Excerpt:
On October 7, 2004, a 33 year old Iraqi immigrant, Ahmed Hassan Al-Uqaily was arrested in Nashville after threatening jihad against the Nashville Jewish community and having purchased two disassembled M-16 machine guns, four disassembled hand grenades, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from an undercover FBI agent. He was sentenced to 57 months in prison and was made to forfeit $38,000 from his bank account which, though he was a recent immigrant and employed by a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop, contained over $43,000.
Naturally, this sent a chill through the Nashville Jewish community and security at the synagogues was consequently tightened. I recently attended a gathering at the Temple where no fewer than three police cars were visible outside and there were at least three armed guards inside. Congregation Micah which is involved in outreach to the local Muslim community, also employs two very visible armed guards, one at the door and one in the main congregation room with the assembly. They were also in evidence during the three part lecture series entitled, "Islam: What Every Jew Needs To Know," given by Rabbi Rami Shapiro who also teaches comparative religion at Middle Tennessee State University.
One might have expected to hear how Muhammad presented himself to the Jews of Medina as the Messiah and was rejected. About how he treated the Jews thereafter as people who had earned Allah's special wrath. About the fate of the Banu Quraizah, the farmers of the Khaybar Oasis, or the rest of the Jews of Medina. About how a Jewish woman is blamed for poisoning Muhammad or about how on his deathbed, Muhammad ordered the expulsion of all Jews from Arabia. One might have expected to hear something (anything) that might explain the deep-seated Islamic antisemitism observed today, why crowds of Muslims routinely chant "Death to the Jews" all over the world, but that was not to be.