Quakers in Britain have a long tradition of speaking plainly on questions of war and peace — and on the UK's role in military conflict. This week, they are speaking plainly again.

In a direct and challenging blog post, Quakers in Britain have called on the UK Government to stop allowing British military bases to be used by the United States for attacks in the Middle East. The post describes the current conflict as the "eighth Western war-of-choice in the Middle East in the last 25 years" and notes that half of Britons oppose US use of UK bases to launch attacks in Iran.

The Quaker position on war is rooted in a testimony to peace that goes back to the movement's seventeenth-century origins. It is not a comfortable position — it requires holding firm to a conviction that can seem naive in the face of complex geopolitical realities. But Quakers would argue that it is precisely in moments like this that the peace testimony matters most.

The post urges readers to write to their MPs to oppose deeper UK involvement in the conflict. For UK Christians who share the concern about escalation — whether or not they share the Quaker peace testimony in its entirety — this is a call to engaged, prayerful citizenship.

Read more and take action at quaker.org.uk.