF’s invitation n 2008. Mr Yousaf himself was a director of SIF Ltd between May 2008 to September 2009.

Record of an SNP meeting organized by Humza Yousaf, featuring Hamas commander Mohammed Sawalha and other hardline Islamists

For those unaware, Anas Al-Tikriti today is the CEO and Founder of The Cordoba Foundation, which has been heavily criticised for its links to proscribed terrorist group Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood. By 2014 Al-Tikriti’s Cordoba Foundation was listed as a terrorist group by the United Arab Emirates and Al-Tikriti's UK bank accounts were closed by HSBC in August 2014.

Ismail Patel today is a British optician, and founder of Friends of Al-Aqsa. Patel himself is an outspoken supporter of the disgraced academic David Miller, who was sacked by Bristol University after accusations of antisemitism. Patel has also visited Hamas terrorist kingpin Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza.

Mohammad Sawalha (aka Abu Obada) was prior to immigrating to the UK heading up the terrorist outfit’s West Bank arm as its military chief. Since being permitted to live in the UK he has continued to cause all sorts of controversies such as when he purchased a former council house to live in for a £112,000 discount. A home which it just so happens is in close proximity to two synagogues.

Sawalha - who has been involved in organizing flotillas and land convoys to the Gaza Strip while in Britain - was accused by the BBC (see: ‘Faith, Hate and Charity’) for allegedly directing funds both for Hamas' armed and missionary wing. All raising questions of just how ‘former’ is the ex-Hamas terror leader?

When Humza Yousaf was asked if he was aware of any of the extremist background of Mr Sawalha at the time in 2008, felt disinclined to comment regarding this substantive point. Instead saying he has a “strong track record of standing up against every form of hatred, including antisemitism”.

Perhaps part of the reason for Mr Yousaf’s disinclination to comment stems from the fact that two years prior to the 2008 meeting, Sawalha had been named by the BBC as a fugitive Hamas commander. Put it simply, it was surely an easily enough fact to find out by 2008 of Mr Sawalha’s extremist past.

Following the 2008 meeting of extremists, at which Mr Yousaf attended alongside his caliphate and sharia apologist cousin Osama Saeed, the SNP government shortly after awarded the SIF £405,000 in taxpayer funded grants.

The events of October 2023

Fast forwarding to today the now First Minister Humza Yousaf was heavily criticised for his failure to condemn the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7th 2023. Denounced by Stephen Kerr MSP as “an embarrassment”. The First Minister, a regular critic of Israel, who met in 2008 with an ex-Hamas boss merely offered up a weak response to the horror which unfolded in Israel.

Nick Timothy, the former adviser to Theresa May has since also expressed his shocked by Mr Yousaf's response to the Hamas genocide campaign in Israel. He likened Yousaf to Jeremy Corbyn whose leadership of the Labour Party was defined by Labour becoming engulfed in anti-Semitism; "Jeremy Corbyn isn't the only British political leader who seems unable to condemn terrorism - terrorism of the most barbaric kind imaginable."

Mr Yousaf has also since the Hamas slaughter campaign in southern Israel continued to defend the Scottish Greens, wanting to retain them in government, despite strong allegations of potential anti-Semitism becoming exposed. He has continued to defend their role in government, despite being urged to drop them, even after senior Green MSPs took to social media to blame the Jews for their own suffering following the Hamas massacre.

The Scottish Government under Humza Yousaf also refused to raise the Israel flag in solidarity with the victims of Hamas terrorism at Bute House. This comes despite the Scottish Parliament being lit up in the colours of Ukraine in the past - even Palestine. I wrote in a piece recently for Think Scotland that Scotland’s Jewish community has learned an invaluable lesson this month. Our country correctly insists on showing support for victims of terrorism – but with an asterisk. It does not apply if you’re an Israeli, or Jewish.

Andy Maciver, founder/director of Holyrood Sources and contributor to The Herald, said in response to this, “I just feel quite a lot of shame.”

Mr Maciver isn’t alone in feeling an acute sense of shame right now, at least now under this First Minister and his Scottish Green allies.

Humza Yousaf - whose wife’s family is caught up in the Gaza Strip - has expressed understandable worry about their welfare. But as First Minister, Humza Yousaf’s leadership must go beyond his own immediate family.

A First Minister, upset about the welfare of his wife’s family is something we can all sympathise with. But a First Minister whose apparent career of one-sided anti-Israel politics and worrying history of being in the proximity of anti-Semitic extremists hints disquietingly as something potentially more sinister than mere political immaturity.

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