Photo: Getty
History was recently made in Scotland when the country elected its first ethnic minority and Muslim First Minister, Humza Yousaf, who is of Pakistani descent. This week, his wife Nadia El Nakla participated in this celebration of identity and diversity by wearing a Palestinian thobe to her husband’s nomination in Parliament.
The burgundy and black number featured traditional Palestinian embroidery known as tatreez – a centuries-old craft mainly practiced by Palestinian women. A loose-fitting ankle-length garment, the thobe is considered a national dress by many Arab countries however, for Palestine, it holds more significance. Not only is it a representation of where someone comes from considering that the garment can vary in style, color, and motif based on geography, but in recent years, it has also become a symbol of Palestinian resistance.
Photo: Getty
El Nakla, who was born and raised in Scotland, has a Palestinian father and regularly keeps in touch with her family in Gaza – her brother Mohammed, his wife, and three children. Her Middle Eastern heritage has always been important to the trained psychotherapist, and she is a vocal supporter of Palestinian causes.
The 39-year-old married Yousaf in 2019 and shares a daughter, Amal, with the Scottish leader. She has another daughter from her previous marriage with IT expert Fariad Umer. Her husband is not the only politician in this family who has made history, with El Nakla becoming SNP councilor for the West End of Dundee in 2022, a position that has never been held by an ethnic minority candidate before her.
Speaking at the time she said, “I really want to take this time in the next five years to invest in women and get them into politics because in the Broughty Ferry ward I don’t think we’ve ever seen a female councilor in I don’t know how long.”
