Nadia Maged El-Nakla (Arabic: نادية النقلة; born 1984) is a Scottish psychotherapist, political activist and politician. She has served as a councillor on Dundee City Council since 2022, representing the west end of Dundee.[1] She is a member of the Scottish National Party (SNP). She is married to Humza Yousaf, first minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP.
Nadia El-Nakla | |
|---|---|
 El-Nakla in 2023 | |
| Councillor of Dundee City Council for West End Ward 3 | |
| Assumed office 5 May 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Richard McCready |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Nadia Maged El-Nakla 1984 (age 39–40) Dundee, Scotland |
| Political party | Scottish National Party |
| Spouse |
Fariad Umar
(m. 2007; div. 2017) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Maged and Elizabeth El-Nakla |
| Alma mater | Abertay University[citation needed] |
Early life and education edit
El-Nakla was born in Dundee, Scotland, to a Palestinian father and a Scottish mother.[2][3][4] She gained an MSc in Counselling from Abertay University.[5]
She is a qualified psychotherapist counsellor and has experience working with addiction, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, eating disorders, bereavement and suicidal ideation.[citation needed] She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.[5]
Career edit
El-Nakla worked as a case worker for Shona Robison, the member of the Scottish Parliament for the Dundee City East constituency.[6]
In the 2022 Scottish local elections, El-Nakla ran as an SNP candidate in the Dundee City Council's west end ward 3.[7] She was successful in her election bid and currently sits as a councillor, serving as the equalities spokesperson.[8][9]
Personal life edit
El-Nakla was previously married to Fariad Umar, an IT expert, and they had one daughter together.[10] In November 2015, Umar discovered racist text messages sent to El-Nakla by Craig Melville, an SNP councillor, with whom she was having a sexual affair, after using software to recover messages sent to her phone. The couple eventually filed for divorce.[11][12][13][14]
In 2019, El-Nakla married Humza Yousaf, the future first minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP.[15] She later gave birth to her second daughter, first of Yousaf's, and the family lived in Broughty Ferry, a suburb a few miles east of the city of Dundee.[16] In March 2024, the couple announced that they were expecting another child.[17]
She has disclosed that she has had four miscarriages.[18]
In 2021, El-Nakla made a complaint of discrimination against a Dundee children's nursery that did not offer a place to her daughter.[19] The complaint was upheld by the Care Inspectorate who found that the nursery "did not promote fairness, equality and respect" in terms of its admission policy.[20] She later terminated the legal action.[21]
In October 2023, her parents, Maged and Elizabeth El-Nakla, became trapped in the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war; after travelling to the Middle East to visit a sick relative from her father's side, where his Palestinian family relativess still reside.[22] On 3 November, they crossed the border to safety in Egypt.[23][24]
References edit
- ^ "Ward 3 - West End - Nadia El-Nakla". Dundee City Council. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "'There is nowhere to hide': Palestinian Scot fears for her family trapped in Gaza". The National. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "Who is Humza Yousaf's wife Nadia El-Nakla?". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ Rawlinson, Kevin (13 October 2023). "'Where is humanity?': Humza Yousaf's mother-in-law sends tearful video from Gaza" – via The Guardian.
- ^ a b "Nadia El-Nakla". www.counselling-directory.org.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ Malik, Paul. "Dundee case worker married to justice secretary shares heartbreak after three miscarriages". The Courier. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ Brady, Jon (21 March 2022). "Humza Yousaf's wife standing as SNP candidate in Dundee council elections". Daily Record. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ "SNP gain in Dundee as Nadia El-Nakla wins seat". The National. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ El-Nakla, Nadia. "NADIA El-NAKLA: Why I pity the people hanging White Lives Matter banners in Dundee". The Courier. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ Marriage certificate of Nadia Maged El-Nakla and Fariad Mohammad Umar, 2007, 350 / 199 Dundee - National Records of Scotland
- ^ Moncur, James (26 January 2018). "Husband of love-rat politician had no answers over SNP councillor racist texts". Daily Record. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/dundee/2567183/revealed-the-anti-muslim-texts-sent-to-former-lover-that-ended-the-career-of-ex-dundee-councillor-craig-melville/
- ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-43414696
- ^ https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/ex-snp-councillor-fined-after-sending-racist-texts-to-muslim-lover-1425848
- ^ Mustafa, Filiz (27 March 2023). "Humza Yousaf's partner Nadia El-Nakla has been SNP councillor since last year". HITC. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ "Who is Humza Yousaf's wife Nadia El-Nakla?". The National. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "Humza Yousaf and wife expecting baby in July". BBC News. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "'Nobody gives you a manual for this kind of stuff': Humza Yousaf and Nadia El-Nakla on their experience of multiple miscarriages". Holyrood Website. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ "Humza Yousaf complaint against Dundee nursery upheld". BBC News. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ Carrell, Severin (3 November 2021). "Scottish minister's complaint against nursery upheld by inspectors". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ "Nursery boss says Humza Yousaf's wife has 'terminated' legal action". The Independent. 7 February 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ "Humza Yousaf says Israel is 'going too far' in Gaza". BBC News. BBC. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ "Humza Yousaf's parents-in-law escape Gaza". The Telegraph.
- ^ "Humza Yousaf's family cross Gaza border to safety". BBC news.