In the sad demise of Professor John L. Esposito, the Muslim world has lost not just a scholar of Islam but a supporter and an unparalleled advocate of the Muslim cause. 

Internationally recognized scholar of Middle Eastern and religious studies, Professor Esposito devoted more than five decades to helping the West understand Islam. He was thus an authority on Islam and Muslim-West relations.

A student of the renowned Islamic scholar Professor Isma’il Raji al-Faruqi, Esposito authored, co-authored, and edited more than fifty books and other academic works, many of which became standard references in universities around the world. These works of eminent value were translated into dozens of languages, establishing Esposito as the greatest Western scholar of Islam and making him a hero in Muslim societies. Wherever he went – Pakistan, Malaysia, Türkiye – John Esposito, an Italian-American Catholic scholar from Brooklyn, was received like a rock star.

His seminal works include "Voices of Resurgent Islam and Makers of Contemporary Islam", "Islam: The Straight Path", "Islam and Politics", "The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?", "What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam", "The Future of Islam", "Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think (with Dalia Mogahed)", "Shariah: What Everyone Needs to Know (with Natana J. DeLong-Bas)" and "Islamophobia: The Challenge of Pluralism in the 21st Century." After Sept. 11, "Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam" challenged both the appropriation of religion by terrorists and the exploitation of terrorism by those eager to indict an entire civilization.

Esposito served as editor-in-chief of major Oxford reference works, including "The Oxford Dictionary of Islam", "The Oxford History of Islam", and "The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World."

At the end of the Cold War, when great powers looked for an enemy to go after so that it kept flexing its muscles, Islam was perhaps the easiest target to fill the vacant role. When all their institutions and propagandist machines were put into execution to demonise the religion — of now 2 billion followers — and the Muslim scholars, Professor Esposito stood like a rock with his bold scholarship, and through his intellectual excellence, he challenged misconceptions about Muslims, promoted interfaith dialogue, and inspired generations of students, scholars, policymakers, and faith leaders.

Beyond his usual academic engagement, Esposito held several leadership positions. He advised governments, addressed universities, consulted policymakers, and edited encyclopaedias. He served as president of both the Middle East Studies Association of North America and the American Academy of Religion. His contributions were recognized with many honors, including the American Academy of Religion’s Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion and Pakistan’s Quaid-e-Azam Award for Outstanding Contributions in Islamic Studies.

Professor Esposito served as University Professor of Religion, International Affairs, and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University, where he founded the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding in 1993. As its founding director, he helped establish the center as one of the world’s leading institutions dedicated to fostering dialogue, mutual respect, and cooperation among religious communities. 

Earlier in his career, he spent nearly twenty years at the College of the Holy Cross, where he taught world religions, chaired the Department of Religious Studies, and directed the Center for International Studies. Yet the scale of his bibliography can obscure his larger achievement. He built an intellectual infrastructure for seeing Muslims as historical actors rather than permanent suspects.

A lifelong Catholic, Professor Esposito exemplified how deep personal faith can coexist with profound respect for other religious traditions. His scholarship consistently emphasized that understanding, rather than fear, should shape relations between Muslims and the wider world.

As Professor John L. Esposito passed away on July 15, 2026, at the age of 86, the Muslim world and the global academic community in general have lost one of the most influential and respected scholars of Islam.

We pray that Prof. Esposito’s huge body of academic work continues to inspire future generations to pursue knowledge with integrity, compassion, and a commitment to mutual understanding!