The Robe and the Sword: How Buddhist Extremism Is Shaping Modern Asia
We've long imagined Buddhism as the gentlest of religions, anchored in mercy and restraint. Yet something troubling is unfolding across South and Southeast Asia. Militant clerics and nationalist factions are twisting ancient teachings into instruments of brutality, shattering the peaceful image entirely. Sonia Faleiro, a seasoned reporter, ventures into the heart of this disturbing transformation. She visits communities in Sri Lanka still reeling from sectarian clashes, camps housing displaced families near Myanmar's borders, and fortified monasteries in Thailand where extremism takes root. What emerges is both clarifying and deeply unsettling: how a spiritual heritage rooted in compassion has been corrupted into machinery for violence. The journalist captures the complex human drama beneath the headlines. Zealots justify their actions through twisted interpretations. Survivors carry invisible scars. Principled monks desperately attempt to reclaim their tradition from those who've poisoned it. Faleiro doesn't shy away from hard truths either, tracing the roots of this extremism to colonial legacies, economic hardship and cynical political manoeuvring. This is essential reading for anyone trying to grasp how belief systems become weaponised and why the stakes matter for our interconnected future. Urgent, unflinching, and remarkably human.
- Author: Sonia Faleiro
- Publisher: Fourth Estate India
- Genre: Journalism & Media Studies
- ISBN: 978-9373072951
- Pages: 160 pages