John Esposito, pioneering scholar of Islam in the US, dies aged 86

Professor John L. Esposito, one of the most influential non-Muslim scholars of Islam, died on July 15, 2026, at age 86. Trained under Palestinian-American scholar Isma'il Raji al-Faruqi, he taught at the College of the Holy Cross for nearly two decades before moving to Georgetown University, where he founded the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding in 1993. Author of over 50 books translated into 35 languages, he also launched the Bridge Initiative to combat Islamophobia, dedicating his career to correcting Western misconceptions about Islam.