“For the past decade, Muslims have been seen through the prism of terrorism, fundamentalism and jihadism,” said Nizarr Bourchada, who heads the UDMF’s regional ticket. “We want to show that Muslims today participate socially and economically and will also participate politically.”

“Terror is a Muslim issue, an Islamic issue within the house of Islam,” said M. Zuhdi Jasser, founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, “and we must own it” to fight it.

If temperatures increase by 4 degrees Celsius, "projections for Africa suggest sea levels could rise faster than the global average and reach 80 cm above current levels by 2100 along the Indian and Atlantic Ocean coastlines, with particularly high numbers of people at risk of flooding in the coastal cities of Mozambique, Tanzania, Cameroon, Egypt, Senegal and Morocco."

"Like Bishop Barnes said, this is a time for prayer, a time to pray for peace...I know there are many people all over who are praying for us here in such a terrible time, and I want to extend my thanks to all of them. We don't need any more violence."

North Americans and Salvadorans gathered Dec. 2 at the precise spot where four churchwomen were killed 35 years ago to emphasize that their work for the country's poor remains alive.

Pope Francis is inviting people to strike out on a yearlong spiritual journey to recognize a loving God who's already knocking on their door. He says he wants the Year of Mercy to usher in a "revolution of tenderness."