Governing your organisation’s response to anti-Muslim hostility.
The Islamophobia Prevention and Governance Standard (IPGS) gives an institution a structured, accountable way to recognise, respond to, record and report anti-Muslim hostility, held to the same discipline as safeguarding or data protection.
The duty comes first.
The Equality Act 2010 protects people of every faith and none, and public bodies carry the Public Sector Equality Duty. IPGS applies those duties to one form of hostility, with the detail it needs.
- Equality Act 2010
Religion or belief is a protected characteristic, for employees, service users and customers.
Section 10, Equality Act 2010 - The March 2026 definition
The Government adopted a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility and encouraged public, private and third sector organisations to consider how it applies to them.
GOV.UK definition - Use in the NHS
The definition is non-statutory. NHS organisations considering adoption should apply it within existing law, duties and reporting processes.
A definition says what anti-Muslim hostility is. Governance decides what an institution does about it. IPGS turns adoption into evidence your board can stand behind.
Three tiers.
Each tier builds on the one before, from noticing to accountability.
- RecogniseStaff can identify anti-Muslim hostility accurately, including quieter patterns that standard training misses.
- RespondClear policy, staff obligations and trusted reporting routes, so people know what happens next.
- Record and reportConsistent records and reporting that show staff, regulators and communities what the institution did.
Assurance inside your governance.
Confirmed by your own committee
IPGS provides auditable criteria. Your own audit, risk or governance committee confirms the standard is in place.
That keeps accountability with the people who already own your organisation’s risk, and gives your board evidence it can use in reporting and inspection.
A family of standards.
Built to extend
IPGS is the first of a family of hostility governance standards.
Faith leaders from other communities have asked for equivalent standards, and the architecture is designed to extend to them, so organisations can govern their response to religious hostility consistently across faiths.
Questions we are asked
Is IPGS a certification?
IPGS provides auditable criteria. Your own audit, risk or governance committee confirms that the standard is in place, so assurance sits inside your governance.
How does IPGS relate to free speech?
The Government’s definition is about protecting people, and IPGS is about how an institution treats people. Discussion and criticism of religion remain free.
Does it cover other faiths?
IPGS is the first of a family of standards. Faith leaders from other communities have asked for equivalent standards, and the architecture is built to extend to them.
Why is it called the Islamophobia Prevention and Governance Standard?
IPGS keeps the name under which it was developed. Throughout the standard we use the Government’s term, anti-Muslim hostility.
Adopted the definition? Now evidence it.
A free first conversation to see where your organisation stands and what the standard would involve.