This article argues that the normative basis of the International Criminal Court (ICC)is heavily influenced by a European Kantian interpretation of universal justice which, through the Court's com plem entarity regime, comes into direct conflict w ith other global jurisprudential traditions such as that of Islam. Since the institutional architec ture of the ICC has excluded any non-European or oriental concepts of universal juris diction, the encounter w ith Islam and more particularly Shari' ah, has becom e the most im portant confrontation w hich the Kantian ICC has had to face. It goes on to examine the reaction of the Islamic world to the Court as a W estern instrum ent for great power influence. It takes the Darfur situation in Sudan as an example of prosecutorial insen sitivity towards local culture and tradition in the operation of complementarity, con cluding th a t the Court needs to decentralise its power to make it acceptable and justifiable to all nations. Furtherm ore, it suggests th a t dialogue and negotiation can play a crucial role to provide m utual understanding am ong different participants.