ARIZONA MUSLIMS TO ASK THAT BUSH PROTECT RELATIVES IN LEBANON, GAZA
President urged to call for cease-fire, send humanitarian relief

(PHOENIX, AZ 7/18/06) - On Wednesday, July 19, the Arizona Council
on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-AZ) will hold a news
conference with members of the local Muslim and Arab-American
communities who have relatives under attack in Lebanon and the Gaza
Strip.

At the news conference, community members will ask President Bush to
call for an immediate cease-fire by all parities in the Middle East
conflict and urge that humanitarian relief be sent to areas
devastated by Israel's bombing campaigns.

WHAT: CAIR News Conference with Those who Have Relatives in Lebanon, Gaza
WHEN: Wednesday, July 19 at Noon
WHERE: 202 E. McDowell Rd., Suite 165, Phoenix 85004
CONTACT: Bushra Khan, (602) 262-2247, (202) 276-9227 (cell)

There are an estimated 25,000 American citizens in Lebanon, and many
American citizens, both Christian and Muslim, have relatives in
Lebanon and Gaza. Despite the fact that many civilians have already
been killed in Israeli attacks on the civilian infrastructures of
both areas, President Bush has rejected calls for a cease-fire.

Plans to evacuate American citizens from Lebanon have been criticized
as too slow. The U.S. government will also bill each evacuee for the
cost of their transport out of Lebanon.

"We are concerned that our government's refusal to even request a
cease-fire to end humanitarian suffering in Lebanon and Gaza creates
the perception that Muslim and Arab lives are somehow less valuable
than Israeli lives," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.
"Targeting civilians to achieve a political goal is terrorism,
whether the target is a pizza parlor in Tel Aviv or an apartment
building in Beirut."

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices,
chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to
enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil
liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that
promote justice and mutual understanding.

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ADDITIONAL CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim
Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org