In the wake of the Paris attacks, people around the country are concerned about the Syrian refugees seeking asylum in the United States.

As I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, however, I came across some posts that reminded me more of paranoia than concern.

Namely, this little number linked to MadWorldNews.com :

Not only is that headline extremely alarming, it’s misleading.

After news came out that one of the 14 Syrian immigrants in Louisiana settled in Baton Rouge, accusations and misinformation regarding the refugee began to circulate. The refugee, who was being assisted by Catholic Charities, is said to have arrived in Baton Rouge between June and July 2015.

After the rebel terrorist group ISIS claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks, the Syrian immigrants already residing in Louisiana (actually, immigrants throughout the country) started getting media attention. Some outlets even reported the man in Baton Rouge had gone missing days after the attacks, which freaked everyone out even more. Turns out the refugee was not missing at all; he went to Washington, D.C. to meet with his family. I thought this would somewhat calm the nerves of those concerned, but I was wrong.

Like many others, as soon as I read “And It’s MUCH WORSE Than Anyone Thought”, I clicked the link. Turns out, the only thing that was much worse than I thought was the article itself.

The story, written by Amanda Shea on Nov. 18, 2015, reports that the refugee’s departure to our nation’s capital is more than suspicious. She goes on to make several dubious assumptions with little support.

“The refugee’s escape eerily coordinates with the taped threat released recently by terrorists, who vowed to attack Washington, D.C. and New York, just as they did in Paris,” Shea writes. “With so many places to travel to in the United States, it can’t be a coincidence this recent escapee picked the nation’s capital, where he has a pack of others just like him eagerly awaiting his arrival.”

But it can be a coincidence. Also, referring to the man’s move as an “escape” is completely untrue. The post is obviously trying to imply that the refugee is on his way to execute some act of terror.

“… nobody is keeping track of them, which is how this man slipped through the crack and is resurfacing in D.C. to go about what he’s likely had in the works since before he left his homeland,” Shea writes.

The fear and paranoia has driven some to make threats against Catholic Charities. Many have threatened to pull donations from the charity, and the organization even received a gun threat for briefly helping the refugee resettle. Tension and threats
were only increased by such poor reporting surrounding the "missing Louisiana refugee."

Publishing these far-fetched accusations does nothing but spread fear and misinformation about a very serious issue in our country today. Groups like ISIS do a good enough job of promoting fear on their own.

So please, take the things you hear and read with a grain of salt, especially on Facebook and other social media. Of course, we need to be cautiously aware of the refugee crisis, especially after ISIS’s threats against the U.S., but we also need to stay grounded and not let fear get the best of us.

Mad World News Article: madworldnews.com/missing-louisiana-refugee-found/

WBRZ Report: www.wbrz.com/news/catholic-charities-helped-syrian...

WAFB on charity threats: www.wafb.com/story/30543282/catholic-charities-of-...

The Advocate on Catholic Charities Response: theadvocate.com/news/14012129-172/catholic-charities-one-syrian-immigrant