The concept of building the Canberra Islamic Centre (CIC) came about when a few members of the Canberra Muslim community felt the need for a dedicated meeting place for the Muslims of Canberra. This small group of families started meeting at the Tuggeranong Community Centre. The vision was to develop an Islamic cultural centre, which could serve the on going social, spiritual, recreational, welfare and religious needs of the ACT and the regional community. The plan also included the building of the Australian National Islamic Library (ANIL) which was envisaged to be the largest Islamic library in the Southern Hemisphere.

In December 1993 a Crown Lease was awarded to the CIC. With the generous donations from the Muslim community of the ACT the development and construction of the CIC including ANIL was started. From this point on, the CIC has served the on-going social, spiritual, recreational, welfare and religious needs of the ACT community.