Hawzah News Agency- The passing of John L. Esposito, one of the world's preeminent scholars of Islamic studies and Professor Emeritus at Georgetown University, has drawn widespread reaction from international academic circles. In an interview, Dr. Yahya Jahangiri Sohrvardi, Visiting Professor at the Islamic Studies Chair of the Indonesian International Islamic University (UIII), described Esposito as a towering figure in the development of contemporary Islamic studies in the West, noting that for over five decades he sought to introduce Islam and Muslims to Western audiences not through the distorting lens of fear, violence and conflict, but within the broader framework of history, civilization, religion, politics and the lived realities of Muslim societies.
The Passing of a Pioneer of Modern Islamic Studies
Addressing Esposito’s death, Jahangiri confirmed the distinguished American scholar and Professor Emeritus at Georgetown University died in Philadelphia on July 15, 2026, at the age of 86 following complications from heart surgery.
Beyond his scholarly contributions spanning religion, international relations and Islamic studies, Esposito founded the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and was a key architect of the Bridge Initiative, a major research project dedicated to systematically combating Islamophobia. Georgetown University has recognized him as one of the most influential figures in shaping modern scholarship on Islam and Muslim societies.
From Christian Theology to Islamic Studies
Tracing Esposito’s academic journey, Jahangiri recounted that he was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1940 to an Italian-American Catholic family. Raised in a deeply religious environment, Esposito even considered the priesthood in his youth. He pursued theological studies and earned his Ph.D. from Temple University in 1974.
Esposito’s entry into Islamic studies was not part of a calculated career plan. As the scholar himself often recounted, a department chair encouraged him to study under the renowned Palestinian-American scholar Ismail Raji al-Faruqi. Though initially hesitant, al-Faruqi’s teaching profoundly transformed Esposito’s understanding of Islam and Islamic civilization, irrevocably redirecting the course of his academic life.
Islam as Part of the Abrahamic Tradition
Jahangiri stressed that a central pillar of Esposito’s intellectual approach was his firm conviction that Islam should not be relegated in Western universities to study merely alongside Eastern religions such as Hinduism or Buddhism. Rather, from both historical and theological standpoints, it must be examined as an integral part of the Abrahamic tradition and in close relationship with Judaism and Christianity.
This perspective became a cornerstone of Esposito’s scholarly mission, which aimed to present Islam not as a civilization alien to the West, but as one of the world’s three great monotheistic traditions.
Challenging Dominant Stereotypes About Islam
Jahangiri noted that Esposito entered the field when Islam had not yet become a dominant subject in American politics or media. However, the Iranian Islamic Revolution, developments in Afghanistan, the rise of Islamic movements and, later, the September 11 attacks transformed Islam into one of the world’s most politically charged and socially debated subjects.
Throughout this turbulent period, Esposito consistently challenged two dominant narratives. The first portrayed Islam as inherently violent, incompatible with democracy and fundamentally opposed to Western civilization. The second treated all Muslim societies and Islamic movements as a single, homogeneous entity.
"From Esposito's perspective," Jahangiri stated, "Islam is neither monolithic nor devoid of diversity. The behavior of an extremist group or the policies of a particular Muslim government cannot legitimately be attributed to the Holy Qur'an, the Prophet of Islam (PBUH), or Muslims as a whole." He added that Esposito repeatedly warned that generalizing the actions of a small minority of extremists to the entire Muslim world was not only academically unsound but also contributed directly to discrimination and the spread of Islamophobia.
An Author Who Shaped University References on Islam
Highlighting the scale of Esposito’s scholarly output, Jahangiri noted his academic contributions were exceptional in both scope and influence. According to Georgetown University, Esposito authored more than 55 books and over 100 scholarly articles, many translated into dozens of languages and adopted as standard university textbooks worldwide. Beyond his own writing, he served as editor and general editor of several of Oxford University’s most important encyclopedic works on Islamic studies, leaving a lasting mark on the institutional development of the discipline.
Explaining Islam Beyond Political Stereotypes
Jahangiri said Esposito’s scholarship extended far beyond merely introducing Islam to Western audiences. Among his best-known works is Islam: The Straight Path, first published in 1988, which has become one of the most authoritative introductory texts on the faith. In this book, Esposito begins with the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Holy Qur'an before examining the historical development of Muslim societies, beliefs and rituals, reform movements, and major issues confronting the contemporary Muslim world.
In Islam and Politics, Esposito offered a balanced understanding of the relationship between religion and politics in the Muslim world. By examining religion-state interaction, the emergence of Islamic movements, the legacy of colonialism and the experience of post-independence governments, he argued that political Islam should not be simplistically equated with violence or extremism, stressing the need to distinguish between reformist, electoral, revolutionary and militant movements.
In The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality? Esposito explored whether Islam had replaced the Soviet Union as the West's new adversary following the Cold War. While acknowledging violent extremist movements, Esposito maintained that portraying "Islam" as a single enemy fundamentally distorted the complex realities of the Muslim world. Jahangiri also cited What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam, which explains subjects including the Qur'an, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the status of Jesus and Mary in Islam, jihad, Sharia, women, democracy and Muslim-West relations in a clear format. For many Western readers, it provided their first systematic introduction to Islam free from sensational media narratives.
