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In the 19th century, Jews in Muslim countries suffered persecutions and various libels. One of the stories that distressed Moroccan Jews was that of Suleika the Righteous, who in 1834 was accused of converting to Islam but then disavowing her decision. When she refused to renounce her Judaism, she was executed. She recited the Shema prayer right before she died.
The most infamous affair of all was the Damascus Blood Libel in 1840. Key figures in the Jewish community were accused of kidnapping and murdering a monk and his servant so they could use their blood to bake matzot. The libel ended only after prominent Jews and diplomats from the West intervened.
