The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) issued a verdict condemning Greece over the obligatory application of the Islamic religious law (Sharia), stating it was illegal to force Greek Muslim citizens in Thrace to follow the religious law.

The court ruled unanimously that the mandatory application of Sharia law in Greece violated Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The ECHR judges in their ruling pointed out that Greece was the only country in Europe that implemented a mandatory Islamic law to certain of its citizens against their wishes. “This is particularly problematic because the implementation of the Sharia law has led to a harmful situation on the individual rights of a widow who inherited her husband’s property in accordance with the rules of civil law.”
Now, with a law passed in the Greek Parliament, the implementation of Sharia Law is voluntary.