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The Robe and the Sword: How Buddhist Extremism Is Shaping Modern Asia
Claiming that Buddhism is under threat from Islam, radical monks like Ashin Wirathu, better known as the Buddhist Bin Laden, are fomenting hate and encouraging deadly attacks on Muslims in countries across the region. The Myanmar junta’s calculated embrace of Wirathu is a reflection of the tectonic shift taking place among the followers of a religion famous for their embrace of non-violence, further emboldening Wirathu’s hundreds of thousands of supporters. As a result, increasing conflict, extremism, and reprisals spread quickly throughout the region, forcing persecuted minorities to flee to neighboring countries to avoid persecution.
In The Robe and the Sword, journalist Sonia Faleiro investigates the rise and consequences of Buddhist extremism, focusing on the three countries where nationalist Buddhists are the most active, powerful, and violent—Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. This is an urgent and comprehensive account of a rapidly growing extremist movement with hugely disruptive potential around the world.
In The Robe and the Sword, journalist Sonia Faleiro investigates the rise and consequences of Buddhist extremism, focusing on the three countries where nationalist Buddhists are the most active, powerful, and violent—Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. This is an urgent and comprehensive account of a rapidly growing extremist movement with hugely disruptive potential around the world.
160 pages, Paperback
Published November 11, 2025
8 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
Sonia Faleiro
11 books181 followersSonia Faleiro is the author of Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay's Dance Bars and a novella, The Girl. Her new book, The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing will be published in 2021.
The New York Times hailed Beautiful Thing as ‘an intimate and valuable piece of reportage that will break your heart several times over.’ The book was an Observer, Guardian, and Economist Book of the Year, Time Out Subcontinental Book of the Year, CNN Mumbai Book of the Year, and The Sunday Times Travel Book of the Year, 2011. It has been published worldwide and translated into several languages.
She is the co-founder of Deca, a global cooperative of award-winning journalists. Her writing has received support from the Pulitzer Centre and The Investigative Fund, and appears in The New York Times, The Financial Times, Harper's, Granta, 1843, The California Sunday Magazine, and MIT Technology Review.
She lives in London and is represented by The Wylie Agency.
The New York Times hailed Beautiful Thing as ‘an intimate and valuable piece of reportage that will break your heart several times over.’ The book was an Observer, Guardian, and Economist Book of the Year, Time Out Subcontinental Book of the Year, CNN Mumbai Book of the Year, and The Sunday Times Travel Book of the Year, 2011. It has been published worldwide and translated into several languages.
She is the co-founder of Deca, a global cooperative of award-winning journalists. Her writing has received support from the Pulitzer Centre and The Investigative Fund, and appears in The New York Times, The Financial Times, Harper's, Granta, 1843, The California Sunday Magazine, and MIT Technology Review.
She lives in London and is represented by The Wylie Agency.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 14, 2026
This audiobook was very short (only a little over four hours) but very informative. I really liked the narrator, Isuri Wijesundara, and would love to listen to more books read by her.
It is an interesting look at Buddhist monks encouraging violence against Muslim, monks who crave earthly pleasures and ongoing political instability in SE Asia.
I also hadn't realized that English rulers I trounced race as a concept into this part of the world (of the countries they colonized like Burma or Sri Lanka), which has had disastrous effects.
Learning about young boys being sent to join the monastery because their families were too poor was also interesting to learn.
The only thing is that the book doesn't go into much detail about Buddhism itself. we learn phrases and concepts, but there is no deep dive into why this is inherently problematic from a religious perspective.
I suppose it's implied, but I didn't feel like I learned more about Buddhism as a religion. Moreso my takeaway is that religion can be used for power grabs and bad actors all over, not just in Christendom (which is the common fixation in the West).
At one point I felt that this was a very lovely thesis; it's so short and covers such a narrow subject. Either there isn't more to say on the subject or she only wanted to write as much as this.
