Epstein Scandal: When the Decadence of Western Civilization and Its Ruling Elite Is Exposed
(Translated)

https://www.al-waie.org/archives/article/20091
Al Waie Magazine Issue No. 472
Thirty-Ninth Year, Jumada I 1447 AH corresponding to November 2025 CE

The Jeffrey Epstein case was not merely the story of a wealthy sexual deviant exploiting minors on a remote island. It was a window into the face of a civilization that claims to lead the world, and a political, financial, and media class that shapes the destinies of nations, while mired in corruption. Epstein, the American financier convicted of sex trafficking of minors, was not an isolated figure, but rather part of an “elite club;” a complex network that extends to heads of state, princes, senior politicians, financiers, and icons of culture and media. The court documents, some of which have been released, and the wave of public pressure demanding the full release of the Epstein files, have revealed that prominent names—from former US presidents like Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, to royal figures like Prince Andrew, to well-known scientific and artistic personalities—appear in the records, whether in the “black book” or in flight, communications, and appointment logs. This demonstrates the deep intertwining between political, financial, and media power centers and a man convicted of sex trafficking of underage girls, who nevertheless continued to operate within elite circles for years, even after his initial conviction in 2008. Today, after mounting public and media pressure, the US Congress is forced to pass a law obligating the Department of Justice and the FBI to release the Epstein files within a specific timeframe, following years of maneuvering, leaks, conflicting accounts of his “suicide” in his cell, and the absence of an official list of what was termed his “client list.” However, the core of the scandal goes beyond the questions: Who boarded the plane? Who visited the island? It goes beyond that to the very nature of the system that makes such a man "useful" to the elite; a middleman for money, deals, relationships, and the interests of major universities, giant corporations, and influential institutions.

This issue is not an isolated anomaly. Instead, it is but one link in a long chain of moral and political scandals that haunt this self-appointed guardian of the “world order.” These include scandals of sexual exploitation, from Hollywood to the churches, and involving politicians brought down by the #MeToo movement. There are also scandals of fabricated wars: the lies about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the torture reports at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, and scandals of financial corruption and banking scandals: from the mortgage crisis to the Panama Papers leaks and their ilk, where the wealth of nations is smuggled to tax havens, while the poor are condemned to austerity and taxes. The common thread running through all these scandals is not the “mistakes of individuals.” Instead, it is the systemized structure of a civilization built on the veneration of self-interest, the commodification of humanity, the transformation of the body into a commodity, and money into a god worshipped alongside Allah (swt). The Epstein scandal and others like it reveal to Muslims a truth that should not be forgotten: these are the ones who determine the fate of the world, dictate the terms of the “war on terror,” and impose their will upon our countries. Educational curricula, economic laws, and the boundaries of “acceptable democracy” are nothing but a corrupt and decaying elite, resembling Epstein’s palaces in their inner workings: outwardly luxurious, inwardly criminal and exploitative.

This civilization, possessing wealth, weapons, and media, lacks a fixed standard of right and wrong, and a stable moral foundation. It has separated religion from life, making humankind—with its whims, desires, and self-interest—the source of legislation, judgment, and value.

Therefore, replicating its systems in Muslim lands and becoming beholden to its elites and institutions is, in reality, a surrender to a system whose corruption has been proven within its own borders. The duty of the Islamic Ummah, witnessing this moral corruption, is not to be seduced by the glittering slogans of Western freedom, transparency, and the rule of law, but rather to return to its divine principles and to a system based on piety, accountability of the ruler, protection of honor, and preservation of wealth, life, and intellect—not on the glittering industries of money, sex, and blackmail networks. The Epstein scandal is not just one chapter in a long history that is folded over. Instead, it is a mirror in which Muslims see the nature of those who claim to lead humanity... to be certain that carrying the message of Islam to the world is not an intellectual luxury, but a necessity to save humanity from this disguised decadence.