Canberra locals support Islamic centre

The Canberra community is rallying behind an Islamic centre that was ransacked by vandals.

The attack on the Canberra Islamic Centre and National Islamic Library on Sunday caused thousands of dollars of damage.

Centre president Azra Khan has described it as a malicious hate crime but police believe it was opportunistic and mindless damage.

Federal Labor MP Gai Brodtmann, who visited the centre on Monday, said a clean-up had been organised for Wednesday afternoon and she encouraged locals to chip in.

"Canberra has zero tolerance for this kind of malicious behaviour, and as a community we must now come together to rally behind the centre," Ms Brodtmann said.

"The vast majority of Canberrans are decent and tolerant - this is our chance to send a message to the perpetrators that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated."

The clean-up will be held from 2pm at the centre in Clive Steele Avenue, Monash.

Canberra's Catholic archbishop Christopher Prowse said church members stood in solidarity with the Islamic community.

"This act of vandalism is totally unacceptable," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We must redouble our efforts to ensure that all religions represented in Canberra feel safe and secure to practise their faith without fear."

A police spokeswoman said there have been no developments in the case.