Either way, I recommend the audiobook and thought thisbwas very informative as someone really unfamiliar with SE Asian politics and history.
It is an interesting look at Buddhist monks encouraging violence against Muslim, monks who crave earthly pleasures and ongoing political instability in SE Asia.
I also hadn't realized that English rulers I trounced race as a concept into this part of the world (of the countries they colonized like Burma or Sri Lanka), which has had disastrous effects.
Learning about young boys being sent to join the monastery because their families were too poor was also interesting to learn.
The only thing is that the book doesn't go into much detail about Buddhism itself. we learn phrases and concepts, but there is no deep dive into why this is inherently problematic from a religious perspective.
I suppose it's implied, but I didn't feel like I learned more about Buddhism as a religion. Moreso my takeaway is that religion can be used for power grabs and bad actors all over, not just in Christendom (which is the common fixation in the West).
At one point I felt that this was a very lovely thesis; it's so short and covers such a narrow subject. Either there isn't more to say on the subject or she only wanted to write as much as this.
Either way, I recommend the audiobook and thought thisbwas very informative as someone really unfamiliar with SE Asian politics and history.
January 23, 2026
In the slim but immensely powerful The Robe and the Sword, Sonia Faleiro, interrogates and illuminate the spread of extremism in what is generally believed to be a peaceful spiritual religion.
With a critical yet humane eye, she travels through South Asia meeting perpetrators and survivors of communal violence.
She writes: “In Buddhist-majority nations like Sri Lanka and Myanmar nationalist groups were adopting strikingly similar tactics: fearmongering, militant organising, and inciting violence.”
She explores the colonial past and its link to today’s crisis, she looks at how individuals and groups are using religion, its symbols, its myths, to gain political power.
“… the saffron robes of Buddhist monks have become a fearsome symbol for the country’s Muslim minority…”
And she unravels the connections extremist elements build across borders, across conflicting ideas and faiths.
This is a timely and essential work of reportage.
With a critical yet humane eye, she travels through South Asia meeting perpetrators and survivors of communal violence.
She writes: “In Buddhist-majority nations like Sri Lanka and Myanmar nationalist groups were adopting strikingly similar tactics: fearmongering, militant organising, and inciting violence.”
She explores the colonial past and its link to today’s crisis, she looks at how individuals and groups are using religion, its symbols, its myths, to gain political power.
“… the saffron robes of Buddhist monks have become a fearsome symbol for the country’s Muslim minority…”
And she unravels the connections extremist elements build across borders, across conflicting ideas and faiths.
This is a timely and essential work of reportage.
November 23, 2025
Sonia Faleiro is an Indian journalist and writer; her 2025 book The Robe and the Sword is an exploration of extreme Buddhist groups across Southeast Asia, notably in countries like Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, that have targeted attacks toward their Muslim neighbors. This was an interesting read covering a topic I've only heard about briefly (largely from Sarah Wynn-Williams in her Facebook memoir Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism, where she talks about a dangerous solo work trip to Myanmar in the wake of partially-Facebook-enabled religious violence in the country).
My takeaway is that extremism and radicalism is endemic to virtually all religions, and doesn't represent the views of the vast majority of adherents.
Further reading: religion and geopolitical conflict
Waiting to Be Arrested at Night: A Uyghur Poet's Memoir of China's Genocide by Tahir Hamut Izgil
Prey: Immigration, Islam, and the Erosion of Women's Rights by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
My statistics:
Book 348 for 2025
Book 2274 cumulatively
My takeaway is that extremism and radicalism is endemic to virtually all religions, and doesn't represent the views of the vast majority of adherents.
