Often ignored in the larger discussions of extremist Islam and its battles (both idealogical and physical) with the Western world is that the religious imperatives underlying those struggles aren’t limited to “decadent” Westerners, but include any faith that could pose a challenge to their monotheism.

“Security surrounding the Dalai Lama has been tightened after reports of an attempt by the al-Qa’ida-linked terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Toiba to assassinate the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader … In a recent document, Osama bin Laden denounced “pagan Buddhism” as part of his general attack on anything not Islamic. The assassination threat picked up by Indian authorities is thought to be based on bin Laden’s denunciation and the extremist jihadi movement’s hatred for anything and anyone that is not Muslim.”

Also on the Lashkar-e-Toiba (”The Army of the Pure”) hit-list is Sonia Gandhi, current chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance, a center-left coalition that recent gained control of the Indian government after years of rule by the more nationalistic Bharatiya Janata Party. While an Islamic terror group in Pakistan-administered Kashmir wanting to kill Indian leaders is nothing new or unique, what is new is the focus on Buddhism and the Dalai Lama (who holds no political power in India).

But then radical Islam’s hostility to Buddhism isn’t entirely new either. The Taliban’s destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan (an act condemned by Pakistan) drew international attention and condemnation (some claimed that Osama bin Laden was behind the effort). It all comes down to the fact that monotheism, when taken to its worst extremes, desires the destruction of any faith that challenges its singular “truth”. While extremist forces within Islam may seem preoccupied with “the West”, we should never forget that non-monotheistic faiths will always be on the hit-list of such madness.

Tags: Buddhism, Dalai Lama, Hinduism, India, Islam, monotheism, Paganism, Polytheism