The Robe and the Sword: How Buddhist Extremism Is Shaping Modern Asia

WHEN THE ROBE BECOMES A WEAPON, WHO CAN STOP THE VIOLENCE?

We think of Buddhism as a faith of peace - rooted in compassion, patience, and nonviolence. But across South and Southeast Asia today, the robe is being turned into a weapon, as radical monks and nationalist movements unleash hatred and war.

In The Robe and the Sword, acclaimed journalist Sonia Faleiro travels from Sri Lanka's riot-scarred towns to the homes of refugees along the Myanmar border to Thailand's fortified temples, uncovering how militant monks have transformed a tradition of nonviolence into a tool of terror. Through vivid portraits of zealots, survivors and dissident monks fighting to reclaim their faith, Faleiro delivers an unflinching investigation into the colonial trauma, economic grievances and political forces fuelling a dangerous new extremism.

The Robe and the Sword is a searing and indispensable work of narrative nonfiction, urgently needed to understand how sacred traditions are being weaponized - and what is at stake for the future of our interconnected world.