Monday, August 3, 2026

A00159 - John Esposito, American Academic Who Was a Scholar of Islamic Studies and Who Was the Founding Director of the Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding

 88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888


John Esposito
Esposito, c. 1983
Born
John Louis Esposito

May 19, 1940
New York City, U.S.
Died (aged 86)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
OccupationsAcademic, editor, writer
Spouse
Jean Esposito
​
(m. 1965)​
Academic background
EducationSt Antony's College, Oxford (BA)
St John's University (MA)
Temple University (PhD)
InfluencesIsmail al-Faruqi
Academic work
DisciplineMiddle Eastern, religious, Islamic studies
InstitutionsGeorgetown University
Notable works
The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, Islam: The Straight Path
Signature

8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

John Louis Esposito (May 19, 1940 – July 15, 2026)[1] was an American academic who was a professor of Middle Eastern and religious studies, as well as a scholar of Islamic studies.[2] He served as professor of religion, international affairs, and Islamic studies at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Esposito was also the founding director of the Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim–Christian Understanding at Georgetown.

Early life and education

Esposito was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1940.[3] He was a Catholic and came from an Italian-American family.[4][5]

Esposito gained a BA in philosophy at St Antony's College, Oxford, in 1963. He gained an MA in theology at St John's University in 1966. He gained his doctorate at Temple University in 1974 with Islamic Studies as his major and comparative religions as his minor. He completed his doctoral studies under the supervision of the influential Islamic scholar Isma'il Raji al-Faruqi.[3]

Academic career

For nearly 20 years after completing his Ph.D., Esposito taught religious studies (including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam) at the College of the Holy Cross, a 4-years Jesuit college in Massachusetts. At the College of the Holy Cross, he held the Loyola Professor of Middle East Studies position, was the chair of the Department of Religious Studies, and director of the College of the Holy Cross's Center for International Studies.[6][failed verification] At Georgetown University, Esposito held the position of university professor and taught as both professor of religion and international affairs and professor of Islamic studies.[7]

Esposito published Islam and Politics in 1984, and Islam: The Straight Path in 1988.[8] Both books sold well, going through many editions. In addition to more than 35 books, he was editor-in-chief of a number of Oxford reference works, including The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, The Oxford History of Islam, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World (six volumes), and Oxford Islamic Studies Online.[9]

In 1988, he was elected president of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA).[3] He also served as president of the American Academy of Religion and president of the American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies. He served as vice chair of the board of directors of the Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy from 1999 to 2004 he was a member of the World Economic Forum's Council of 100 Leaders, the High Level Group of the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations and the E. C. European Network of Experts on De-Radicalisation. He was an advisor to the award-winning documentary Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet (2002), produced by Unity Productions Foundation and broadcast by PBS.[9] A recipient of the American Academy of Religion's 2005 Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion and of Pakistan's Quaid-e-Azam Award for Outstanding Contributions in Islamic Studies, in 2003 he received Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service Outstanding Teacher Award.[10][3]

He founded the Center for Muslim–Christian Understanding at Georgetown University in 1993 and was its founding director.[11] The center received a $20 million endowment from Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal "to advance education in the fields of Islamic civilization and Muslim-Christian understanding and strengthen its presence as a world leader in facilitating cross-cultural and inter-religious dialogue".[12]

Death

Esposito died on July 15, 2026, at the age of 86, due to complications from a heart surgery, in Philadelphia.[13][3][4] He is survived by his wife, Jean Esposito (Jeannette Paisker), whom he married in 1965.[13]

After his death, the Council on American–Islamic Relations and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim sent condolences over his passing, with Ibrahim describing Esposito as "an influential scholar who built the intellectual foundations for a deeper understanding of Islam in the West" and emphasized his friendship with Esposito for more than 50 years.[14][15] Former Turkish President Abdullah Gül stated that Esposito's introduction of Islam to the West was "beautiful and graceful".[4]

Bibliography

Selected works as author, co-author, or editor, include titles listed below.

Editor

Books

Collections

This section may include written or editorial contributions to collections of works by various scholars.

References

  1.  "John L. Esposito, PhD Obituary Jul 15, 2026". The Donohue Funeral Homes Inc.
  2.  El Mallouki, Habib (January 15, 2016). "Interview with the Islam scholar John Louis Esposito: Islam's image problem". Qantara.de – Dialogue with the Islamic World. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  3.  Habib, Heba (July 16, 2026). "John Esposito, pioneering scholar of Islam in the US, dies aged 86". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on July 16, 2026. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  4.  El-Sabawi, Yasmine (July 16, 2026). "John Esposito, would-be Catholic priest turned renowned scholar of Islam, dies aged 86". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on July 17, 2026. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  5.  Parray, Tauseef Ahmad (January 13, 2021). "On Reading John Esposito's Islam – The Straight Path". Greater Kashmir. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  6.  "John Esposito | Distinguished University Professor | Georgetown University". New Lines Institute. Archived from the original on July 17, 2026. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  7.  Academic Biography John L. Esposito. Georgetown University. Archived September 6, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 23, 2007.
  8.  "John Esposito, who let a billion Muslims speak for themselves, dies at 86". Muslim Network. July 16, 2026. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  9.  "John L. Esposito, veteran scholar of Islam, dies at 86". Maktoob. July 16, 2026. Archived from the original on July 16, 2026. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  10.  Cooney, Siobhan (July 17, 2026). "John Louis Esposito (1940-2026)". Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  11.  "John L Esposito, leading scholar of Islam and outspoken supporter of Palestinian rights, dies aged 86". Middle East Monitor. July 16, 2026. Archived from the original on July 17, 2026. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  12.  Press Release: "Georgetown University Receives $20 Million Gift From Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal To Expand Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding". Office of Communications, Georgetown University, December 12, 2005. Archived September 4, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 23, 2007.
  13.  "John Louis Esposito (1940–2026)". ACMCU.edu. Archived from the original on July 16, 2026. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  14.  "CAIR Offers Condolences on Passing of Respected Scholar Prof. John Esposito". CAIR. July 15, 2026. Archived from the original on July 16, 2026. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  15.  "Anwar extends condolences over passing of top Islamic scholar John Esposito". New Straits Times. Bernama. July 16, 2026. Archived from the original on July 17, 2026. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  16.  Esposito, John L.; Dalia Mogahed (2007). Who Speaks For Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-59562-017-0.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Middle East Monitor

