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Imraan Siddiqi, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Washington chapter (CAIR-WA) and a Democratic candidate for the state House of Representatives, urged the University of Washington to reinstate a canceled lecture by Hasan Piker, a controversial streamer who previously declared that “America deserved 9/11.” Siddiqi also criticized the university’s president for participating in a synagogue forum addressing campus antisemitism.
The August 13 letter, addressed to university president Robert J. Jones and shared with the board of regents, was obtained through a public records request by Jessica Russak-Hoffman of the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), which published its findings on October 19. Siddiqi praised Piker for his outspoken opposition to Israel’s military operations in Gaza, accused the university of “capitulating to political pressure,” and demanded that his lecture be restored to the university’s 2026–27 speaker series.
Piker’s appearance, scheduled for January 21, 2027, had been canceled on August 7 following public objections to his previous statements concerning Jews, Israel, and terrorist organizations.
Siddiqi Criticized UW President’s Participation in Synagogue Antisemitism Forum
In his letter, Siddiqi also took issue with University of Washington President Robert J. Jones’s participation in a March 22 forum addressing campus antisemitism at Bikur Cholim Machzikay Hadath, an Orthodox synagogue in Seattle. The event, moderated by radio host Ari Hoffman, brought together Jewish community members and representatives of Jewish organizations to discuss antisemitism, harassment, and campus safety.
During the discussion, Jones addressed concerns about antisemitism at the university and discussed efforts to revise its student conduct rules following incidents on campus. Siddiqi subsequently referenced the president’s participation in the synagogue gathering in his letter urging the university to reverse its cancellation of Piker’s lecture.
University Cited Speaker-Selection Failures
The University of Washington maintained that Piker’s cancellation resulted from procedural problems rather than his political positions. In an August 7 statement, officials said the event had not undergone the required review for the university-sponsored lecture series.
University spokesperson Victor Balta subsequently told KUOW that funding arrangements had not been finalized and that Piker had not received a formal invitation before the event was announced. Balta also said Jones had not participated in the cancellation decision. An August 19 university update revealed that seven of the 16 announced events, including Piker’s, had not gone through the committee-based selection process. All seven were canceled.
Correspondence obtained by JNS showed that university professors and donors had objected to Piker’s invitation. Sigal Bujman Klein, director of campus affairs and external relations at the University of Washington Hillel, warned that inviting Piker risked conveying institutional endorsement of his views and normalizing hostility toward Jews, although she did not request the lecture’s cancellation. Other correspondence criticized the decision to cancel the event.
Piker’s History of Remarks About 9/11, Hamas and Jews
Piker, a radical left-wing political commentator with millions of followers on Twitch, has faced repeated criticism over statements concerning Hamas, Hezbollah, and Jewish Americans. During an August 2019 livestream discussing American foreign policy and the September 11 terrorist attacks, Piker declared, “America deserved 9/11, dude.”
In an April 2026 interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Piker discussed his opposition to Zionism. The report documented previous statements in which he described Hamas as vastly preferable to Israel, expressed a lack of objection to Hezbollah, and compared liberal Zionists to Nazis. He had also referred to ultra-Orthodox Jews as “inbred,” a remark for which he previously apologized.
Later in August, after Siddiqi’s letter, Piker drew further criticism when he warned that American Jews who presented themselves as singularly invested in Israel could face people taking action against American Jews rather than Israel. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned the remarks as dangerous and antisemitic.
CAIR-Washington Previously Identified as Co-Organizer of Prisoner Letter-Writing Event
Siddiqi’s defense of Piker follows earlier scrutiny of CAIR-Washington’s involvement in a Palestinian prisoner solidarity event featuring support campaigns associated with individuals convicted of terrorism-related offenses and antisemitic violence.
In April, The Jerusalem Post reported that promotional materials identified CAIR-Washington as a co-organizer of an April 17 Palestinian Prisoners’ Day letter-writing event with Nidal Seattle. The organization’s logo appeared in advertisements and event footage, while a person apparently representing CAIR-Washington spoke during the gathering.
Nidal Seattle’s materials promoted campaigns involving the Holy Land Foundation Five, whose members were convicted in a federal Hamas-financing prosecution, and Tarek Bazrouk, who was sentenced to 17 months in prison for hate-crime assaults against three Jewish victims in New York City. Promotional material also invoked Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, Hamas’s name for its October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, and expressed support for Palestinian resistance groups.
Separately, in June, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. requested a State Department review of allegations involving CAIR’s national organization and its California and Washington affiliates, including possible connections to designated terrorist organizations and concerns involving government funding. CAIR California subsequently rejected the allegations as unfounded. The request for a review did not establish wrongdoing by CAIR or its affiliates.
Siddiqi Missed Jewish Community Candidate Forum
The October 19 JNS investigation also detailed Siddiqi’s absence from a candidate forum organized by Jewish community groups at a Seattle synagogue. According to organizers, Siddiqi had indicated that he would attend but did not appear, instead participating in another candidate event. Organizers told JNS that other candidates had managed to attend both gatherings, while Siddiqi’s opponent, incumbent Democratic state representative Lauren Davis, attended the Jewish community forum.
Siddiqi has received endorsements from Democratic representatives Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. He is challenging Davis for Position 2 in Washington’s 32nd Legislative District, with both candidates listed on the November 3 general election ballot.