![[Farid Hafez]](https://bridge.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-04-at-10.45.01-AM.jpeg "Farid Hafez")
The Bridge Initiative is a multi-year research project on Islamophobia housed in Georgetown University.
The Bridge Initiative aims to disseminate original and accessible research, offers engaging analysis and commentary on contemporary issues, and hosts a wide repository of educational resources to inform the general public about Islamophobia.
Research & Resources
The Bridge Initiative/ Dr John L Esposito
As Bridge turns four, we chat with Dr John Esposito about his work, his vision for the institute, and the challenges facing us today. Dr Esposito is one of the world’s foremost scholars of Islam, Professor of Religion & International Affairs and of Islamic Studies at Georgetown University, and the founder and Director of The Bridge Initiative.
U.S: religious freedom for all?
Are Muslims facing a new age of judicial deprivation? Is the United States reneging on its promise of religious freedom as enshrined in the First Amendment? Two religious discrimination claims filed at the Supreme Court, one by a Muslim, the other by a Buddhist show that even in death, Muslim rights are violated. While the…
Christchurch, immigration & the fear mongering that incites hate
On March 15, 2019, a 28-year-old white Australian man carried out a massacre targeting two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Brenton Tarrant entered the mosques during Friday prayers, shooting Muslims as they prayed, killing 50 and injuring dozens of others. The eldest victim, Haji Daoud Nabi, was 71 years old, and the youngest, Mucad Ibrahim, was just 3 years old. The shooter live-streamed the entire attack on Facebook and published a 74-page manifesto detailing his reasoning for the attack and its focus on Muslims as his target.