{"id":41311,"date":"2026-02-05T14:51:52","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T14:51:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alicenter.org\/?p=41311"},"modified":"2026-02-05T14:57:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T14:57:32","slug":"alis-legacy-enters-a-new-chapter-as-compassion-goes-global","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alicenter.org\/alis-legacy-enters-a-new-chapter-as-compassion-goes-global\/","title":{"rendered":"Ali\u2019s Legacy Enters a New Chapter as Compassion Goes Global"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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Ali\u2019s Legacy Enters a New Chapter as Compassion Goes Global<\/h1>\r\n <\/header>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n\n\n\r\n
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02.05.26<\/p>\n

MEDIA ADVISORY<\/p>\n

Muhammad Ali\u2019s Legacy Enters a New Chapter as Compassion Goes Global<\/p>\n

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.<\/em><\/p>\n

Louisville, KY \/ Washington, DC \/ Sharjah, UAE (February 5, 2026) \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s legacy and a growing global force for change.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Together, these moments send a powerful message: Muhammad Ali\u2019s compassion is not only remembered – it is alive, measurable, and going global.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s global growth. Additional global cities will be announced in the coming months.<\/p>\n

This expansion coincides with another milestone honoring Ali\u2019s legacy. The United States Postal Service announced the Muhammad Ali Forever Stamp, released on January 15 during Ali\u2019s birthday week (January 17). The stamp commemorates a life defined not only by athletic greatness, but by moral courage; from Ali\u2019s stand on conscience to his lifelong commitment to service, faith, and human dignity, and the belief that how we treat one another matters.<\/p>\n

The expansion of the Index comes at a moment of deep social challenge. According to the Muhammad Ali Index\u2019s 2025 Compassion Report, 61 percent of people believe compassion is declining, yet nearly half remain hopeful it can be rebuilt.<\/p>\n

Lonnie Ali, CEO and Co-Founder of the Muhammad Ali Center, said:<\/p>\n

\u201cMuhammad believed that how we treat one another matters-especially when it\u2019s hard. Compassion wasn\u2019t 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\u2019s commitment to education, culture, and civic wellbeing reflects the values Muhammad stood for. Through the Muhammad Ali Index, we\u2019re carrying his legacy forward in a way that helps people live compassion \u2013 not just admire it \u2013 in their daily lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her Highness Sheikha Bodour said:<\/p>\n

\u201cSharjah 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simon Cohen, Chief of Compassion at the Muhammad Ali Center, said:<\/p>\n

\u201cAli showed the world that greatness isn\u2019t about who we knock down, but who we lift up. What the research now shows us is that compassion isn\u2019t fixed – it\u2019s a skill, a muscle we can grow. That means that even in a time of deep division, there is real hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cSharjah\u2019s 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,\u201d said Dr. Tod Laursen, Chancellor of AUS. \u201cThrough 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\u2019s values and lived experience into credible insight that can strengthen leadership, education and community wellbeing here and contribute meaningfully to global learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Muhammad Ali Index launched in 2025 with an inaugural 12-city pilot, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas\u2013Fort Worth, Denver, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, New York City, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Seattle.<\/p>\n

Building on that foundation, the Index is expanding to eight additional U.S. cities:<\/p>\n