(SEATTLE, WA, 6/18/2025)— The Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the Bellevue School District’s decision to cancel the debut book event for Palestinian children’s book author Safa Suleiman’s Hilwa’s Gifts at an elementary school.
On April 2, 2025, Suleiman had a speaking engagement scheduled at a Bellevue School District (BSD) elementary school for her children’s book Hilwa’s Gifts, which debuted on April 1. The scheduled visit would have been the first event for the book, which tells the story of a young boy visiting his grandparents in Palestine and participating in an olive harvest. After many positive communications with school staff, Suleiman was on her flight to Washington state when she was informed that her appearance was canceled. The reason given for the cancellation was the desire by the school to avoid “politics”.
“We were truly shocked to hear of a Palestinian children’s book author having her event canceled by the Bellevue School District,” said Imraan Siddiqi, CAIR-WA Executive Director. “After bringing Safa back and hearing her amazing book talk, it is even more troubling – because the content of her presentation was apolitical and aimed at the true audience of her book – the children. The kids of Bellevue School District were cheated out of this experience because of external pressure and the institution ultimately capitulating to racist demands. This is yet another example of Arabs and Muslims being held to a different standard than the rest of society.”
In a statement, CAIR-WA Community Legal Advocate Sabrene Odeh said, “This incident is particularly concerning for the students of the district, many of whom may share a similar background to Safa Suleiman’s. What message does this send to students and families who identify with her? Are they to believe that their voices, culture, and experiences are not valued in this community? Diversity of thought, background, and lived experience is vital to a thriving educational environment, and it is essential that our schools support and celebrate these differences rather than censor them.”
In a statement, author Safa Suleiman said:
“It was cruel and heartless that Bellevue School District cancelled my visit because of my personal writing and family experience. This blatant act of censorship not only harmed me but also harmed the students. If an institution has no qualms censoring me as a Palestinian writer, then I will have no qualms calling out this harmful behavior. This was a failure of leadership.
“I am profoundly grateful to CAIR-WA for their advocacy throughout this ordeal and for bringing me back for an author visit for the Bellevue community. It was a wonderful event!”
In a follow-up email to CAIR-WA about why they would not reschedule the appearance, a district representative stated that the cancellation was due to a 2024 blog post delineating how Suleiman’s family members were killed by U.S. funded Israeli air strikes in Gaza. The district claimed that this blog post—which is unrelated to the book—made it “likely” that Suleiman’s appearance would disrupt the learning environment. During her visit to Washington state, three other Seattle-area schools hosted Safa Suleiman to read and discuss Hilwa’s Gifts.
Despite CAIR-WA’s advocacy for Bellevue School District to reschedule the event, including meeting with district officials and exchanging several emails, BSD repeatedly affirmed that their decision to cancel was final. In conversations with CAIR-WA, district officials admitted that there should have been a conversation with Suleiman before the abrupt cancellation, that the cancellation was at least in part due to community pressure, and that they could not recall another time when the district canceled on a visiting speaker after announcing the event.
On June 14, CAIR-WA brought Mrs. Suleiman back to Bellevue where she held a reading and Q&A for Hilwa’s Gifts. Attendees remarked on the “beautiful” story, and how family-friendly, non-political, and uncontroversial the event was. See photos and a short video here.
Over the past year and a half, CAIR-WA has tracked exclusion of both students and professionals who express support for Palestine, as well as the suppression of political opinion and civil rights under the guise of protecting children in the educational space. Recently, the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art canceled a private rental of their space to perform a play titled “One Family in Gaza”, citing the “highly complex and sensitive nature of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict”.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.