M.MAS 7/22/15 Without facing such threat narratives head-on, they go uncontested – even at moments and by actors otherwise thought to be promoting harmony, tolerance, or peace. In reflecting on the ways in which current narratives of threat and self-defence are produced or reinforced – directly and indirectly �� by people in positions of authority, anyone interested in preventing violence must consider efforts that encourage such authorities to speak, as it were, in different ways about Muslim threats – through public statements, but also via domestic policy action and enforcement. This also reinforces the importance of backing local civil society efforts to counter narratives of threat and self-defence. But this research underscores that this would not only include those who identify (or are identified) as peacemakers, but also those whose stated focus is elsewhere but who have the credibility, connections, and bravery to work for peace at the most difficult moments. These local actors exist, but they are not always the ones first identified by outsiders who would intervene. Local groups and individuals often have a greater understanding and sensitivity to the ways in which narratives of existential threat to Buddhism are mobilized, and how they may be countered – as well as who is (or is not) countering them. We should listen. 24