The Robe and the Sword - by Sonia Faleiro (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Revered globally as a religion of peace, Buddhism is now being weaponized by radical monks and nationalist movements who claim to be defending their faith--but at the cost of inciting violence, particularly against Muslims.

In The Robe and the Sword, Sonia Faleiro traces how radical monks, from Sri Lanka to Myanmar to Thailand, are fueling movements of hatred, ethnic cleansing, and war. In Sri Lanka, Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara incites mobs to torch Muslim homes; in Myanmar, Ashin Wirathu, the "Buddhist Bin Laden," helps lay the groundwork for genocide against the Rohingya. In Thailand, the alliance between Buddhist clergy and a military dictatorship threatens to crush dissent under the banner of faith.

Through vivid portraits of militants, survivors, and the dissident monks fighting back Faleiro shows how fear, colonial trauma, and economic resentment have weaponized a tradition rooted in nonviolence. Urgent and deeply reported, The Robe and the Sword is a powerful account of how religious identity can be distorted--and what it might take to reclaim its soul.