Further reading: religion and geopolitical conflict
Waiting to Be Arrested at Night: A Uyghur Poet's Memoir of China's Genocide by Tahir Hamut Izgil
Prey: Immigration, Islam, and the Erosion of Women's Rights by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
My statistics:
Book 348 for 2025
Book 2274 cumulatively
July 5, 2025
Book Review: The Robe and the Sword by Sonia Faleiro
Rating: 4.8/5
Sonia Faleiro’s The Robe and the Sword is a groundbreaking and unsettling exposé that shatters the myth of Buddhism as an inherently pacifist tradition, revealing its weaponization by nationalist movements across Asia. As a reader drawn to investigative journalism and religious studies, I was both captivated and horrified by Faleiro’s meticulous reporting and her ability to humanize extremists, survivors, and reformers alike.
Strengths & Emotional Resonance
Faleiro’s narrative prowess transforms complex geopolitical and religious dynamics into a gripping, character-driven exploration. Her portraits of figures like Sri Lanka’s Gnanasara and Myanmar’s Wirathu—monks who incited genocide—are chilling in their intimacy, exposing how colonial trauma and economic despair warp spiritual teachings. The chapters on dissident monks resisting extremism (particularly in Thailand) offer a counterbalance of hope, underscoring Buddhism’s capacity for self-correction.
The book’s global lens is its greatest strength. Faleiro deftly connects dots between Sri Lanka’s anti-Muslim riots, Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis, and Thailand’s militarized clergy, proving that Buddhist extremism is not isolated but a transnational contagion. Her prose is razor-sharp yet empathetic, especially when detailing refugee testimonies. I found myself pausing to absorb the weight of passages that held questions that haunted me long after I had read them.
Constructive Criticism
While exceptional, the book could deepen its impact with:
-More grassroots perspectives: Greater inclusion of lay Buddhist voices (beyond clergy and activists) to show how extremism permeates everyday life.
-Theoretical framing: A concise primer on Buddhist political theology (e.g., concepts like “dhammaraja”) to contextualize doctrinal distortions.
-Solutions-oriented analysis: Though Faleiro hints at resistance movements, a dedicated chapter on counter-extremism strategies would elevate its urgency.
Why This Book Matters
Faleiro—award-winning author of The Good Girls—brings her signature blend of rigor and storytelling to this urgent topic. By exposing how sacred symbols are hijacked for violence, she challenges Orientalist stereotypes of Buddhism while sounding an alarm for global solidarity. The endorsements from scholars like Thant Myint-U underscore its scholarly heft.
Thank you to the publisher, Columbia Global Reports, and Edelweiss for the advance copy. The Robe and the Sword is not just a book; it’s a call to witness—a vital intervention in debates about religion, power, and identity in our fractured world.
Final Verdict:
Originality: 5/5 (Pioneering work on a neglected crisis.)
Research: 4.9/5 (Impeccable fieldwork; could bolster theory.)
Emotional Impact: 5/5 (Alternates between outrage and admiration.)
Accessibility: 4.7/5 (Journalistic flair balances academic depth.)
A must-read for anyone studying religious extremism, Southeast Asian politics, or the dark intersections of faith and power. 🌏📖
Rating: 4.8/5
Sonia Faleiro’s The Robe and the Sword is a groundbreaking and unsettling exposé that shatters the myth of Buddhism as an inherently pacifist tradition, revealing its weaponization by nationalist movements across Asia. As a reader drawn to investigative journalism and religious studies, I was both captivated and horrified by Faleiro’s meticulous reporting and her ability to humanize extremists, survivors, and reformers alike.
Strengths & Emotional Resonance
Faleiro’s narrative prowess transforms complex geopolitical and religious dynamics into a gripping, character-driven exploration. Her portraits of figures like Sri Lanka’s Gnanasara and Myanmar’s Wirathu—monks who incited genocide—are chilling in their intimacy, exposing how colonial trauma and economic despair warp spiritual teachings. The chapters on dissident monks resisting extremism (particularly in Thailand) offer a counterbalance of hope, underscoring Buddhism’s capacity for self-correction.
The book’s global lens is its greatest strength. Faleiro deftly connects dots between Sri Lanka’s anti-Muslim riots, Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis, and Thailand’s militarized clergy, proving that Buddhist extremism is not isolated but a transnational contagion. Her prose is razor-sharp yet empathetic, especially when detailing refugee testimonies. I found myself pausing to absorb the weight of passages that held questions that haunted me long after I had read them.
