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........

© Kashmir Observer