Podcast Summary:

New Books Network – Interview with Sonia Faleiro on "The Robe and the Sword: How Buddhist Extremism Is Shaping Modern Asia"
Host: Dr. Miranda Melcher
Guest: Sonia Faleiro
Date: November 14, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features Dr. Miranda Melcher in conversation with Sonia Faleiro, discussing her new book, The Robe and the Sword: How Buddhist Extremism Is Shaping Modern Asia (Columbia UP, 2025). The discussion challenges prevailing perceptions of Buddhism as inherently peaceful by exploring how it is being mobilized for violent, nationalist, and exclusionary politics in several Asian countries. Sonia Faleiro draws on extensive fieldwork and archival research to examine cases in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand, tracing historical roots and modern manifestations of Buddhist extremism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Write the Book? (03:01)

• Faleiro describes her background as a nonfiction writer exploring private lives in tension with public forces.
• The project involved two years of travel across India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar, combining fieldwork with archival research.
• Quote: “What I wanted to do with this book, Miranda, was to tell a story that is historical but is also deeply contemporary.” (03:39)

2. Buddhism’s Violent Turn in Sri Lanka (05:16–11:53)

a. Role of the Civil War

• The Sri Lankan civil war (ended 2008) deeply militarized society and fused Sinhala Buddhist protectionism with state security.
• After the war, triumphalism and an urge to "police the peace" sharpened questions of national belonging and “the enemy within.”
• Quote: “The civil war… normalized emergency powers, and it fused Sinhala Buddhist protectionism with state security.” (05:43)

b. Colonial Legacy and Racial Hierarchies

• British colonial policies introduced and institutionalized racial hierarchies, fostering divisions between Sinhalese Buddhists and Tamils.
• The British were perceived (rightly or wrongly) to favor the Tamil minority, deepening ethnic frictions.
• Similar colonial-era dynamics fueled divisions in Burma (Myanmar) and India.
• Quote: “What the British did… was to introduce racial hierarchies… deciding who was on top… and who was an outsider.” (07:19)

c. Historical Trauma

• Faleiro emphasizes the under-explored legacies of colonial trauma, which she links to present-day Buddhist extremism.

3. Justifying Violence: The ‘Protection of Dhamma’ (12:20–15:57)

• Monks and supporters rationalize violence by claiming a sacred duty to protect the Dhamma (Buddhist teachings) and hence the nation itself.
• Nationalist monks cherry-pick scripture and history to create a “permission structure” for exclusion and occasionally violence.
• They invoke the near-elimination of Buddhism in India as a cautionary tale to mobilize believers.
• Quote: “They are recasting their hate speech as correction… and essentially saying… this is what the Buddha wanted.” (13:14)
• Faleiro notes that traditional Buddhist teachings are explicit about nonviolence, making these arguments deeply duplicitous.

4. State, Sangha, and Power: Myanmar vs. Sri Lanka (16:36–19:17)

• In both Myanmar and Sri Lanka, monk networks work closely with politicians, business elites, and security forces.
• In Myanmar, the Sangha is co-opted by the military junta to govern and perpetuate a war economy; in Sri Lanka, politics is more competitive, so parties seek monks’ support for legitimacy.
• These relationships foster both financial and moral corruption within Buddhist institutions.
• Quote: “That proximity between politics and religion has created a corruption that involves money and that involves power and has empowered the monks to behave in ways that are absolutely shocking.” (17:34)

5. International Ultra-Nationalist Monk Networks (19:17–21:23)

• There are direct financial, ideological, and logistical links between ultra-nationalist Buddhist networks across Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and India.
• Money, propaganda tactics, and political support are shared across borders: monks meet at conferences, amplify each other online, and coordinate mutual support.
• Quote: “What makes this a much bigger problem... is how the extremism that is festering in these individual countries has spilled over and formed relationships.” (19:26)

6. The Targeting of Minorities, Islamophobia, and Hate (21:23–26:38)

• In all three countries, Muslims are a primary target, but monks’ focus sometimes shifts to other minorities (e.g., Christians).
• Attacks are underpinned by demographic myths and global Islamophobia post-9/11, giving these narratives additional potency.
• Quote: “...in order for these ultra nationalist groups to survive, they need somebody to hate. Without somebody to hate, they have no purpose.” (24:54)

7. The Thailand ‘Exception’ - Monarchy, Corruption, and Dissent (27:10–32:57)

• Thailand lacks civil war and British colonial trauma but is shaped by the absolute power of its monarchy and strict lèse-majesté laws.
• Monks are restricted politically (cannot vote or run for office) and face severe repression.
• The crisis manifests not as mobilized violence but through corruption, scandals, and pushes for reform by monks “acting out.”
• There is growing activism among monks for democracy and gender equality, despite personal risk.
• Quote: “Thailand does not have an issue with militarized monks... but what you have… is something else. You have monks who are acting out... it is almost… a cry for help, really.” (29:02)

8. Monks Resisting Extremism (32:57–35:45)

• Faleiro recounts meeting monks in the borderlands (e.g., from Myanmar) who fled persecution because of their anti-genocide stance.
• These non-militant monks organize online, document abuses, form interfaith coalitions, and try to debunk propaganda.
• Their numbers are smaller, but they play a vital, if quiet, role.
• Quote: “They are working very quietly, very bravely, and I do think they have been effective because if it wasn’t for them, the situation would have been much worse than it currently is.” (35:31)

9. Key Surprises from Research (36:06–39:22)

• Faleiro was struck by the enduring influence of colonial traumas and how violence is experienced on a personal, not just societal scale.
• She emphasizes frequently overlooked roles of women, especially nuns fighting for rights and acting against the tide of hate.
• Quote: “So much of… the way we relate to each other, and the way that… we hurt each other goes back to the hurt that we endured because of Empire.” (36:07)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “Everything that is happening today has its roots in the past. And, you know, the sins of empire run very deep, have never been explored fully.” (08:44)
• “Monks in Sri Lanka... can be seen out in public assaulting civilians who they claim are insulting Buddhism or who they claim are trying to convert Buddhists or who simply, you know, they have a difference of opinion with.” (17:45)
• “...without somebody to hate, they have no purpose. They cannot rally anybody.” (24:54)
• “...the rise of militant monks is a very significant movement. But what we don't talk about enough... is the role that women play. How nuns have been fighting against this rising tide of hate, how nuns have been demanding equal rights.” (38:33)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:01 – Faleiro’s background and motives for book
• 05:16 – Civil War’s impact & Sri Lankan Buddhist extremism
• 07:13 – Colonialism’s deep legacy
• 12:20 – Rationalizing religious violence
• 16:36 – State, Sangha, and politics: Myanmar vs. Sri Lanka
• 19:17 – Formation of transnational monk networks
• 21:23 – Why focus on Muslims? Islamophobia and hate
• 27:10 – Thailand: Monarchy, repression, and corruption
• 32:57 – Monks resisting extremism
• 36:06 – What surprised Faleiro during research

Conclusion & Next Steps

Faleiro concludes by highlighting the often invisible everyday impact of extremist violence and the under-recognized but crucial efforts by women and reformist monks to resist hateful currents. She is now at work on a book about migration and its global effects.