Constructive Criticism
While exceptional, the book could deepen its impact with:
-More grassroots perspectives: Greater inclusion of lay Buddhist voices (beyond clergy and activists) to show how extremism permeates everyday life.
-Theoretical framing: A concise primer on Buddhist political theology (e.g., concepts like “dhammaraja”) to contextualize doctrinal distortions.
-Solutions-oriented analysis: Though Faleiro hints at resistance movements, a dedicated chapter on counter-extremism strategies would elevate its urgency.
Why This Book Matters
Faleiro—award-winning author of The Good Girls—brings her signature blend of rigor and storytelling to this urgent topic. By exposing how sacred symbols are hijacked for violence, she challenges Orientalist stereotypes of Buddhism while sounding an alarm for global solidarity. The endorsements from scholars like Thant Myint-U underscore its scholarly heft.
Thank you to the publisher, Columbia Global Reports, and Edelweiss for the advance copy. The Robe and the Sword is not just a book; it’s a call to witness—a vital intervention in debates about religion, power, and identity in our fractured world.
Final Verdict:
Originality: 5/5 (Pioneering work on a neglected crisis.)
Research: 4.9/5 (Impeccable fieldwork; could bolster theory.)
Emotional Impact: 5/5 (Alternates between outrage and admiration.)
Accessibility: 4.7/5 (Journalistic flair balances academic depth.)
A must-read for anyone studying religious extremism, Southeast Asian politics, or the dark intersections of faith and power. 🌏📖
January 29, 2026
Sonia Faleiro, the London-based writer has made a name for name for herself with her earlier books, one on the murder and rape of two teenage girls -- The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing - and an equally gripping previous book on Mumbai’s dance bar girls, Beautiful Thing. With her latest book, The Robe and the Sword, she further cements her reputation as an important voice in narrative non-fiction.
Faleiro’s book investigates the rise of militant Buddhism in south Asia – in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. She spent a year travelling through these countries to research and write the book, and built on earlier visits too. This time, she met with Buddhist monks, both dissident and conforming, activists as well the refuges of violence perpetrated by “peaceful” monks , who do so frequently with state support and prodding, in order to ostensibly protect the Buddhist identity and “in fear of our race disappearing”.
To the lay man, Buddhism is seen an embodying peace and non-violence. That image is no small measure due the image of the Dalai Lama who with his goofy smile and playful physical gestures—tugging on a reporter’s beard, for example, has endeared him to millions.
In her book, a slim 139 pages, Faleiro met and interviewed with monks who have knowingly abandoned that peaceful image of non-violence, in many cases justifying their antagonism through faith tenets, even hatred to people of other faiths, - Muslim Rohingyas (in Myanmar) and Muslims and Christians in Sri Lanka.
As her research shows, the Buddhist hatred for non-Buddhist did not come about overnight. In her book, Faleiro explains the provenance of the hatred going back to the colonial period, towards other communities – whether it is the prosperous Tamil Hindus in Lanka, the Rohingyas of Myanmar, belittled as kalar, meaning dark, and in Thailand, where tourism – the country had 24 million visitors in 2024 - have changed the dynamics of the country’s dominant faith. Thailand, Faleiro says is defined by the “sacred trinity of nation, religion and the Monarchy”. As in the case of Sri Lanka, the roots of Thailand’s “entanglement of religion and power” goes back to the early 20th century when Thailand annexed a Malay Muslim kingdom, and imposed Thai culture and the Buddhist faith.
With her seasoned reporting skills, Faleiro gives us a first-hand view of the crisis at the heart of Buddhist extremism, through characters such as Abbott Zero who opposes extremism in Thailand, Santo Asoke also Thai who leads an alternative Buddhist sect that rejects consumerism to Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, the first Thai women to be ordained a Buddhist monk. It’s these characters who inspire by their outspokenness and courage to stand for the values of the Buddhist faith which has no God but urges as its founder did, to focus on personal effort and understanding.
