Dr. John Esposito
The El-Hibri Foundation announced in September that Dialogue Institute Board member John Esposito is the recipient of its 2017 Fearless Ally Award "for his close collaboration with national Muslim leaders to advance inclusion and understanding of American Muslims for over four decades."
The $5,000 award recognizes allies to American Muslim communities who have:
- demonstrated outstanding courage in challenging Islamophobia;
- promoted greater mutual understanding and respect between communities;
- made significant contributions to promoting the rights and wellbeing of American Muslims; and/or
- whose work as an ally helped to support inclusion, collaboration, and capacity-building with American Muslim communities.
John is the Founding Director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service, established in 1993 to enhance the understanding of Muslims in the West in order to build stronger bridges between Islam and Christianity. He also serves as the Director of The Bridge Initiative, a multi-year research project aiming to connect the academic study of Islamophobia with the public square. The Bridge Initiative brings together celebrated faculty, subject-matter experts, and seasoned researchers to examine attitudes and behaviors towards Muslims; dissect public discourses on Islam; and raise public awareness of Islamophobia.
John formerly served as president of the American Academy of Religion, the Middle East Studies Association of North America, and the American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies. He has received honorary doctorates from St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto, University of Sarajevo, University of Florida, and Immaculata University. He has also received Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service Outstanding Teacher Award and Georgetown’s Career Research Achievement Award. John has written more than 45 books, including The Future of Islam, Islamophobia and the Challenge of Pluralism in the 21st Century, and Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think.
