In 2000, a group of Muslims based in Jackson, Mississippi banded together to create a national museum that would help familiarize the public with the history and culture of Islam or Muslims as well as the religion?s contribution to the world of arts and commerce and other fields. The museum, which first opened its doors to the public in April 2001, is the first and only museum of its kind in the U.S. Its first exhibit, Islamic Moorish Spain: Its Legacy to Europe and the West, was extremely successful and showed the public Muslim?s contribution to Spanish artwork. The museum?s founders were inspired to establish the museum and launch such an exhibit when an international travelling exhibit, The Majesty of Spain, came to the city, showcasing the history of Spanish art without including Muslim contributions.

Originally located in the Arts District of the city, the IMMC now calls the Mississippi Arts Center its home, which is just a short distance away from other well-known attractions like the Old Capitol Museum, the City Auditorium, the Russell C. Davis Planetarium, and the Farish Street Historic District.