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JOHNSON: Muslim candidate seeks detente with own party

By Bill Johnson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published May 2, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Iam going to break a personal rule today and write about someone running for local or statewide office. My rule: Let 'em take out an ad.

But Rima Barakat Sinclair is a worthy exception. That's because few would envy her candidacy.

The reasons are, in no particular order, that she is a registered Republican and a Muslim of Palestinian ancestry running for the legislature in a heavily Democratic and Jewish district. Problematic, to be certain, but she never expected be branded an Israel-hating "terror apologist" and worse, most of it Web-circulating bile. Yes, she has received threats to her safety. Some of them have come from her own party, with whom she was scheduled to meet Thursday night to plead for a detente of sorts.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have known Rima Barakat Sinclair for several years, first meeting her at court hearings where she served as translator for attorneys and their Arabic-speaking clients. We, too, would run into each other at various bars and social gatherings.

This is how much I really knew of her: When she told me months ago that she was running, as a Republican, for term-limited Democratic House Speaker Andrew Romanoff's seat, I nearly fell over. Do you know anything about House District 6? I asked her.

We met for lunch the other day. Rima Barakat Sinclair, 48, looked tired, as if she hadn't slept. The reason could have been related to the e-mail and other nastiness she had been receiving in recent weeks.

She was born one of four daughters of a wealthy Palestinian family in Amman, Jordan. She knew early on she was not meant for the life that entailed being confined to the home like her older sisters, she said. And when time for college arrived, she left for the U.S.

In July 1998, she was sworn in as a U.S. citizen. Two days later, she said, she joined the Republican Party.

"I felt it was the more fiscally responsible party," she explained. "I liked its emphasis on family values."

How she arrived at this current nasty patch, she said, happened innocently enough. She walked into a March 1 party meeting as just another District 6 delegate. There were about 50 people in the room.

Who wanted to run for the speaker's seat? No one raised their hand.

Finally, she said, one gentleman volunteered. He got up, answered a few questions, was peppered on a few of them related to abortion, and sat down.

"He was very liberal," Rima Barakat Sinclair recalled. "I told myself, 'I can do better promoting the conservative view.' I raised my hand."

Her nomination immediately was seconded. After she won the vote, 25-23, the man withdrew. A second vote gave her the unanimous nod.

"I really thought I was doing something good," Rima Barakat Sinclair said, "never thinking anyone would label me this Islamist, terrorist sympathizer. Holy moly, what has happened?"

A lot of it has been the chatter around a nascent challenge by Joshua Sharf, a Republican blogger and, he points out, Orthodox Jew, who, in an interview, says Sinclair's nomination alarmed him.

He has written scathing posts about the woman, attacking her on everything from her past statements on abortion to what he calls her unrepentant anti-Israel, pro-Hamas views.

"A terror apologist and an avowed enemy of Israel with no credible conservative credentials," he wrote of her.

"Rima likes to play the victim," Joshua Sharf said, "and she is very good at it. I have no problem with her religion, but I have serious ones with her activities and her integrity.

"Everything I have said has to do with what she's said, not what her religion is, or her ethnic background. If she chooses to interpret it that way, it is only to deflect legitimate complaints about her."

Joshua Sharf said he is a third of the way to gathering the 605 verified petition signatures he needs to qualify for the primary ballot alongside Sinclair.

Of the Internet threats that have come against his would-be opponent, he said firmly: "I don't want anyone to be threatened; that is totally unacceptable. My sole intent is to let people know of her comments and activities. I have no (association) with people who would use that to spread hatred."

She displays the raft of angry mail and anti-Muslim Web postings about her. She blames, she said, Joshua Sharf. It is the reason she asked for the Thursday night meeting.

"What surprises me is the condoning of these types of attacks by some party members and officers who have done nothing to stop them," she said.

Does she now have regrets about raising her hand?

"My only regret," she said, "has to do with my family and the impact it has had on them. My husband, Roy, and his mother are afraid for my safety."

"These issues, these attacks on me, have intense emotions of hate and militancy behind them. Friends have told me to be careful," she said.

"These people hate my religion, my very being. All it leaves me thinking is," she said, "these people don't even know me."

johnsonw@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2763

Comments

  • May 2, 2008

    7:10 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    webgirl writes:

    You know what, fair is fair. I looked at Sharf's blog, "View from a Height," because I wanted to see what he said about Sinclair, rather that what she said he said. Here is what Sharf said in March, before he was even running for office against her:

    http://www.jsharf.com/view/2008/03/in...

    It's a video of Rima talking. The only commentary Sharf added was:

    "Our Friend Rima on CBS 4 News from 2006 during the 2nd Lebanon War. Very illuminating."

    That's all he needed to add because the video speaks for itself. Watch the video. It's riveting.

    Then there's this, back in December 2006, where Sharf describes his difficulty in interviewing Sinclair: http://www.jsharf.com/view/2006/12/ba...

    I'm looking hard to see where he calls her a nasty name because she's a Muslim. Where would that be?

    On the other hand, Mr. Johnson, I find it fascinating that you point out that Sharf is an Orthodox Jew. Why is that relevant to this discussion? Hmm.

  • May 2, 2008

    7:55 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    JHarmon writes:

    "But Rima Barakat Sinclair is a worthy exception. That's because few would envy her candidacy."

    You are endorsing her because...she's in a rough spot? Oh, okay.

