As Jewish leaders in Chattanooga, we are saddened and concerned by Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond's recent comments at the Pachyderm Club. The sheriff singled out Muslims for fear-mongering and suspicion. As members of a religious minority with a long history of persecution, we feel obligated to condemn this kind of hateful, misleading rhetoric, wherever we see it.

In his speech, Hammond described secret networks of Muslim Americans "plotting to overthrow the United States government," and he compared Islam to communism. Hammond provided no real evidence for either of these dramatic claims.

We are particularly disturbed by a part of the talk that was not quoted in the Times Free Press, in which the sheriff spoke positively about what he understands — incorrectly — to be Japan's policy toward Islam. Hammond claimed that Japan "does not allow Muslims to build mosques [or] to hold passports other than for a few diplomatic visits. They cannot own property and practice their faith, except behind closed doors. They are not able to do business in [Japan]."

"Guess what the United States is doing?" Hammond asked, drawing a contrast. "Bringing them in by the thousands. Planeloads."

It's extraordinary to hear an elected official suggest that any democratic government could, and perhaps should, strip people of their basic right to worship and own property simply on the basis of their religious beliefs.

Hammond insists that he was not talking about all the world's Muslims. But the full version of his remarks — including his comments on this imaginary version of Japan — regularly refers to Islam and Muslims in their entirety. And while we recognize that some people commit murder in the name of Islam, that doesn't excuse baseless generalizations about Muslims.

For members of the Jewish community, many of these statements sound all too familiar. Anti-Semites have long accused Jews of forming cabals in order to take control of governments. They have argued that Judaism isn't really a religion. And at many points in history, Jewish communities have been stripped of their basic rights, simply because they were Jews.

Replace the word "Muslim" with "Jewish" in Hammond's speech, and many of his points look eerily similar to anti-Semitic arguments common in Europe and the United States in the first half of the 20th century (and which remain, in some places, to this day).

Where is Hammond going with this? Considering the comparison to communism, is he advocating a McCarthy-like witch hunt — another Red Scare? Would he like policies that limit the rights of citizens and other legal residents because of their faith without any due process? The possibilities are worrying.

The Chattanooga we know is a welcoming, tolerant city. Simply put, this is hate speech. We would condemn statements like these if they were directed against the Jewish community, and we do the same when they are directed against Muslims — or against any other group that's overwhelmingly made up of peaceful people trying to live their lives.

Hammond says that he's dedicated to upholding the Constitution, so he should know this lesson well: When you try to limit the rights of one part of the population, you put everyone's freedom at risk.

Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga: Warren Dropkin, board chairman, and Michael Dzik, executive director; B'nai Zion Congregation: Rabbi Susan Tendler and Steven Sherman, president; Mizpah Congregation: Rabbi Bill Tepper and Henry Schulson, president; and Chabad Jewish Center of Chattanooga: Rabbi Shaul Perlstein