(CBS) CHICAGO There is no end in sight to the escalating violence in the Middle East, and evacuees can’t get out fast enough.

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.

Calling Israel’s bombing of Lebanon the action of a terrorist state, local Muslim advocacy groups Thursday demanded an immediate cease-fire by all parties in the Middle East conflict and urged that humanitarian aid be sent to areas of Lebanon that have been hard hit.

Dating sites specializing in religious, ethnic backgrounds gain favor, especially with parents

“I have gained immense respect for the French who stood in solidarity with their hero refusing to kick him when he was down. As the curtain closes, I can only add my voice to the grateful and forgiving French fans when I say, “Merci Zizou, le footballer eternel.”

‘It’s really sad where people are willing to take innocent life . . . As a matter of fact, it’s pathetic,” President Bush said in a recent press conference. He went on to state, “Israel has a right to defend herself. Every nation must defend herself against terrorist attacks and the killing of innocent life. It’s a necessary part of the 21st century.”

“It’s really sad where people are willing to take innocent life … As a matter of fact, it’s pathetic,” President Bush said in a recent press conference.

Nine Muslim men from the Chicago region have filed a lawsuit alleging the U.S. government violated their civil rights by delaying their citizenship requests.

I disagree with Tribune staff reporter Rex W. Huppke’s characterization of terrorism as a new and increasing threat in “Fear of terrorism as a fact of life; Americans have learned to deal with their worries about crime, but they have yet to adjust to a world where terror is an enduring threat” (Perspective, June 25).

Up until his ignominious expulsion from last Sunday’s World Cup championship match for head-butting an opponent, Zinedine Zidane’s journey had read like a fairy tale.