Along the way, we get to know about Anagarika Dharmapala who was a co-speaker at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago with our own Swami Vivekananda, U Ottama who served as president of the Hindu Mahasabha, the ideological precursor of the RSS, the only Buddhist to do so far and Sulak Sivarakasa, an outspoken social critic, and nearer home, the Tibetan nun, Tenzin Kunsel who exercised her rights to resistance by educating other women.
Faleiro ends her book with the Jataka tale that she read ages ago. It is of the monkey king who stretches his body across the Ganga to help his subjects escape an attack by a human king but is betrayed by one traitor whose act of vengeance kills him. As she puts it: it is no longer about how religion becomes a weapon but whether there are people courageous enough to stand up for the original values of a faith. In that, there is a lesson for us all.
Faleiro’s book investigates the rise of militant Buddhism in south Asia – in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. She spent a year travelling through these countries to research and write the book, and built on earlier visits too. This time, she met with Buddhist monks, both dissident and conforming, activists as well the refuges of violence perpetrated by “peaceful” monks , who do so frequently with state support and prodding, in order to ostensibly protect the Buddhist identity and “in fear of our race disappearing”.
To the lay man, Buddhism is seen an embodying peace and non-violence. That image is no small measure due the image of the Dalai Lama who with his goofy smile and playful physical gestures—tugging on a reporter’s beard, for example, has endeared him to millions.
In her book, a slim 139 pages, Faleiro met and interviewed with monks who have knowingly abandoned that peaceful image of non-violence, in many cases justifying their antagonism through faith tenets, even hatred to people of other faiths, - Muslim Rohingyas (in Myanmar) and Muslims and Christians in Sri Lanka.
As her research shows, the Buddhist hatred for non-Buddhist did not come about overnight. In her book, Faleiro explains the provenance of the hatred going back to the colonial period, towards other communities – whether it is the prosperous Tamil Hindus in Lanka, the Rohingyas of Myanmar, belittled as kalar, meaning dark, and in Thailand, where tourism – the country had 24 million visitors in 2024 - have changed the dynamics of the country’s dominant faith. Thailand, Faleiro says is defined by the “sacred trinity of nation, religion and the Monarchy”. As in the case of Sri Lanka, the roots of Thailand’s “entanglement of religion and power” goes back to the early 20th century when Thailand annexed a Malay Muslim kingdom, and imposed Thai culture and the Buddhist faith.
With her seasoned reporting skills, Faleiro gives us a first-hand view of the crisis at the heart of Buddhist extremism, through characters such as Abbott Zero who opposes extremism in Thailand, Santo Asoke also Thai who leads an alternative Buddhist sect that rejects consumerism to Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, the first Thai women to be ordained a Buddhist monk. It’s these characters who inspire by their outspokenness and courage to stand for the values of the Buddhist faith which has no God but urges as its founder did, to focus on personal effort and understanding.
Along the way, we get to know about Anagarika Dharmapala who was a co-speaker at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago with our own Swami Vivekananda, U Ottama who served as president of the Hindu Mahasabha, the ideological precursor of the RSS, the only Buddhist to do so far and Sulak Sivarakasa, an outspoken social critic, and nearer home, the Tibetan nun, Tenzin Kunsel who exercised her rights to resistance by educating other women.
Faleiro ends her book with the Jataka tale that she read ages ago. It is of the monkey king who stretches his body across the Ganga to help his subjects escape an attack by a human king but is betrayed by one traitor whose act of vengeance kills him. As she puts it: it is no longer about how religion becomes a weapon but whether there are people courageous enough to stand up for the original values of a faith. In that, there is a lesson for us all.
February 13, 2026
Slim but powerful read about Buddhist politics, a topic that I've always wanted to explore.
