| The eyes of the world are set on Egypt as the country goes through a historic phase. In today's media environment and in people's minds it doesn't take too long for today's news to become a part of the past and that is why historians and museums play in important role in preserving the history of a country or a nation. For Muslims in America, this service is being rendered by the International Museum of Muslim Cultures in Jackson, MS. VOA's Muslims' America visited the museum in which is the only institution for Islamic culture and history in the United States. Despite the museum's seemingly unlikely location, it thrives because of a nation's quest for knowledge and understanding and its founders' commitment to creating a welcoming environment in which to learn. One of the founders of the International Museum of Muslim Cultures in Jackson, Mississippi, Emad Al Turk said that "As we were visiting different parts of the country, we discovered that there is not a single institution in the country, in the US, that focuses on Islamic history and culture". VOA's Imran Siddiqui spoke with the museum's founders and learned how a one-time exhibit became a permanent museum and how the European Renaissance and many 21^st century Western ideals actually have African Muslim roots. |
