Anas Sarwar, First Muslim in Britain to Lead  Political Party

The Scottish Labor Party, on Saturday, elected Anas Sarwar as its leader before the parliamentary elections scheduled for May, after defeating his competitor Monica Lennon by 57.6 percent to 42.4 percent of the eligible voters.

Sarwar was born to Pakistani Muslim parents.

He succeeds Glasgow's Scottish Member of Parliament, Richard Leonard, who resigned in January.

However, the fortunes of the opposition Labor Party, to win the upcoming election, have declined in Scotland, where the Scottish National Party is the dominant force, and Labor holds 23 seats in the 129-seat parliament.

Sarwar said in a video clip he posted on "Twitter": "It is a great honor for me in my life to become a leader of the Scottish Labor Party and I will be a leader who focuses on what unites us as a state and not what pides us."

He added that he wants to say directly to the people of Scotland I know Labor has to do a lot to get your confidence back.

The "Guardian" newspaper reported that Anas Sarwar was born in Glasgow in 1983, noting that in 2010 he left his job as a dentist and decided to enter the world of politics.

From 2011 to 2014, Sarwar was elected deputy leader of the Scottish Labor Party and was tasked with coordinating the party's campaign during the independence referendum.

It is noteworthy that Anas’s father, Muhammad Sarwar, was also the first Muslim Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom after he held the Glasgow seat for the Labor Party between 1997 and 2010.

The UK Labour leader, Keir Starmer, said: “Huge congratulations to Anas on his election as leader of the Scottish Labour party. I look forward to working with him to secure our economy, protect our NHS and rebuild our country.

“We will fight the Scottish parliamentary elections by making the case for a socially just Scotland in the modern United Kingdom. Under his leadership, Scottish Labour will focus on what unites us – not what pides us.

“I know Anas will do the hard work that is necessary to win back the trust of the Scottish people and build for the future as we emerge from this pandemic."