As the U.S. honors Muhammad Ali with a Forever Stamp, the Muhammad Ali Index expands nationally and globally with Sharjah named as its first international city
As the United States honors Muhammad Ali with a Forever Stamp in celebration of what would have been his 84th birthday, the Muhammad Ali Center today announced a major national and international expansion of the Muhammad Ali Index, naming Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, as its first global city partner.
The Muhammad Ali Index is a research-and-action platform designed to understand, measure, and strengthen compassion in everyday life, positioning compassion at the center of Muhammad Ali’s legacy and a growing global force for change.
The international expansion will formally launch February 4, 2026, marking the start of a multi-year partnership in Sharjah with the American University of Sharjah. The launch will take place in the presence of Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of AUS.
Together, these moments send a powerful message: Muhammad Ali’s compassion is not only remembered – it is alive, measurable, and going global.
Originally launched in 2025 as a 12-city U.S. pilot, the Muhammad Ali Index combines original research, pioneering AI tools, local insight, and its proprietary Net Compassion Score to assess how compassion is experienced on the ground, how people treat one another, how trust is built, and how communities come together across differences.
In 2026, the Index will expand to 20 U.S. cities, while Sharjah becomes the first international city partner, marking the beginning of the Index’s global growth. Additional global cities will be announced in the coming months.
This expansion coincides with another milestone honoring Ali’s legacy. The United States Postal Service announced the Muhammad Ali Forever Stamp, released on January 15 during Ali’s birthday week (January 17). The stamp commemorates a life defined not only by athletic greatness, but by moral courage; from Ali’s stand on conscience to his lifelong commitment to service, faith, and human dignity, and the belief that how we treat one another matters.
The expansion of the Index comes at a moment of deep social challenge. According to the Muhammad Ali Index’s 2025 Compassion Report, 61 percent of people believe compassion is declining, yet nearly half remain hopeful it can be rebuilt.
Lonnie Ali, CEO and Co-Founder of the Muhammad Ali Center, said: “Muhammad believed that how we treat one another matters-especially when it’s hard. Compassion wasn’t something he spoke about in theory; it was how he lived, how he made choices, and how he showed up for others. That is why Sharjah is such a meaningful launch pad for the international expansion of the Muhammad Ali Index. Sharjah’s commitment to education, culture, and civic wellbeing reflects the values Muhammad stood for. Through the Muhammad Ali Index, we’re carrying his legacy forward in a way that helps people live compassion – not just admire it – in their daily lives.”
Her Highness Sheikha Bodour said: “Sharjah has long invested in culture, education and community life as foundations for progress. This partnership positions Sharjah as the first international city to contribute to the Muhammad Ali Index and it signals a clear intent to approach civic wellbeing with the same seriousness we apply to economic and social development. Through AUS, we will help generate globally comparable evidence that can guide leaders, educators and institutions toward stronger trust, inclusion and social cohesion.”
Simon Cohen, Chief of Compassion at the Muhammad Ali Center, said: “Ali showed the world that greatness isn’t about who we knock down, but who we lift up. What the research now shows us is that compassion isn’t fixed – it’s a skill, a muscle we can grow. That means that even in a time of deep division, there is real hope.”
Sharjah will become the first city in the world to produce its own Ali Compassion Report, contributing local insight to a growing global body of compassion research and establishing a blueprint for cities worldwide.
“Sharjah’s role in the Muhammad Ali Index reflects a clear ambition: to treat compassion as a civic strength worth understanding through rigorous research and advancing through purposeful action,” said Dr. Tod Laursen, Chancellor of AUS. “Through our partnership with the Muhammad Ali Center, AUS will support a dedicated compassion report for Sharjah grounded in careful analysis and informed by global benchmarking. This work will translate Sharjah’s values and lived experience into credible insight that can strengthen leadership, education and community wellbeing here and contribute meaningfully to global learning.”
The Muhammad Ali Index launched in 2025 with an inaugural 12-city pilot, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas–Fort Worth, Denver, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, New York City, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Seattle.
Building on that foundation, the Index is expanding to eight additional U.S. cities: Houston, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Columbus, Indianapolis, San Francisco, Boston, and Washington, DC. Together, these cities form a growing national network committed to strengthening dignity, social trust, and human connection at a time of deep division.
As part of this global moment, the Muhammad Ali Center is inviting the public to sign the Ali Compassion Pledge at https://aliindex.org/get-involved/pledge/ A simple commitment to act with empathy, dignity, and courage in everyday life. Together, these milestones signal a defining shift: Muhammad Ali is not only remembered as “The Greatest,” but as a global symbol of compassion in action.
For additional information visit www.alicenter.org.
