Politico has the scoop:  Faith-based groups, who play a key role in resettling refugees to the United States, say they are dismayed by the wave of anti-refugee fervor set off by the Paris terrorist attacks and are urging supporters to contact elected officials on behalf of victims of the Syrian civil war. Evangelical Christians, as well as Christians more broadly, are a core group in the Republican electoral base and are among the most passionate advocates for aiding refugees. A... Read more

Details: Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge has received threats because they help Syrian refugees resettling in Louisiana, according to an official at the organization. Communications Coordinator Carol Spruell said the organization received a call around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday where a person made gun threats. Spruell said the organization has received calls in the past few days threatening to suspend donations, though the threats then escalated, prompting them to call police. “We take every threat seriously,” said Col.... Read more

From Empire:  Right after the film wrapped, the first image from Martin Scorsese’s latest arrived, showing Andrew Garfield alongside Shin’ya Tsukamoto. Today we get our first proper look at Liam Neeson in Scorsese’s Silence. Adapted by Gangs Of New York’s Jay Cocks from Shûsaku Endô’s novel, Silence has been a passion project of the director’s for years. It follows two Jesuit priests – Garfield and Adam Driver – who go looking for their mentor (Neeson) in 17th century Nagasaki, Japan,... Read more

Strong words from a devout Muslim—a descendent, in fact, of Mohammed—and a stalwart defender of Christians, via AFP: Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned Tuesday of a “third world war against humanity”, describing the Islamic State group as “savage outlaws of religion” in the wake of the Paris attacks. During an official visit to Kosovo, Abdullah said both Europe and Islam were under attack from the “scourge” of terrorism that could strike anywhere and at any time. “We are facing a third... Read more

From CNA: In wake of Friday’s violent terror attacks in Paris, the Vatican’s Secretary of State said that while the small country is also on extremists’ horizons, they won’t let themselves be “paralyzed” by fear. He also backed global military action against ISIS militants,   who claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack, by echoing Pope Francis’ declaration in August 2014 on his way back from South Korea that “stopping the unjust aggressor is legitimate” when it comes to international intervention in Iraq.... Read more

The television host wrote in the U.K.’s Daily Mail:  As the non-Muslim world rages and weeps, the vast majority of Muslims appear content to keep their heads down and say nothing. Either out of genuine fear, or, if one was being less generous, out of tacit support for what ISIS stand for. It has been the same after every single ISIS rampage, from the Charlie Hebdo slaughter to the Tunisia beach massacre and recent downing of a Russian passenger plane.... Read more

This comes from David Bier, an immigration policy analyst at the Niskanen Center, via the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE): After the attacks on Paris, many politicians — including (so far) the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Michigan, and Texas — have called for stopping refugee flows to the United States from the Middle East, claiming that the refugee process poses a major threat to America’s security. Here are six reasons why ending US refugee resettlement is a mistaken and... Read more

I’m reminded of the wise words of a sister who helped give food and shelter to Muslims suffering during the Iraq War: “We don’t help them because they’re Catholic. We help them because we are.” From CNS:  Church resettlement programs in the United States will continue to aid refugees who are fleeing violence and social ills despite calls that the country’s borders should be closed to anyone but Christians. The church’s response is focused on people in need of food, shelter... Read more

This was begun in September, but now seems a timely moment to learn more. Details:  The extremist group the Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL) has made effective use of social media to spread propaganda, releasing gory videos on YouTube and launching hashtag campaigns to threaten the United States. Now Muslims around the world are fighting back — using the hashtag #NotInMyName to remind the world that ISIS does not represent their religion. The campaign was launched on September... Read more