Friends have long held an interest in peaceful dialogue across geographic distances. Mary Fisher, (1623-1698) a British Quaker “minister” traveled to the Middle East to meet with Sultan Mehmed IV of the Ottoman Empire. Rufus Jones joined a 1938 delegation of Quakers who traveled to Nazi Germany after Kristallnacht to argue for peace and an embrace of all peoples, and against the violence and oppression directed at Jews.
As a result of US-Iranian hostilities this month, PYM staff has arranged for a conference call for Friends with concerns about military aggression and the risk of war in the Middle East. Several members from PYM’s Middle East Collaborative will also be on the call to provide their perspective and share their thoughts.
To join this and future calls please sign up now; we will notify Friends by email with information on the date, time and call log-in.
The National Council of Churches, Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), and American Friends Service have placed faith or de-escalation of hostility statements on their websites.
FCNL, which advocates in support of legislation with bi-partisan support, has tools that can help monthly meetings, and individuals reach out to the US government on the Middle East Crisis and other issues of importance.
