AUS and Muhammad Ali Center partner to advance compassion-based research, education and civic wellbeing

Witnessed by Her Highness Sheikha Bodour, the partnership brings Sharjah into the Muhammad Ali Center’s global network as the first international city to join its index on compassion

In the presence of Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of American University of Sharjah (AUS), AUS and the Muhammad Ali Center formalized a partnership that brings Sharjah into the center’s global network and makes it the first international city to contribute to the Muhammad Ali Index. The agreement will support joint research and a dedicated Sharjah report, generating internationally benchmarked insights to inform leaders, institutions and communities.

The agreement was signed on behalf of AUS by Dr. Tod Laursen, Chancellor of AUS, with Her Highness Sheikha Bodour standing behind the signatories as the partnership was formalized, and on behalf of the Muhammad Ali Center by Farah Pandith, Muhammad Ali Global Peace Laureate, while Lonnie Ali, Co-Founder and CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center, who was married to Muhammad Ali for 30 years, looked on.

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.” 

Ahead of the signing, Her Highness Sheikha Bodour met with Lonnie Ali, in a closed meeting, reflecting a shared commitment to sustained collaboration grounded in research, education and civic impact.

The Muhammad Ali Index is a research-and-action platform designed to understand, measure and strengthen compassion in everyday life, placing compassion at the center of Muhammad Ali’s legacy and advancing it as a global force for change. Originally launched in 2025 as a 12-city US pilot, the index combines original research, AI tools, local insight and its proprietary Net Compassion Score to assess how compassion is experienced on the ground, how trust is built and how communities come together across differences. In 2026, the index will expand to 20 US cities, while Sharjah becomes its first international city partner, marking the beginning of the index’s global growth.

“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 Chancellor Laursen. “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.”

Lonnie Ali 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.”

The day concluded with a Community Connect masterclass featuring Lonnie Ali, moderated by Dr. Tod Laursen, in the presence of Sharjah senior stakeholders and AUS students. During the session, Ali reflected on Muhammad Ali’s legacy as a lived ethic and explored how compassion can be practiced as leadership in communities, institutions and daily life. Launched in September 2025, Community Connect is an AUS initiative that brings leading voices into dialogue with the university community while fostering long-term collaborations across sectors and geographies, supporting exchange that connects research, leadership and lived experience.

As part of this global moment, the Muhammad Ali Center is inviting the public to sign the Ali Compassion Pledge at aliindex.org/get-involved/pledge/. It’s 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.