Tehran: The passing of prominent American Islamic studies scholar and academic at Georgetown University, John Louis Esposito, has prompted widespread reactions across academic circles worldwide. Iranian professor Yahya Jahangiri Sohrevardi has called Esposito one of the most influential figures in Western Islamic studies, saying he spent over five decades introducing Islam and Muslims to the West beyond stereotypes of violence and Islamophobia.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Jahangiri Sohrevardi, a visiting professor at the Chair of Islamic Studies at the Indonesian International Islamic University, made the comments in a note shared four days after Esposito passed away at the age of 86 in Philadelphia. Jahangiri wrote that the Georgetown University professor emeritus and founder of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding was among the most distinguished contemporary scholars of Islam, whose works and research played a significant role in reshaping the views of both Western academics and the broader public toward Islam.

'Esposito devoted more than half a century to studying and presenting Islam not through the lens of fear, violence, or conflict, but within the broader context of history, civilization, culture, politics, and the lived realities of Muslim societies,' the Iranian professor said, adding that Esposito challenged widespread stereotypes about Islam and Muslims through a scholarly approach.

Jahangiri noted that Esposito authored more than 55 books and hundreds of academic articles, while also serving as editor of the renowned Oxford encyclopedias on Islamic studies. His works, he wrote, made a lasting contribution to the development of academic Islamic studies and have been translated into dozens of languages.

The note added that following the September 11 attacks in the US in 2001, Esposito was among the scholars who consistently distinguished Islam from extremism, stressing the need to examine the political, social, and historical roots of violence. Esposito also warned that equating the actions of extremist groups with Islam would fuel Islamophobia and deepen misconceptions about the religion.

Jahangiri also identified Esposito's establishment of Georgetown University's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and the launch of the Bridge Initiative, a research project that monitors and analyzes Islamophobia, as among his most important scholarly legacies. He described both initiatives as significant contributions to promoting interfaith dialogue and strengthening academic engagement between the Muslim world and the West.

Concluding his note, Jahangiri said that although Esposito was not a Muslim, he devoted his academic life to promoting a fair understanding of Islam and confronting prejudice. He added that Esposito's intellectual legacy remains one of the most authoritative references in Islamic studies and intercultural dialogue worldwide.