As the UK and the US move towards war against Iraq, let me urge all readers to do whatever they can to stop this conflict .

If war happens, there will be yet more thousands of unnecessary deaths, at the very least.

We may also see the destabilisation of an entire region, possible nuclear conflict and further support for Islamic fundamentalism and hatred of the West.

There may be many arguments against Saddam Hussein - certainly, he is probably guilty of some of the most cruel actions of our time and his regime is harsh and repressive - yet, even if all the arguments against him are true, even if does possess weapons of mass destruction, there is no case for war.

As ordinary citizens and as nations we must be clear about whether we believe in a peaceful world or a violent one.

We need to be clear about whether we want to pursue war and violence as a way to resolve difficulties between us. It really is as simple as that.

How do we create peaceful resolutions to our conflicts? That is not an easy question to answer yet we must explore it. The future depends on it. In many ways, war is the "easy" solution. It is much more difficult to stay on the road of peace.

Isn't it sad we have come so far as a species yet would rather spend billions of pounds on killing people we disagree with than on preventing the starvation of millions of our fellow humans across the globe?

Is that one bald statement not enough to stop us from going to war?

We can argue and debate forever about the "realities" of the world we live in yet the simple truth is we don't need to kill one more person on this planet.

Anything you or I can do to stop that has to be worth pursuing, has it not?

As the Buddhist teacher Daisaku Ikeda says: "Peace is not something to be left to others in distant places. It is something we create day to day in our efforts to cultivate care and consideration for others, forging bonds of friendship and trust in our respective communities through our own actions and example."

-Aboodi Shabi, Lansdowne Place, Hove