A landmark decision in Vienna upholding a Sharia-based arbitration ruling has reignited fears that Europe is drifting toward parallel justice systems — echoing the fall of Rome.
A Vienna court has ruled that a Sharia-based arbitration decision is legally binding in Austria, so long as it does not contradict the nation’s fundamental laws.
The case began when two Muslim men agreed to resolve a dispute through an Islamic arbitration panel. When the panel ordered one to pay €320,000, he refused, arguing that Sharia was open to multiple interpretations and incompatible with Austrian legal values.
But the Vienna judges disagreed, affirming that Austrian law permits alternative arbitration frameworks, provided the outcome does not violate the country’s “fundamental legal values.” In effect, this means that Austrians may choose to be bound by 7th-century Islamic rules — as long as the final judgment fits within Austrian law.
⚖️ Parallel Justice Rising in Europe
The ruling may only apply to economic disputes, but it is already being celebrated by Islamic leaders as a symbolic victory.
This comes against the backdrop of Europe’s growing tolerance for religious legal enclaves:
- In England, dozens of sharia councils and even a state-recognized Muslim Arbitration Tribunal operate under the Arbitration Act of 1996, forming a de facto network of 100 Islamic courts.
- In Germany, judges have repeatedly invoked Sharia principles in family and domestic cases.
- Across the continent, Islamic arbitration panels are proliferating — raising concerns about parallel systems of justice.
Philosopher John Gray has warned that Europe is drifting toward an “Ottoman-style millet system,” where different religious communities are governed by their own laws, and the idea of a single, secular rule of law will become a relic of the past.
🏛 Lessons From Rome’s Collapse
The Vienna judgment recalls the late Roman Empire, when Romans lived under Roman law while invading barbarian tribes followed their own. The historian Michel De Jaeghere, in his monumental The Last Days of the Roman Empire, warned that such divisions foreshadow the collapse of civilizations unable to defend their cultural core.
Ammianus Marcellinus, writing in 385 AD, declared: “This Rome is destined to exist as long as man exists.” Yet within 25 years, Alaric’s Visigoths had sacked the Eternal City. Sixty years later, the Western Roman Empire was gone.
🚨 A Warning for Europe
The Vienna court’s decision has been hailed by Islamists as a precedent, but critics argue it represents Europe’s weakening cultural defense.
As one Israeli official quipped to the Dutch government recently: “Good luck with radical Islam.”
A culture that forgets how to protect itself, many argue, will not endure. And, history suggests, it will not deserve to.