Creating new perspectives since 2009



888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Middle East Monitor

Creating new perspectives since 2009
















  • search

John L Esposito, leading scholar of Islam and outspoken supporter of Palestinian rights, dies aged 86

July 16, 2026 at 3:46 pm

John L. Esposito [X]

John L. Esposito [X]

facebook sharing button
twitter sharing button
reddit sharing button
whatsapp sharing button
email sharing button
sharethis sharing button

John L Esposito, one of the West’s most influential scholars of Islam and the Middle East and a longstanding supporter of Palestinian, has died aged 86.

The Georgetown University professor was widely known for confronting Islamophobia and rejecting portrayals of Muslims as an inherent political or security threat. In the final years of his life, he also spoke forcefully about Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the role of Western politicians, media outlets and pro-Israel organisations in marginalising Palestinian voices.

In a 2024 report co-authored for Georgetown’s Bridge Initiative, Esposito examined almost 300 Facebook posts about Palestine and Israel by US presidential candidates. The study accused politicians from both major parties of devaluing Palestinian lives, reproducing anti-Muslim stereotypes and offering Israel unconditional support despite evidence of apartheid, occupation and genocide.

The report also warned that critics of Israel were routinely portrayed as either anti-Semitic or supporters of Hamas, accusations that were used to silence discussion of Palestinian rights and Israel’s violations of international law.

Palestinian-American academic Hatem Bazian described Esposito as a “true companion to our Palestinian struggle when it was not popular”, saying that he identified Israel’s assault on Gaza as genocide without qualification and continued to support Palestinian advocacy despite the personal and professional consequences.

Bazian said that Esposito had challenged the pro-Israel lobby both within and outside academia and had continued to sign petitions, organise initiatives and speak publicly about Palestine after coming under pressure.

In his tribute, Bazian also alleged that he, Esposito and several others had been targeted by an extensive pro-Israel spying operation which accessed their banking and financial information and mapped their homes. He said the surveillance and intimidation did not alter Esposito’s position. Bazian did not identify those allegedly responsible or provide further documentation about the operation in his tribute.

READ: Rights group report spike in FBI interrogation of pro-Palestine activists 

Esposito had also faced years of public attacks from pro-Israel organisations opposed to his scholarship and engagement with Muslim communities. In 2023, the Middle East Forum published a series branding him “a terrorist’s best friend” and accusing him of defending political Islam, language his supporters viewed as part of a wider effort to discredit academics who rejected dominant US narratives about Muslims and the Middle East.

Born in Brooklyn in 1940, Esposito became university professor of religion and international affairs and professor of Islamic studies at Georgetown University. He founded the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding in 1993, which later became the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. He also established and directed the Bridge Initiative, a research project documenting Islamophobia and its influence on politics, public policy and the media.

His work gained particular importance after the attacks of 11 September, 2001, when Muslims in the US and Europe faced expanding surveillance, discrimination and collective suspicion. At a time when much public discussion presented Islam primarily through terrorism and national security, Esposito challenged the hateful narrative vilifying Muslims and Islam.

The Bridge Initiative later documented the effect of the so-called War on Terror on Muslim communities, including surveillance, discriminatory prosecutions, the use of counter-extremism policies and efforts by Zionist organisations to obstruct scholarship and activism supporting Palestinian rights.

Following the start of Israel’s Gaza offensive, Esposito warned that Western news coverage had helped drive a sharp rise in anti-Muslim hostility. He described the media as “hugely responsible for the rise in Islamophobia”, criticising outlets which repeated unverified Israeli claims while giving insufficient attention to Palestinian deaths and suffering.

Over a career spanning more than five decades, Esposito authored or edited more than 50 books on Islam, Muslim politics, democratisation, interfaith relations and the Middle East. His best-known works included Islam: The Straight Path, The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?, Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam, What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam and Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think, written with Dalia Mogahed.

He also served as editor-in-chief of major Oxford reference works on Islam and was a former president of the Middle East Studies Association of North America. His scholarship challenged the idea that Islamic political movements could be understood through a single framework, arguing instead that they should be assessed according to their political circumstances, popular support and conduct.

Esposito’s engagement extended beyond academic writing. He appeared at government hearings, advised policymakers and supported academics, activists and political prisoners facing repression. MEMO interviewed him in 2021 about the legacy of the Arab Spring and previously published his condemnation of the killing of demonstrators in Egypt following the 2013 military coup.

Watch: MEMO in conversation with John Esposito and Maha Azzam  

Esposito also defended scholars targeted under counter-terrorism measures. Speaking about the Austrian authorities’ raid on Islamophobia researcher Farid Hafez, Esposito warned that the targeting of a prominent mainstream academic raised serious questions about the treatment of Muslims in Europe.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations said Esposito had helped generations of students, journalists, religious leaders and policymakers develop a more accurate understanding of Islam while promoting religious freedom, interfaith cooperation and human dignity.

In his tribute, Bazian said Esposito’s influence would remain visible in the institutions he founded and among the Muslim scholars and community figures whom he supported, particularly during the years after 9/11.

Esposito is survived by his wife, Jean, and leaves behind students, colleagues and friends across the world.8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)