John Esposito is Professor of Religion & International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and the Founding Director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding as well as The Bridge Initiative, a multi-year research project on Islamophobia housed in Georgetown University. He has authored, co-authored, or edited nearly five dozen books, including Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think (with Dalia Mogahed; Gallup, 2008), Islamophobia: The Challenge of Pluralism in the 21st Century (Oxford, 2011), Islam and Democracy after the Arab Spring (with J. Voll & Tamara Sonn; Oxford, 2015), and most recently, Shariah: What Everyone Needs to Know (with Natana Delong-Bas; Oxford, 2018). He is former president of the American Academy of Religion and Middle East Studies Association of North America; a past member of the World Economic Forum’s Council of 100 Leaders and the E. C. European Network of Experts on De-Radicalization; a senior scientist for The Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, and an ambassador for the UN Alliance of Civilizations. He has served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of State and other agencies, European and Asian governments, corporations, universities, and media worldwide.
