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.