The book is split into sections about three Theravada Buddhist countries (Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand) and India. It follows the lives of extremist monks as well as the victims of their Islamophobic, racist, misogynistic narratives. I thought the author did a superb job linking the extremist movements in each country, especially how they collaborated with each other to further their Islamophobic campaigns.
I did feel like the chapter on Thailand was a drastic tone shift from the other chapters, as it focused more on patriarchy, corruption, and misogyny within the Buddhist orthodoxy, whereas the other chapters focused more so on the Islamophobia that drove Buddhist mobs against the Rohingya and Muslim minorities in Sri Lanka, respectively. It did feel very out of place and honestly worth turning into an entirely different book that can give full attention to the feminist Buddhist movement.
I'm grateful I read this book because it pinpoints my grievances with modern Theravada Buddhism so exactly, in ways that my younger self couldn't verbalize. I remember going to Burmese temple and asking my dhamma teacher about the Rohingya. He said that they deserved the genocide because they were pests who had invaded the land. I also remember growing up hearing that Buddhist nuns could never be worthy of the veneration that we are supposed to give monks, that it is forbidden for them to take up the same precepts that the men do. Any women who do become nuns are essentially live in maids for the monks. I remember monks demanding specific meals just because they've studied the Abhidhamma and asking my mom how this could be possible if monks are supposed to accept whatever food they're offered.
Still, the last chapters of this book take care to point to forms of resistance within modern Buddhism, such as Abbot Zero (?) and the first female monk in Thailand, which give me hope that it is possible to use the Buddha's principles to fuel the fight against injustice. I hope to read more books in this vein in the future (including finishing the book I started years ago about Black Buddhism)!
The book is split into sections about three Theravada Buddhist countries (Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand) and India. It follows the lives of extremist monks as well as the victims of their Islamophobic, racist, misogynistic narratives. I thought the author did a superb job linking the extremist movements in each country, especially how they collaborated with each other to further their Islamophobic campaigns.
I did feel like the chapter on Thailand was a drastic tone shift from the other chapters, as it focused more on patriarchy, corruption, and misogyny within the Buddhist orthodoxy, whereas the other chapters focused more so on the Islamophobia that drove Buddhist mobs against the Rohingya and Muslim minorities in Sri Lanka, respectively. It did feel very out of place and honestly worth turning into an entirely different book that can give full attention to the feminist Buddhist movement.
I'm grateful I read this book because it pinpoints my grievances with modern Theravada Buddhism so exactly, in ways that my younger self couldn't verbalize. I remember going to Burmese temple and asking my dhamma teacher about the Rohingya. He said that they deserved the genocide because they were pests who had invaded the land. I also remember growing up hearing that Buddhist nuns could never be worthy of the veneration that we are supposed to give monks, that it is forbidden for them to take up the same precepts that the men do. Any women who do become nuns are essentially live in maids for the monks. I remember monks demanding specific meals just because they've studied the Abhidhamma and asking my mom how this could be possible if monks are supposed to accept whatever food they're offered.
Still, the last chapters of this book take care to point to forms of resistance within modern Buddhism, such as Abbot Zero (?) and the first female monk in Thailand, which give me hope that it is possible to use the Buddha's principles to fuel the fight against injustice. I hope to read more books in this vein in the future (including finishing the book I started years ago about Black Buddhism)!
February 11, 2026
The Robe and the Sword is a powerful work of narrative nonfiction that explores how a religion known for peace and compassion is being reshaped by extremism in parts of South and Southeast Asia.
Sonia Faleiro travels to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand and meets monks, refugees, survivors, and social workers. She listens to their real-life stories and shows how fear, politics, and nationalism have changed religion into a tool for violence. What makes this book special is that it focuses on people, not just facts. Instead of only giving information, the author shares real voices and real emotions of those who have suffered.
The writing is easy to read, well-researched, and emotionally touching. The author explains complicated history and politics in a clear way, so even new readers can understand it. The book is not only about religion but it also shows how pain, unfairness, and politics can change people’s beliefs in the wrong way.
