The Epstein Files and the Sordid World of Capitalist Politics

News:

On the 30^th of January, millions of new files related to the billionaire financier and convicted sex offender and trafficker of women and girls, Jeffrey Epstein, were released by the US Department of Justice. Epstein was convicted in 2008 for solicitation of prostitution of a minor. The 3 million pages and thousands of images and videos posted publicly further exposed the convicted criminal’s close association with the wealthy and political elite of the American, British and other Western states. This included Britain’s former Business Secretary and later UK Ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, who continued a strong friendship with Epstein even following his criminal conviction. He has been accused of sending supportive messages to Epstein following his imprisonment, and of passing market-sensitive government information to the US financier in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crash while working as a cabinet member for the British government. The released documents also reveal that $75,000 of payments from Epstein had been deposited in accounts connected to Mandelson. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is also in the firing line, admitting publicly in parliament that he had known about Mandelson’s ongoing friendship with Epstein following his conviction for soliciting a minor when he had appointed him as Ambassador to the US in December 2024. Keir had appointed him to this high-profile position due to his links to Trump and the belief that he would be able to secure an important trade deal with America. This was despite Mandelson being forced to resign twice from previous cabinet positions due to his dodgy dealings and the fact that it was public knowledge that Mandelson had stayed in one of Epstein’s properties during his time in prison – reflecting his close relationship with the sex offender regardless of the depravity of his crimes. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew), who served as the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment which involved promoting British firms abroad, is also mentioned repeatedly in the Epstein files. He has been accused of having relations with various women trafficked by Epstein and continuing a friendship with him even after he pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor, including inviting him to have dinner at Buckingham Palace following his imprisonment. Others also implicated in the Epstein files of having a close relationship with Epstein continuing ties with him or despite his trafficking of girls and women include and President Trump, Steve Bannon (one of Trump’s former top advisers), and the wealthy billionaire tycoons – Elon Musk (owner of Tesla and social media company X), Bill Gates (founder of Microsoft) and Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Group).

Comment:

This sickening melodrama is not just a story of a single man and his disgusting lifestyle, corrupt dealings and criminal activity, nor is it just a story of the seedy underworld of the rich and famous. It is the reality of the sordid world of the whole corrupt Capitalist system, its values and beliefs, its unscrupulous political system that is dominated and manipulated by wealth, and its degenerate priorities which are shaped by the pursuit of power and profit over ethics and decency. It is a system that is bereft of any moral compass; rather actions are determined predominantly by financial interests. Its liberal belief of personal and sexual freedom celebrates hedonistic lewd lifestyles and generates individuals, politicians and leaders consumed by materialism and self-gain – who are willing to cozy-up to a convicted criminal and sex trafficker, or appoint those who befriended him to high office if it will help them secure trade deals, or inflate their own bank balance or climb the slimy capitalist political ladder.

The Epstein Files has also taught the world what we already knew – the entangled web that exists between politics, big business and the wealthy elite in a capitalist system, where ‘money talks’ and deals are sought irrespective of what is moral or the violation of the dignity of women and men alike – whether in the West or the Muslim lands. And despite claims of championing girls and women’s rights, and concern over the victims of sexual trafficking - we see leaders, politicians, and heads of large businesses within these capitalist states, ignoring the actions of a perpetrator of abuse and exploitation of girls and women – for the sake of their political and economic agendas.

The link between wealth, big business and politics can only be broken by a system that sincerely serves the people, and whose principles and laws are not open to manipulation by the desires of human beings, and that is ruled by leaders of God-consciousness and not driven by ego, power and personal financial gain. The Khilafah (Caliphate) based upon the method of the Prophethood is the model which embodies these principles. Firstly, the ruler is obligated by Islam to be a guardian of his citizens, and to have Taqwa and understand that leadership carries huge responsibility and accountability to Allah (swt), such that he is motivated to genuinely take care of the needs and interests of the people, even over his own wellbeing. A beautiful example of this is Umar bin al Khattab (ra), the second Khalifah of Islam, who during the famine in Madinah, refused to eat anything other than coarse food so that he could taste the suffering of his people despite his own health deteriorating as a result. Another example is the 8^th century Khalifah, Umar bin Abdul Aziz who was a rich man before he became leader but died with only one shirt to his name despite the Khilafah enjoying economic prosperity at the time because he had spent his wealth in the service of his people. He refused to use even a drop of public oil to fuel his lamp for his personal affairs due to his immense accountability over state funds. Secondly, the Khilafah is a system that genuinely seeks to look after the needs of all the people rather than an elite few, for its laws are from the Creator of humankind. Furthermore, since legislation is derived from fixed sources – the Qur’an and Sunnah – and not the desires of human beings as with democracies and secular systems, principles cannot be discarded nor laws shaped by those of power and wealth. We see for example, how Sultan Abdul Hamid, who when the Zionists offered to pay off the debts of the Khilafah in exchange for him giving them Palestine, refused to give away a single inch of the Blessed Land, telling them that this was not his to give away but belonged to the Muslim Ummah. Thirdly, the Khilafah also outrightly prohibits the objectification and exploitation of women for profit or any other reason, obligating that the dignity of women and men alike be protected always. And fourthly, the Khilafah encourages its citizens to be politically active, commanding the Maruf and forbidding the evil and accounting those in power – as obligated by Islam. This, alongside various bodies and institutions such as the Majlis al Ummah (Council of the Ummah) and the Mahkaamat ul-Madhalim (the court that investigates negligence in ruling), as well as political parties within the state, ensure that the Islamic laws are implemented correctly and not manipulated by a powerful or wealthy elite.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Asma Siddiq
Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir