US Islam scholar John Esposito dies aged 86 after decades of interfaith diplomacy
Tributes paid by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and US civil rights groups following death of pioneering academic who founded key interfaith centre.
Professor John L Esposito, a leading US scholar of Islam and long-serving academic at Georgetown University, has died at the age of 86. His death occurred on July 15, 2026, with the news reported by Al Jazeera on July 16, 2026. Esposito spent over five decades working to correct Western misconceptions about Islam and fostering dialogue between Muslim and Western societies.
Born in Brooklyn in 1940, Esposito trained under the Palestinian-American scholar Isma’il Raji al-Faruqi, an apprenticeship that shaped his commitment to presenting Islam on its own terms rather than through the lens of Western anxieties. He taught at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts before moving to Georgetown University, where he held the title of University Professor of Religion, International Affairs and Islamic Studies.
At Georgetown, Esposito founded the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding in 1993, which was later renamed the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. Under his direction, the centre grew into a prominent institution for interfaith dialogue. He also launched the Bridge Initiative, a research project dedicated to tracking and challenging Islamophobia.
Esposito’s scholarly output included more than 50 books, with his work translated into 35 languages. Among his most cited works was the 2007 book Who Speaks for Islam?, co-authored with Dalia Mogahed. Drawing on more than 50,000 interviews across 35 Muslim-majority countries, the study provided empirical data on Muslim public opinion, offering a counter to sweeping generalisations about the world’s Muslim population.
Tributes have been paid by prominent figures including Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Anwar Ibrahim described Esposito as a true friend of the Islamic world who built the intellectual foundations for deeper Western understanding. CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad credited Esposito with advancing an accurate understanding of Islam at a time when misinformation often dominated public discourse.
Esposito is survived by his wife, Dr Jeanette P Esposito. His career was marked by significant academic honours, including the Martin E Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion and Pakistan’s Quaid-e-Azam Award for Outstanding Contributions to Islamic Studies.