Why I liked this book:-
- The book is deeply researched, with real interviews and ground reporting, which makes it trustworthy.
- Instead of only talking about politics, it focuses on real people I.e. victims, monks, refugees.
- It highlights how religion can be misused for power and violence.
Readers who enjoy this book:-
- Those who love well-researched narrative nonfiction
- Readers who appreciate journalism that focuses on real human stories
The Robe and the Sword grew out of many conversations & travels through which we can know about how Buddhism, politics & violence have become interwoven. Deep, disturbing, and beautifully written. Recommended for readers who love real stories with impact.
Sonia Faleiro travels to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand and meets monks, refugees, survivors, and social workers. She listens to their real-life stories and shows how fear, politics, and nationalism have changed religion into a tool for violence. What makes this book special is that it focuses on people, not just facts. Instead of only giving information, the author shares real voices and real emotions of those who have suffered.
The writing is easy to read, well-researched, and emotionally touching. The author explains complicated history and politics in a clear way, so even new readers can understand it. The book is not only about religion but it also shows how pain, unfairness, and politics can change people’s beliefs in the wrong way.
Why I liked this book:-
- The book is deeply researched, with real interviews and ground reporting, which makes it trustworthy.
- Instead of only talking about politics, it focuses on real people I.e. victims, monks, refugees.
- It highlights how religion can be misused for power and violence.
Readers who enjoy this book:-
- Those who love well-researched narrative nonfiction
- Readers who appreciate journalism that focuses on real human stories
The Robe and the Sword grew out of many conversations & travels through which we can know about how Buddhism, politics & violence have become interwoven. Deep, disturbing, and beautifully written. Recommended for readers who love real stories with impact.
January 7, 2026
The Robe and the Sword is a book that asks a difficult question: what happens when a religion known for peace becomes a source of violence? This is not a theoretical issue—it is happening right now in parts of Asia, and journalist Sonia Faleiro takes us directly into the heart of this conflict.
Faleiro travels to places like Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand, talking to everyone from radical monks and terrified survivors to quiet voices within the faith who are trying to reclaim its peaceful roots. She shows us how the Buddhist robe, a symbol of simplicity and compassion, can sometimes hide a growing current of anger, nationalism, and even terror.
What makes this book so powerful is that it doesn’t just describe the problem, it helps you understand the people behind it. We meet monks driven by past colonial trauma, by economic hardship, and by political manipulation. We also meet ordinary families whose lives have been shattered by violence carried out in the name of their own religion. Faleiro writes with clarity and compassion, making a complex situation feel human and urgent.
This isn’t an easy read, but it is an important one. It’s about more than Buddhism it’s about how any peaceful tradition can be twisted, and about the courageous people who are fighting to protect what is sacred. If you want to understand one of the most pressing and overlooked crises of our time, this book is a necessary, eye-opening guide.
Faleiro travels to places like Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand, talking to everyone from radical monks and terrified survivors to quiet voices within the faith who are trying to reclaim its peaceful roots. She shows us how the Buddhist robe, a symbol of simplicity and compassion, can sometimes hide a growing current of anger, nationalism, and even terror.
What makes this book so powerful is that it doesn’t just describe the problem, it helps you understand the people behind it. We meet monks driven by past colonial trauma, by economic hardship, and by political manipulation. We also meet ordinary families whose lives have been shattered by violence carried out in the name of their own religion. Faleiro writes with clarity and compassion, making a complex situation feel human and urgent.
This isn’t an easy read, but it is an important one. It’s about more than Buddhism it’s about how any peaceful tradition can be twisted, and about the courageous people who are fighting to protect what is sacred. If you want to understand one of the most pressing and overlooked crises of our time, this book is a necessary, eye-opening guide.
February 2, 2026
Faleiro examines figures like Ashin Wirathu, dubbed the “Buddhist Bin Laden,” who incite violence against Muslims in Myanmar.
