Source: The Baltimore Sun
On July 22, 2005 The Baltimore Sun reported, "A new museum of Islamic art and culture will open in December in downtown Baltimore as part of an effort by Maryland Muslims to promote greater understanding of their religion in the aftermath of attacks such as this month's bombing of the London subway. Plans for the museum, to be called the American Museum of Islamic Arts, will be announced during a launch today of a new Islamic community center inside a former bank building... The center will serve as a mosque for Muslims who live or work downtown, as well as house the museum and a library where the public can learn more about the Islamic faith... Most of the new museum's collection will be donated by private citizens or loaned from other institutions, said Shahab Qarni of the Maryland Muslim Council, which co-sponsored the center with the Islamic Society of Baltimore. Baltimore's Muslim population numbers more than 10,000, according to 2000 census figures."