Current Trends in Buddhist Extremism and Anti-Muslim Ideology

Globally, religious extremist actions are often associated with overt violence, employed for symbolic or targeted ends. However, non-violent actions can likewise have impacts on social relations, wellbeing and inter-faith harmony. A structural violence analytical framework can uncover the lasting effects of denial of voice, agency and rights. This chapter analyses existing studies by mostly Sri Lankan scholars on religious extremism and contested social and faith-based identities to examine the interplay of religious extremist thought and behaviour in post-war Sri Lanka, focussing on Buddhist extremism and interactions with the Muslim minority. Buddhist extremism is implicated in a range of violent and non-violent activities, but the mass atrocities associated with it are on a much smaller scale than those perpetrated in the name of Islam or Christianity. This chapter seeks to answer two main questions: (1) What are the causal factors relating to the growth of fundamentalism and extremist philosophies and activity in Sri Lankan Buddhism? (2) To what extent is Buddhist extremism non-violent, and how is this manifested? To answer these questions, this chapter uses secondary sources, especially previous literature investigating the phenomenon of religious extremism and contested social identities, with regard to the politicisation of the post-war era. This chapter suggests that contestations around religious extremism, whether overly violent or structurally violent, are found amongst both Buddhist and Muslim communities. These contestations are rooted in incompatible social identity markers divided along ethno-religious lines. These narrow formulations of nationhood and righteous belonging hinder attempts to construct a national identity in which all ethnic groups can participate equitably.