Co-founders Emad Al-Turk, Chairman Emeritus & Okolo Rashid, President Emerita.
In December 2000 a group of Jackson, Mississippi Muslims identified the need for the development of a local museum to educate the public about Islamic history and culture and the contributions of Muslims to world civilization.
With the hard work and dedication of co-founders Mrs. Okolo Rashid and Mr. Emad Al-Turk and a steering team of scholars, experts, and community members, the Museum opened in April 2001 with a major exhibition, Moorish Spain: Its Legacy to Europe and the West alongside the Museo del Prado’s international touring exhibition The Majesty of Spain, at the Mississippi Arts Pavilion in downtown Jackson’s Arts District. The museum attracted over 2,000 visitors in its first month of operation and continues to be a pioneer in sharing the beauty and majesty of the world’s Muslim cultures.