Separating Islam from Extremism
Turning to Esposito’s post-September 11 scholarship, Jahangiri said in Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam, Esposito clearly distinguished between the Islamic concept of jihad and the ideological misuse of the term by terrorist organizations. He argued that religious texts alone cannot explain extremism and that any serious analysis must account for political conditions, military occupation, domestic repression, state failure, and the widespread sense of discrimination and humiliation experienced in many societies.
Jahangiri also highlighted Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think, noting that Esposito based the study on extensive public opinion surveys conducted across the Muslim world rather than relying on governments or media narratives. The findings demonstrated that large numbers of Muslims, while deeply committed to their faith, also seek justice, development, political participation and respectful relations with the West. Esposito concluded that the notion of an inherent conflict between Islam and democracy is inconsistent with the actual views of Muslim populations.
An Architect of Foundational References in Islamic Studies
Jahangiri stated that Esposito’s contribution extended beyond authoring influential books. Through editorial leadership of major reference works—including The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, The Oxford History of Islam, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, and the three-volume The Islamic World: Past and Present—he played a decisive role in organizing and advancing academic resources for Islamic studies. His works have been translated into 35 languages. Jahangiri added that Esposito’s greatest contribution lay in serving as an academic architect who brought together scholars of diverse expertise and methodologies to produce a more comprehensive understanding of Islam and Muslim societies.
Presenting Shi'ism Beyond Western Political Narratives
Jahangiri noted that while Esposito was not traditionally trained in Shi'a theology or jurisprudence, Shi'ism—and particularly the political and social experience of Shi'a Islam in Iran—occupied an important place in his scholarship. He pointed to The Iranian Revolution: Its Global Impact (1990) and Iran at the Crossroads as among Esposito’s most significant works on Iran. These studies treated the Islamic Revolution and developments in the Islamic Republic of Iran not merely as domestic events but as phenomena with profound regional and international implications.
He added that in major reference works published under Esposito's supervision, independent entries were devoted to Shi'ism, Shi'a political thought, the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), the Shi'a clergy and Iran’s political and social developments. This helped establish Shi'ism within Western academic scholarship as a distinct historical, intellectual and social tradition rather than merely a contemporary political phenomenon.
Turning Interfaith Dialogue into Lasting Institutions
Jahangiri highlighted Esposito’s enduring contribution to interfaith dialogue, noting that one of his most lasting achievements was establishing the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University in 1993. The significance of this initiative lay in Georgetown’s long-standing Jesuit and Christian heritage; creating a permanent academic center dedicated to the study of Islam and Muslim-Christian relations represented a major step toward institutionalizing dialogue.
The center developed into one of the world's leading research institutions focusing on Islam-West relations, political Islam, Muslim communities in Europe and the United States, interfaith dialogue and Islamophobia. Esposito also launched the Bridge Initiative, placing the systematic academic study of Islamophobic networks, discourse and their social consequences on the international research agenda. In Esposito’s view, Muslim-Christian dialogue should not be confined to symbolic meetings among religious leaders but must lead to tangible reforms in school curricula, media discourse, the education of diplomats, and practical efforts to combat social discrimination.
Bridging Academia, Society and Policymaking
Jahangiri said another defining characteristic of Esposito’s career was his ability to connect academic scholarship with broader society. Alongside his university work, Esposito served as an adviser to governments, international organizations, media outlets and policy institutions, ensuring his research influenced public discourse well beyond academic circles. He was the only scholar to have served as president of both the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) and the American Academy of Religion, and received seven honorary doctorates along with numerous international academic awards for his contributions to Islamic studies and public understanding of religion.
A Scholar Admired—and Debated
Jahangiri acknowledged that Esposito’s approach was not universally accepted. Some critics argued he was overly optimistic in evaluating certain Islamist movements or gave insufficient attention to the authoritarian dimensions of some Islamic political currents. "Despite these criticisms," Jahangiri stressed, "even Esposito's critics cannot deny his decisive role in bringing the academic study of contemporary Islam into the mainstream of American universities, media and policymaking institutions."
A Legacy Beyond Books and Articles
Summing up Esposito’s legacy, Jahangiri stated he was neither a Qur'anic exegete in the traditional sense, nor a jurist, nor a specialist in Islamic manuscripts. His principal field was contemporary Islam, the relationship between religion and politics, Islam-West relations, Islamic movements, democracy, Islamophobia and interfaith dialogue. His enduring legacy rests on one fundamental principle: Islam and Muslims deserve to be studied with the same intellectual rigor, nuance and complexity applied to Western civilization, Christianity and Western societies. Esposito believed that a genuine understanding of Islam is possible only by moving beyond stereotypes, prejudices and simplistic narratives.
At a time when dominant Western media portrayals of Islam were closely associated with war, terrorism, revolution and crisis, Esposito sought to broaden that perspective by drawing attention to the Holy Qur'an, Islamic civilization, the everyday lives of Muslims, the diversity of Islamic schools of thought, Muslim intellectuals, women, civil society actors and the rich pluralism of the Muslim world.
In conclusion, Jahangiri said Esposito’s passing marks the loss of a scholar who was neither Muslim nor sought to speak on behalf of Muslims, yet consistently insisted that the world must first understand Islam before passing judgment. "Perhaps Esposito's greatest contribution," he concluded, "was building a bridge of knowledge and dialogue between a world that spoke extensively about Islam and the people who were too rarely given the opportunity to present themselves in their own voice."
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