Srinagar, June 3 -- On Sunday, June 1, I walked into Eidgah in Srinagar, hoping to see the early signs of Eid al-Azha - the energy, the crowds, the animals, the bargaining, the joy. Instead, I stepped into a swamp.

The ground was soaked with dirty water. Plastic wrappers floated beside goat dung. Men sat on damp tarpaulins. The stench hit hard.

This is the place we call sacred?

Eid al-Azha is about sacrifice. It's a story of faith, of surrender, of giving up comfort and pride. We retell it each year. We buy animals, offer them in sacrifice, feed the poor, and remember the lesson of Prophet Ibrahim - that faith means obedience, even when it's hard.

The Qur'an says the act doesn't matter as much as the intention. "It's not their meat or...