The Crimes of the Epstein Case: An Analysis of the Gap Between Western Moral Slogans and Practical Realities (part one)
Abstract
The repeated exposure of moral scandals in Western societies, including cases such as the Epstein affair, provides a suitable ground for critically examining the ethical foundations claimed by the West. While official Western discourse emphasizes concepts such as human dignity, individual freedom, and the protection of the rights of vulnerable groups, practical realities reveal a significant gap between these claims and the actual performance of power institutions. Adopting a critical approach, this study—through a comparison of Western moral foundations and Islamic ethics—explores the selective application of moral principles within liberal-democratic systems and demonstrates that, in many instances, the interests of political and economic elites are prioritized over justice and accountability. From this perspective, moral scandals are not merely individual failings but indicators of a structural crisis in which ethics is reduced from a foundation for action to a discursive and media instrument. The findings indicate that the continuation of this condition seriously calls into question the credibility of the prevailing human rights discourse and the moral claims of the West, exposing their inefficiency and inconsistency.
Keywords: Western ethics, Islamic ethics, double standards, moral legitimacy crisis, liberal democracy.
Introduction
Ethics, as one of the fundamental principles of any society, not only shapes individual behavior but also guides institutional identity, governance structures, and policymaking processes. Different societies, based on their cultural, religious, and philosophical foundations, offer diverse ethical frameworks. However, in Western societies—particularly within liberal-democratic systems—the official discourse has consistently emphasized principles such as human dignity, individual freedom, respect for human rights, and the protection of vulnerable groups. These values, as ethical benchmarks, are reflected not only in domestic laws but also in diplomacy and foreign policy, shaping the international identity of these societies.
From this perspective, Western ethics is presented as a standard for assessing justice, legitimacy, and institutional accountability, with the claim that all members of society, including political and economic elites, are equally bound by these principles.
Nevertheless, practical realities have repeatedly demonstrated that the performance of Western institutions often diverges from this proclaimed moral discourse. The frequent revelation of moral scandals—including cases of sexual and financial corruption, abuse of power, and violations of the rights of children and vulnerable groups—reveals that normative ethics and actual practice are often misaligned.
This discrepancy reflects the existence of ethical double standards—standards in which proclaimed moral principles appear binding for the general public but are selectively enforced when confronted with the interests of political and economic elites. Such a gap not only undermines public trust in legal and executive institutions but also intensifies the moral legitimacy crisis of Western systems.
In contrast, Islamic ethics emphasizes the inseparability of values and action, the alignment of speech and conduct, and the binding nature of ethics with a strong emphasis on social justice at both individual and institutional levels. This approach rejects the duality between declared principles and actual practice, thereby providing a framework for a critical and structural analysis of ethical gaps within Western societies.
Adopting a critical approach, this study seeks to identify the fundamental differences between Western and Islamic ethics and to demonstrate how Western moral principles, particularly within liberal-democratic systems, are often transformed in practice into tools for safeguarding elite interests and reproducing inequalities.
Moreover, examining these gaps not only illuminates the internal moral crisis of these societies but also reveals serious implications for the credibility of Western human rights discourse and moral claims at the international level.
It is evident that the persistence of such duality diminishes the legitimacy of Western moral claims and underscores the urgent need to reconsider the institutional, legal, and ethical mechanisms governing these societies.
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