The book details how regimes, particularly Myanmar’s junta, have embraced extremist monks to consolidate power.
It highlights the persecution of Muslim communities, forced migrations, and the spread of fear across borders.
Faleiro distinguishes between the Buddhism of compassion and the Buddhism of aggression, showing how the robe (symbol of peace) and the sword (symbol of violence) coexist uneasily.
Faleiro’s background as a reporter comes through in her meticulous research and vivid storytelling.
She avoids sensationalism, instead weaving together interviews, historical context, and on-the-ground reporting.
The prose is clear and engaging, but never simplistic,ideal for readers new to the subject as well as those familiar with Asian politics.
Few writers tackle Buddhist extremism with such clarity; Faleiro fills a gap in global discourse.
The book doesn’t just analyze ideology,it foregrounds the lived experiences of persecuted minorities.
The book details how regimes, particularly Myanmar’s junta, have embraced extremist monks to consolidate power.
It highlights the persecution of Muslim communities, forced migrations, and the spread of fear across borders.
Faleiro distinguishes between the Buddhism of compassion and the Buddhism of aggression, showing how the robe (symbol of peace) and the sword (symbol of violence) coexist uneasily.
Faleiro’s background as a reporter comes through in her meticulous research and vivid storytelling.
She avoids sensationalism, instead weaving together interviews, historical context, and on-the-ground reporting.
The prose is clear and engaging, but never simplistic,ideal for readers new to the subject as well as those familiar with Asian politics.
Few writers tackle Buddhist extremism with such clarity; Faleiro fills a gap in global discourse.
The book doesn’t just analyze ideology,it foregrounds the lived experiences of persecuted minorities.
February 4, 2026
For me, I've always pictured Buddhism as a religion of calmness. I've pictured it as something very peaceful and serene, associating it with mindfulness and inner peace and of course with no chaos.
The book 'The Robe and the Sword: How Buddhist Extremism Is Shaping Modern Asia' by Sonia Faleiro shows a different angle which I was totally unaware about. Is the religion of peace really peaceful in the present days?
Author and journalist Sonia Faleiro takes the readers through an untold tale of a few Asian countries like Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. The growing Buddhist extremism is described throughout the book. As the author travels to these countries, she talks to the terrified people of these countries.
The narrative is very real and helps us see beyond what we generally see. The affected people, the hardships they are facing, the violence, their beliefs and much more have been written in under 150 pages by the author. If it's something that you might like reading, just go for this book.
The book 'The Robe and the Sword: How Buddhist Extremism Is Shaping Modern Asia' by Sonia Faleiro shows a different angle which I was totally unaware about. Is the religion of peace really peaceful in the present days?
Author and journalist Sonia Faleiro takes the readers through an untold tale of a few Asian countries like Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. The growing Buddhist extremism is described throughout the book. As the author travels to these countries, she talks to the terrified people of these countries.
The narrative is very real and helps us see beyond what we generally see. The affected people, the hardships they are facing, the violence, their beliefs and much more have been written in under 150 pages by the author. If it's something that you might like reading, just go for this book.
February 18, 2026
I learned a ton about religious dynamics that I know too little about, and in a slim, efficiently written volume that was thankfully free from the trend toward unnecessary bloat and poor editing. It is admittedly one-sided in that the book focuses on Buddhist militants and so doesn't offer much by way of provocations or violence from other demographic groups that may help explain why violent monks have a staunch support base. Not that it would excuse the bigotry and behavior, but actions are often reactions, even if wrong or disproportionate. It would help to understand the broader context of what these monks feel they are protecting or serving. Still excellent overall; I've tried to get through books 4 times as long where I didn't learn half as much.
January 18, 2026
Finally, a book that challenges the notion that Buddhism doesn't promote violence. I am glad that the author mentions Sri Lanka and Myanmar case studies. Excellent book.
February 18, 2026
An engaging telling of the dangers of religious nationalism and how it manifests in Buddhism.
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