About the Islam & Citizenship Project
A ground-breaking collaboration between Muslim communities, scholars, educators and government — demonstrating that to be a good Muslim is to be a good citizen.
When Hope and History Rhyme
The Islam and Citizenship Education (ICE) project is a British government-funded initiative that produced 50 citizenship lessons designed to be taught in madrasahs to pupils aged 9 to 14. It represents a unique collaboration between members of diverse Muslim communities across England.
ICE was created from the basic premise that young Muslims deserved a holistic education — one in which there was coherence between what was taught in the madrasah and in the home, and what was taught in mainstream schools. Its overarching conclusion is clear: citizenship values and Islamic values are broadly compatible.
The project took the national citizenship programmes of study that English schools use and added Islamic guidance, teaching citizenship values through the Islamic perspective.
Every lesson, every Qur’anic quote and every hadith used was discussed, piloted and finally approved by a range of Britain’s finest scholars.
Project at a Glance
The ICE Citizenship Definition: B.I.R.R.
Birr is also an Arabic word meaning kindness and regard
Belonging
To our country, city, town, community and religion — sharing our country’s values of respect, tolerance and freedom.
Interacting
Taking part in the life of our country and communities so that we can help each other to make it a better place for all.
Rights
Your rights to live and worship freely, give your views on political issues, and take part in democratic elections.
Responsibilities
Your responsibilities towards each other — caring for other people, not interfering with others’ rights, obeying the law.
Watch: The Story Behind the Project
A short film exploring the vision, process and impact of the Islam & Citizenship Education project.
The Islam & Citizenship Education Project — funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families
In Memory of Maurice Irfan Coles
Founder & Director, Islam and Citizenship Education Project
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate
Maurice Irfan Coles was the founder, visionary and driving force behind the Islam and Citizenship Education Project. A convert to Islam just before the millennium, he was an educationalist of some 40 years’ standing who held positions in teaching and education management, and served as an adviser and inspector across the English education system.
Over his long career, Maurice specialised in issues of faith and race equality, school improvement and curriculum development. He served as Director of the ICE Project and, subsequently, as the first Chief Executive of Curriculum Enrichment for the Common Era (CE4CE), a company dedicated to enhancing curriculum provision through world heritages and through the groundbreaking 1001 Inventions project.
It was Maurice who brought together an extraordinary coalition of imams, sheikhs, scholars, government officers, teachers, pupils and parents from some 30 madrasahs in six areas across England. Through his leadership, a culture of openness, critical friendship and good humour defined every stage of the project. He modelled, in the words of his colleagues, “the best principles of Islamic discourse.”
Allah has doubly blessed me in that He has provided me with the opportunity to bring together my 40 years of English educational experience with my Islamic religion and way of life, my deen.
Maurice was the author of Every Muslim Child Matters (Trentham, 2008) and its companion volume Every Muslim Parent Matters. His discussion paper Islam, Citizenship and Education — When Hope and History Rhyme remains a landmark work that articulates how Islamic values and democratic citizenship are not merely compatible, but deeply complementary. Drawing on the poetry of Seamus Heaney, he expressed an optimism about the positive part that Muslims can play in shaping a modern British identity.
His core argument was elegant in its simplicity: being a good Muslim within the context of the United Kingdom means being a good and active citizen. Indeed, in many ways you cannot be a good Muslim unless you are a good citizen.
Maurice Irfan Coles has passed away, but this website exists to preserve his legacy and life’s work. The ICE curriculum he created continues to serve educators, scholars and families who believe — as he did — that faith and citizenship walk hand in hand.
“In keeping with the traditions and spirit of Islam, and in all humility, all praise must go to God who started me on this journey and to whom everything is owed.”
— Maurice Irfan Coles
Jazakumullahu khayran
Key Milestones
Project Conception
The School Development Support Agency (SDSA), led by Maurice Irfan Coles, successfully won a government-funded bid to teach citizenship in madrasahs. The premise: young Muslims deserve a holistic education bridging madrasah and mainstream schooling.
DCSF & CLG Funding Secured
The project began in January 2008 with generous funding from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and Communities and Local Government (CLG). Multi-denominational advisory and validation boards were established with scholars from across the Muslim community.
Piloted in 30+ Madrasahs
44 lessons were trialled in 30 madrasahs across six areas of England. Feedback from teachers, parents and pupils was overwhelmingly positive. Each lesson was critically commented upon by area leads, advisers and scholars.
Scholar Endorsement
A final validation board — comprising scholars and organisations from across the Muslim community — came together to amend, approve and validate all lessons. The advisory board included representatives from the Muslim Council of Britain, Al-Khoei Foundation and the British Muslim Forum.
Publication & Distribution
The complete 50-lesson curriculum (25 KS2, 25 KS3) was published alongside Maurice Coles’ discussion paper ‘When Hope and History Rhyme’. All materials were made freely available under Crown copyright for educational use.
Legacy Continues
This website preserves the ICE curriculum for a new generation of educators, ensuring that Maurice Irfan Coles’ vision — that to be a good Muslim is to be a good citizen — remains accessible to all who seek it.
Trusted by Scholars and Government
The ICE curriculum was developed through unprecedented collaboration and endorsed at the highest levels.
Islamic Scholarly Endorsement
Reviewed and validated by scholars from across the Muslim community, including representatives from the Muslim Council of Britain, British Muslim Forum, Al-Khoei Foundation, Markfield Institute and the Ahlul-Bayt Foundation.
“We commend these lessons to you and hope, Inshallah, that they will help you in achieving that excellence of character (Akhlaq) for which we all strive.”
— Allama Muhammad Shahid Raza, Syed Fadhil Bahrululoom & Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra
UK Government Funded
Fully funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and Communities and Local Government (CLG) as part of the government’s commitment to community cohesion and citizenship education.
The project was delivered by the School Development Support Agency (SDSA), based in Leicester, and externally evaluated by the Institute of Community Cohesion.
Free for Educational Use
All materials are Crown copyright and freely available for research, training and education purposes. You can print and copy all resources free of charge — the British government financed the project for the benefit of all.
Materials may be used and adapted with acknowledgment. They cannot be used for commercial gain. Amendments should be shared with the ICE team so the best resources reach the widest audience.
Islamic Scholarly Endorsement
The curriculum was reviewed and validated by a multi-denominational board of scholars and educators from across the Muslim community.
Sayed Fadhil Baher-Alulom
Ahlul-Bayt Foundation
Sajad Jiyad
Ahlul-Bayt Foundation
Jawad Baraka
Ahlul-Bayt Foundation
Allama Shahid Raza
British Muslim Forum & Muslim College
Ibrahim Hewitt
Ex-Headteacher, Primary School, Leicester
Ibrahim Mogra
Muslim Council of Britain
Dr Atta Ullah Siddiqi
Markfield Institute
Muhammad Tajri
Ahlul-Bayt Foundation
Batool Atooma
Markfield Institute & National Women Advisory Group
Shazim Hussain
Mehdi Institute
Dr Musharraf Hussain
Karimia Institute
Aisha Ali
Area Lead
Yusuf Atamono
Area Lead
The Coalition Behind the Curriculum
The ICE project brought together an unprecedented alliance of government, scholars and community organisations.
Government Funders
Islamic Scholarly Endorsement
Additional Partners
Citizenship Foundation
Institute of Community Cohesion
Bradford Council of Mosques
Mosques & Imams National Advisory Board
Explore the curriculum Maurice helped create
50 lesson plans, freely available. His vision of faith and citizenship working together, preserved for educators everywhere.