The Radicalisation of Buddhism in the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries: The Buddhist Sangha in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The ideas of non-violence, peace and non-discrimination have been systematically developed in Buddhism. Nonetheless, as research has shown, Buddhist ideas can also contribute to escalation of conflicts, racial belief systems and radical movements. Political theory suggests that political actors regularly try to exploit religion in order to remain in power or to establish exclusive group identities, and so on. From this perspective, religion does not have an independent role; rather, the state co-opts a certain form of religion. However, there is ample evidence that religious actors further their own objectives and strategies, and in extreme cases attempt to take over a political system. The development of Buddhism in Sri Lanka in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries is presented here as an example of the radicalisation and politicisation of Buddhism. This case study deals with the role of religious actors in promoting ethno-religious nationalism, the exclusion of the minority population and the justification of violence.

Three Faces of the Rohingya Crisis: Religious Nationalism, Asian Islamophobia, and Delegitimizing Citizenship

“…Jinnah was not supportive of separation, and he discussed the matter with General Aung San, who assured him that the Arakan Muslims would be protected in the new Burma. e situation changed after the military takeover of Burma and the nationalization of Buddhism by the majority Bamar group, to maintain their political domination over the other Buddhist and Christains ethnic groups in the country (Ayoob 2007;Egreteau and Robinne 2015;Helbardt, Hellmann-Rajanayagam, and Korff 2013;van Klinken and Aung 2017;McCarthy and Menager 2017;Means 2009;Schissler, Walton, and i 2017;Weiberg-Salzmann 2014).…”

Religious Fundamentalism is Positively Associated with Feeling Privileged: Findings from a Representative Turkish Quota Sample

“…Fundamentalism, fanatism, and extremism are often ignited or reinforced by political leaders (Mazumdar, 2019;Weiberg-Salzmann, 2014). For example, the former US-president Trump has been incriminated of supporting religious-fundamentalist groups and of being responsible for a rise in right-wing extremism and hate crimes (Feinberg et al, 2019).…”