    Let me ask you something. Why isnt Sharf allowed to point out Sinclair's history? Look at http://www.jsharf.com/view/2008/03/is...

    and

    http://www.jsharf.com/view/2006/04/di...

    All he does is call her on her record. I don't see what's wrong with that. It's called discussion. He doesn't play dirty. Is there anything on his blog about her that isn't factually true? If there is, let Sinclair complain about that instead of whining about normal political discourse. Geez.

  • May 2, 2008

    8:36 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Jackson writes:

    Tell Sinclair to stop her "poor me" crap and get on the bus. Why doesn't she just criticize her opponent for his opinions like any other political candidate instead of complaining that she is being attacked? Why doesn't she defend herself with reason? Sharf says she "has no credible conservative credentials" so why doesn't she just speak to that? What are her credentials?

    What a baby. Does she think people will elect her because they feel sorry for her? Grow up, Rima.

  • May 2, 2008

    9:13 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    rockymountainhigh writes:

    1. "Yes, she has received threats to her safety. Some of them have come from her own party..."

    Who, from the Republican party, has threatened her? Are they anonymous threats? If they are anonymous, how does she know they are Republican? If they are not anonymous, Sinclair should name names and quote quotes. Fascinating.

    2."She displays the raft of angry mail and anti-Muslim Web postings about her. She blames, she said, Joshua Sharf."

    Where are these anti-Muslim web postings? She displayed them? Display them to me. Why does she blame Sharf? Did he post them? Did he tell people to post them? (He must be very powerful.)

    3. "'What surprises me is the condoning of these types of attacks by some party members and officers who have done nothing to stop them,' she said."

    What should they do to stop them? Should they tell everyone to stop bringing up Sinclair's record?

    4. "'These issues, these attacks on me, have intense emotions of hate and militancy behind them. Friends have told me to be careful,' she said."

    Militancy?

    5. "'These people hate my religion, my very being. All it leaves me thinking is," she said, "these people don't even know me.'"

    Okay. Who are you? Google Rima Barakat Sinclair and see what comes up.

    Sinclair is digging her own political grave. She's unelectable and so she's decided to play the victim card. She's pathetic.

  • May 2, 2008

    1:36 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    T1anda writes:

    America is a staunch ally of Isreal. Muslims in the U.S. are not going to change that. I think they want to get elected to offices and change the face of America to suit their own political and religious agenda's!!!

    I only speak for myself, but I believe that most Americans could give a damn less about Palistine! If you haven't noticed Bill Johnson, we have troubles of our own!!

    Barakat left her birthplace because she "wasn't meant for a life of confinement" within her own country. She needs to enjoy her new-found freedom and take,or make trouble elsewhere!!!

  • May 2, 2008

    3:38 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    DRMyrup writes:

    I was a delegate at the House District 6 assembly, one who proudly voted against Rima Sinclair, and it appears she is now trying to rewrite history. The "gentleman" referred to in this article has a name, Jeff Hecht, and he was a serious candidate who ran against Andrew Romanoff in a previous election and was making another run. Other than his pro-choice stance, he is a conservative.

    Bill Johnson, you state Rima Sinclair "told you months ago that she was running, as a Republican, etc." but that's not what she told us at the assembly! She specifically stated she had not thought of running before walking in the room and decided to do so during the meeting.

    You also state she joined the Republican party in 1988, but an article in the archives of your own newspaper would suggest otherwise: "Sinclair, too, shares concerns about homeland security. She also likes parts of the Democrats' social platform. 'I would like to have a president who is pro-choice,' she says."("Colorado Muslims Aspire to Become a Political Force" - Rocky Mountain News - August 14, 2004) http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-12077...

    Which brings us to a very important point: Rima Sinclair won the nomination by telling the delegates she's pro-life, not by saying she wants a pro-choice president! She certainly didn't win the domination by impressing us with her knowledge of the issues. Since she announced her candidancy about the same time the meeting was supposed to end, we delegates didn't get a chance to ask her many question, but most of the ones she took she stumbled over, answering them vaguely and saying, "I will have to do more research on that."

    Does Rima Sinclair even have any positions on the issues? Look at her website: http://www.sinclairdenver.com/RSincla... All it says under "Issues" is "Coming Soon." She won the nomination two months ago, one would think she would post something about her positions on the issues by now!

    We republicans in HD-6 need to ask ourselves if we want to support Rima Sinclair, a candidate whose platform consists of little more than her personal story and her claim she wants to "unite us as together as Coloradans first, Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians or Independents, to find solutions that best serve our State," or if we want to support someone with more substance?

    I want substance. It's my opinion Joshua Sharf's knowledge, honesty, consistency and professionalism make him the superior candidate in this race: http://www.sharfcolorado.com/

  • May 2, 2008

    10:50 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    drumman writes:

    Rima Sinclair needs to realize when she says, "Israeli soldiers are now known to be just bombing and killing babies" on videotape and then runs for office in the House District of Colorado with the highest population of Jews in the state, people are going to question her about it. She needs to either own up to this statement and explain why she made it, or apologize for it.

    Instead, she makes these claims that people hate her for her religion and she's being attacked. I would be very surprised if it were true she's getting death threats. From everything I've seen, the local republican party has been bending over backward to try to accept her. She's even been invited as a guest speaker at the next Jewish Republicans of Colorado meeting!: http://www.j-gop.org/ (scroll down a bit). I'll have to see this "raft of angry mail and anti-Muslim Web postings about her" before I believe they exist.