The Venerable Ambalangoda Sumedhananda Thero, the abbot, paid little attention to the explosion, dismissing it as he swatted away mosquitoes in the night air of Gintota, a town in southern Sri Lanka. Despite the chaos, he continued to express his beliefs that Muslims were aggressive and greedy, claiming they aimed to seize control of all Buddhist lands. He cited examples such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, and Indonesia as nations destroyed by Islam. Shortly after, a monk came in to report that a Molotov cocktail had been thrown at a mosque nearby. The abbot waved his hand dismissively and shrugged, focusing on his duty to the Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka rather than the small Muslim population. A demonstration in support of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's handling of the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar on October 14, 2017 was organized by a Buddhist monk. Charismatic monks have incited Buddhists to adopt a militant tribalism mindset, viewing themselves as spiritual warriors defending their faith against external threats. Motivated by influential charismatic monks like Sumedhananda Thero, Buddhists have transitioned into a period of militant tribalism, portraying themselves as spiritual fighters who need to protect their religion from external threats. This sentiment was evident in a demonstration led by a Buddhist monk in support of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's handling of the Rohingya crisis in Yangon, Myanmar on October 14, 2017. Despite being the dominant religion in countries like Sri Lanka and Myanmar, where a radical religious-nationalist movement is growing, some Buddhists, particularly those following the purist Theravada tradition, feel existentially endangered, mainly due to perceived threats from Islam's extremist factions. As Buddhism and Islam come into conflict, some Buddhists are straying from the peaceful principles of their religion. In recent years, Buddhist groups have carried out violent assaults on minority Muslim communities. Nationalist Buddhist leaders are utilizing extremist monks to gain backing. According to Mohammed Naseer, the imam of the Hillur Mosque in Gintota, Sri Lanka, which was targeted by Buddhist mobs in 2017, "The Buddhists used to be much less hostile towards us. Now, their monks are promoting a narrative that we are not welcome in this country and should depart." "Where can we possibly go? This is our place of residence." In Sri Lanka last month, a influential Buddhist monk went on a hunger strike which led to the resignation of all nine Muslim ministers in the government. The monk had accused Muslim politicians of being involved in the Easter Sunday attacks carried out by Islamic State-affiliated militants on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, resulting in the deaths of over 250 individuals. Monks are seen praying in the Bengala monastery in Yangon, Myanmar on October 4, 2017. Motivated by a politically influential group of charismatic monks, Buddhists have embraced a more militant tribalism, positioning themselves as spiritual soldiers who must protect their religion from external threats. In Myanmar, a majority Muslim population has been forced to leave the country due to ethnic cleansing, yet Buddhist monks continue to express concerns about an Islamic invasion, despite Muslims making up less than 5% of the population. During Ramadan in May, Buddhist mobs attacked Islamic prayer halls, causing worshippers to flee. Charismatic monks have incited Buddhists to adopt a militant tribalism mindset, portraying themselves as spiritual warriors defending their faith against outsiders. Despite Buddhism's peaceful reputation, it is now associated with sectarian aggression in Myanmar. However, no single religion can claim to be the sole proponent of peace, as even Buddhists have been known to engage in warfare. According to anthropologist Mikael Gravers of Aarhus University in Denmark, while Buddhist monks may publicly denounce violence, they also believe in defending Buddhism and Buddhist nations by any necessary means. In Myanmar, thousands of people gathered in support of a Buddhist monk named Ashin Wirathu, who has a history of hate speech and praised the country's military. This has led to a mass exodus of over 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh since August 2017. The army and its allies carried out an ethnic cleansing campaign, with Buddhist mobs and security forces targeting Rohingya Muslims with violence such as slaughter and rape, as well as destroying hundreds of their villages. Ashin Wirathu, a Buddhist leader, has rejected the peaceful teachings of his religion and praised military-linked lawmakers as being on par with Buddha. He believes that only the military can protect the country and religion. In a separate protest, Wirathu criticized the International Criminal Court for pursuing a case against Myanmar's military for their mistreatment of the Rohingya. In November 2017, a Sri Lankan Buddhist paid respects to Sitagu Sayadaw, a highly respected Buddhist leader in Myanmar. Inspired by influential monks, Buddhists are now embracing militant tribalism and seeing themselves as spiritual fighters who must protect their faith. One monk, Ashin Wirathu, even declared that he would take up arms if the ICC were to come to their country. This shift in mentality has been fueled by a powerful network of charismatic monks. Monks like Ashin Wirathu are on the extremist fringe of Buddhist nationalism, but more respected clerics, such as 82-year-old Venerable Ashin Nyanissara, also known as Sitagu Sayadaw, are involved as well. Sitagu Sayadaw, Myanmar's most influential monk, made controversial statements about Muslims and the United Nations in front of army officers. He believes that the army and monkhood are inseparable and has shown his support for the military by appearing in photos with soldiers on social media. He sees his role as offering 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. He offered to mobilize them if needed. According to Khin Mar Mar Kyi, a social anthropologist at the University of Oxford, when respected figures like Sitagu Sayadaw make statements, people pay attention, even if they are critical of certain groups. His words can incite hatred. After suicide bombings by Islamic State-affiliated individuals in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, Buddhist nationalists felt their warnings about the threat posed by Muslim extremists were validated. Dilanthe Withanage, a senior administrator for Bodu Bala Sena, Sri Lanka's largest Buddhist nationalist group, stated, 'We have been cautioning for years about the danger Muslim extremists pose to national security.'" Withanage blamed the government for disregarding the radicalization of Islam, stating that after a period of moderate coalition rule, a mix of faith and tribalism is gaining strength once again in Sri Lanka. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a former defense chief and top contender for the upcoming presidential elections, is leading this movement. Rajapaksa has promised to safeguard the country's religious traditions, particularly Buddhism, and is focused on rebuilding Sri Lanka's security apparatus established during the lengthy civil war with the Tamil minority. From 2005 to 2015, Sri Lanka was under the leadership of Mahinda Rajapaksa, the brother of Rajapaksa, who was a strong nationalist and justified the violent end to the civil war by positioning himself as the country's spiritual savior. During this time, temples displayed images of the Rajapaksa brothers, money was funneled to extremist Buddhist groups that supported sectarian violence resulting in deaths of Muslims, and prime land in the capital city of Colombo was given to one of the founders of Bodu Bala Sena, a radical Buddhist organization, for a Buddhist cultural center. The national telecom service even included Bodu Bala Sena's theme song in its collection of ringtones. Last year, Bodu Bala Sena’s leader, Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, was sentenced to six years in prison. However, in late May, he was granted a presidential pardon due to a shifting political environment. This Sunday, he led a gathering of numerous monks who aim to have a political impact in the upcoming elections. Before being imprisoned, Gnanasara Thero framed his campaign within a historical perspective, stating, "We have been the protectors of Buddhism for 2,500 years." "It is now our responsibility, just like the monks in Myanmar, to defend our tranquil island from Islam."