They left floral dresses at home and dumped half-cooked desserts in the trash. They canceled the bouncy castle and cotton candy, opting instead for bare white plastic tables. On the happiest day on the Muslim calendar, they bowed their heads in solemn prayer.
The spirit of celebration around Eid al-Fitr, the highest holiday in the Muslim world, rang hollow to the men and women on the royal blue carpet in the Islamic Center of Greater Chattanooga, who clutched tissues and sobbed as they faced the plain prayer room's arched windows.
Inside, they fell to their knees in worship.