Source: Chicago Tribune
On July 20, 2006 the Chicago Tribune reported, "During frantic phone conversations with her family in Lebanon, Christina Abraham learned how Israeli forces were bombing the predominantly Christian neighborhood of Ashrafiya. She heard how her cousins were trapped for days in an underground bomb shelter, unsure if they would survive the battle raging between Israel and Hezbollah. With a mix of emotions ranging from worry to rage, Abraham spoke Thursday at a news conference organized by Chicago's Muslim leaders and joined them in calling on the United States to halt the violence. 'To kill hundreds of civilians for the sake of two captured Israeli soldiers—who are still alive—is to desecrate the sanctity of human life,' said Abraham, 25, a DePaul University law student and civil rights coordinator for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Chicago... At the news conference held at Chicago's Downtown Islamic Center, Muslim community leaders said many Lebanese-Americans feel betrayed by U.S. support of Israel and the Bush administration's opposition to a cease fire. Muslim and Arab leaders are planning a rally for noon Saturday at Pioneer Court on North Michigan Avenue to denounce attacks on Lebanon. Leaders of Chicago's Jewish community, meanwhile, said they continue to support Israel's actions to defend their nation. Todd Winer, director of public relations and communications for the American Jewish Committee in Chicago, said a cease fire would play directly into the hands of Hezbollah."