Kashmir's Daily Ritual Of Faith And Falsehood

By Zayd Ibn Umar

Step into a masjid on Friday and it feels like paradise has arrived. The air carries the scent of fresh perfume, neatly folded clothes glint in the sunlight, and sermons echo through the hall. People nod, voices rise in unison, and for a moment, the world seems aligned with devotion.

Then Saturday comes. Step into a marketplace, and paradise vanishes faster than melted snow. The same man who raised his voice in prayer now bends rules to fatten his pockets.

The milkman dilutes milk, the butcher weighs deception alongside meat and shopkeepers swear by God while selling spoiled goods.

Corruption is universally condemned in speeches, sermons, and social gatherings. But in practice, it seeps into every transaction.

Weddings offer the clearest reflection of this paradox.

Kashmiri families preach simplicity and quote religious texts cautioning against extravagance. But the banquets they serve could feed villages.

Fathers of brides and grooms toil sleepless nights to produce shows that religion itself discourages, while guests whisper judgments about the number of dishes.

Simplicity in Kashmir belongs to sermons, while spectacle dominates supper.

Even the markets reflect the divide between public piety and private profit. Walk past the food stores, and betrayal hangs in the air. A man may pray with fervour on Friday and sell rotten meat on Saturday, weighing deceit with a practiced hand.

Customers are deceived under the banner of“fresh and guaranteed,” while the seller chants verses of honesty. Outward devotion decorates the shop, while treachery stays inside.

Appearances matter more than values. A man may cheat, gossip, or deny wages, yet grow a beard, sit in the front row of prayers, and sprinkle Arabic phrases on social media.

Suddenly he becomes“Moulvi Sahib,” holy in the eyes of others, despite inward flaws. Even beggars have caught on: asking for alms“for God's sake” while hiding a smartphone in their pocket.

Leaders thunder about integrity while travelling in convoys bigger than the weddings they criticize. They promise justice but expect preferential treatment in hospitals.

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