The explosion barely caught the attention of the abbot, Venerable Ambalangoda Sumedhananda Thero, as he dismissed the mosquitoes buzzing in the night air in Gintota, a town in southern Sri Lanka. He continued to express his strong opinions, claiming that Muslims were violent and greedy, with intentions to take over Buddhist lands. He cited examples such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, and Indonesia as places that had been ruined by Islam. Shortly after, a monastic assistant informed him that a Molotov cocktail had been thrown at a mosque nearby. The abbot waved his hand and shrugged, indicating that his main focus was on the Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka rather than the minority Muslim population. A demonstration led by a Buddhist monk in Myanmar on October 14, 2017, showed support for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's approach to the Rohingya crisis. Influenced by influential monks, Buddhists are embracing a militant tribal mentality, seeing themselves as spiritual fighters defending their faith against external threats. Inspired by influential monks like Sumedhananda Thero, Buddhists have transitioned into a period of militant tribalism, portraying themselves as spiritual fighters tasked with protecting their religion from external threats. This shift has been evident in countries like Sri Lanka and Myanmar, where Buddhists make up the majority of the population. Despite this, some Buddhists, particularly those who follow the strict Theravada tradition, feel a sense of vulnerability and believe they are at risk from extremist elements within Islam. As Buddhism and Islam come into conflict, some Buddhists are straying from the peaceful principles of their religion. In recent years, there have been violent attacks by Buddhist mobs against minority Muslim communities. Buddhist nationalist leaders are enlisting extremist monks to increase their following. According to Mohammed Naseer, the imam of Hillur Mosque in Gintota, Sri Lanka, who experienced an attack by Buddhist mobs in 2017, there has been a noticeable increase in hostility towards Muslims from some Buddhist monks. "Where will we go if this is our home?" A Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka recently conducted a hunger strike, leading to the resignation of all nine Muslim ministers in the Cabinet. The monk accused Muslim politicians of being involved in the Easter Sunday attacks by Islamic State-linked militants, resulting in over 250 deaths. In Myanmar, monks at the Bengala monastery pray, influenced by a group of powerful and charismatic monks who promote a militant tribalism mindset among Buddhists, portraying them as spiritual warriors defending their faith against external threats. In Myanmar, despite the fact that less than 5% of the population is Muslim, Buddhist monks continue to warn of an Islamic invasion amidst a campaign of ethnic cleansing that has driven out most of the country's Muslims. Buddhist mobs attacked Islamic prayer halls during Ramadan celebrations in May, leading to Muslim worshippers fleeing. Inspired by a group of influential monks, Buddhists are now adopting a more militant stance, seeing themselves as spiritual defenders against an external threat. Despite Buddhism's reputation for peace and tranquility, the faith is now being linked with sectarian aggression in Myanmar. However, no single religion exclusively promotes peace. Even Buddhists have been involved in conflicts. According to anthropologist Mikael Gravers from Aarhus University in Denmark, Buddhist monks claim to reject violence, yet also believe in defending Buddhism or Buddhist states by any means necessary. In Myanmar, thousands assembled in Yangon to hear Ashin Wirathu, a Buddhist monk previously imprisoned for his inflammatory language, express support for the country's military. As a result, over 700,000 Rohingya refugees have escaped Myanmar for Bangladesh since August 2017. The army and its allies conducted a campaign of ethnic cleansing, with Buddhist mobs and the country's security forces committing atrocities against Rohingya Muslims, including slaughter, rape, and the destruction of their villages. Ashin Wirathu, who has rejected the peaceful teachings of Buddhism, praised military-linked lawmakers and claimed that only the military can protect the country and religion. He also criticized the International Criminal Court for pursuing a case against Myanmar's military for their persecution of the Rohingya. In a different incident, a Sri Lankan Buddhist paid respect to Sitagu Sayadaw, one of Myanmar's respected Buddhist leaders, in Delgoda, Sri Lanka, on November 18, 2017. Inspired by influential and charismatic monks, Buddhists have transitioned into a phase of aggressive tribalism, positioning themselves as spiritual soldiers tasked with protecting their religion from external threats. During an interview with The New York Times, Ashin Wirathu, a monk, made a bold declaration, stating that he would take up arms if the ICC were to arrive. In a photo taken in Delgoda, Sri Lanka on November 18, 2017, a Sri Lankan Buddhist is seen bowing before Sitagu Sayadaw, one of Myanmar's most esteemed Buddhist leaders. Monks such as Ashin Wirathu are part of the extreme side of Buddhist nationalism, but there are also more respected clerics involved. At 82 years old, the highly influential monk known as Sitagu Sayadaw, or Ashin Nyanissara, is considered Myanmar's most prominent monk. During the Rohingya crisis, he made controversial statements about Muslims and their influence on the United Nations in front of army officers. Sitagu Sayadaw has been seen in photos with the military and has shown his support by providing spiritual soldiers for the national cause. He informed the commander of Myanmar's armed forces that there are more than 400,000 monks in Myanmar and if needed, he could instruct them to take action. According to Khin Mar Mar Kyi, a social anthropologist at the University of Oxford, when a highly respected figure like Sitagu Sayadaw makes a statement, people pay attention, even if it promotes hatred towards a specific group. Following the terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka by Islamic State suicide bombers, Buddhist nationalists in Sri Lanka felt validated in their warnings about the threat posed by Muslim extremists to national security, as stated by Dilanthe Withanage, a senior administrator for Bodu Bala Sena, the largest Buddhist nationalist group in Sri Lanka. Withanage accused the government of having blood on their hands for neglecting the radicalisation of Islam. Following a period of moderate coalition governance, Sri Lanka is once again seeing a rise in a blend of faith and tribalism. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a former defense chief and front-runner for the upcoming presidential elections, is leading this movement. Rajapaksa has promised to safeguard the country's religion, particularly its Buddhist heritage. He aims to rebuild Sri Lanka's security apparatus, which was established during the lengthy civil war with the ethnic Tamil minority. From 2005 to 2015, Sri Lanka was under the leadership of Mahinda Rajapaksa, the brother of Rajapaksa, who was known for his nationalist views and justification of the brutal end to the civil war by presenting himself as a spiritual savior for the nation. During this time, temples displayed images of the Rajapaksa brothers, money was allocated to radical Buddhist groups that incited sectarian violence resulting in deaths of Muslims, and prime land in Colombo was given to one of the founders of Bodu Bala Sena for a Buddhist cultural center. The national telecom service even added Bodu Bala Sena's theme song to their collection of ringtones. Last year, Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, the leader of Bodu Bala Sena, was sentenced to six years in prison. However, in late May, he was granted a presidential pardon due to a shift in political circumstances. Over the weekend, he led a gathering of thousands of monks who aim to have a significant impact in the upcoming elections. Prior to his incarceration, Gnanasara Thero emphasized the historical role of Buddhism, stating, "We have been the guardians of Buddhism for 2,500 years," during an interview with The Times. It is our responsibility, like the monks in Myanmar, to defend our peaceful island from Islam.