BAGHDAD - Until 10 days ago, American soldiers often popped into Fareed Amanooel's little store on Karada Street. They might get a cold bottle of mango juice or a boorq, a tasty snack of meat and cheese.
Amanooel likes Americans - he has relatives in Detroit, Chicago and San Diego. But then came the grisly murders of four U.S. civilians in Fallujah and the massive retaliation that has killed hundreds of Iraqis.
Since then, the soldiers have stopped coming to Karada Street unless it is to rumble through on patrol. And Iraqis who once welcomed them now wonder why they did.
"The action the Americans take in Fallujah is not right," Amanooel says, shaking his head in dismay. "We used to say we wanted Saddam Hussein overthrown, but now people say Saddam is better than the Americans. I wish there would be someone like Saddam to run the country to ensure the safety of the people."
It is a revealing statement from a member of Iraq's silent majority, which is no longer quite so silent. And few places better reflect the recent change in mood than in the Karada District of Baghdad.
Stretching along the Tigris River, across from the opulent palaces now occupied by U.S. soldiers and bureaucrats, Karada is an attractive, middle-class area with a mix of Christians, Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims.
It is also considered the safest part of Baghdad, full of hardworking, apolitical people who want nothing more than to make a decent wage and live in peace. These are the Iraqis who moved below Hussein's radar screen, but were glad to see him go and expected a better life when the Americans came.
But it hasn't happened, and they are increasingly angry, not to the point of violence but to where it will take a mighty effort to regain their trust and goodwill.
"The Iraqi politicians are trying to calm down the situation, but people are very, very upset with the Americans," says Munir Rasheed, who runs a money-changing booth on Karada Street. "If the violent acts of the Americans continue, there will be an uprising on the part of Iraqis."
People from all over Baghdad come to shop on Karada Street - actually a pair of streets known as "inner" and "outer" Karada - that are a lively blend of Arab souk and European marketplace. Here you can find everything from shoes to washing machines to succulent oranges from Syria.
During Hussein's era, many stores stayed open until midnight even though the selection was far more limited. But now people are so afraid to be out after dark that most places close by 8 p.m.
Security - not democracy, elections or a constitution - should have been America's No. 1 priority, the Iraqis here say.
"The safety situation is not good," complains Linda Yalada, a homemaker, "and safety is the main thing every human being wants."
Mohamed Jawad, strolling with friends, stands out because of the round scab on one side of his face and the bloody stitches on the other.
Four days ago, Jawad, 23, was walking through another part of Baghdad when he was caught in a crossfire between Americans and Iraqis. A bullet tore through his left cheek, knocked out two teeth and exited just below his right ear.
"The Americans must withdraw," says Jawad, who, like many young Iraqis, is jobless. "Americans are the same as Saddam Hussein - suppressing, hitting, killing."
Before the bloodshed in Fallujah, moderate Iraqis wanted U.S. soldiers to remain in the country to ensure security after political power is transferred in June. Many now think the Americans are aggravating the violence - deliberately, some say.
"Almost all the explosions happening are, in my opinion, for the Americans to stay longer," says Faleha Abood, who works in a date shop.
Does he really think U.S. soldiers would set off bombs that kill their own people? He doesn't answer directly, but refers to last year's blasts at the United Nations and International Red Cross offices here. Dozens died "but no Americans were killed," he says, the implication clear.
Khalid Fartosi, who owns a fruit and vegetable stand on Karada Street, doesn't go that far. But the violence has made it harder to get good, fresh produce, he says.
Although Fallujah grows "the best watermelons in Iraq," the highway between there and Baghdad is often blocked by fighting. So he has to import melons from Iran at higher cost. A 5-pound melon now costs about 3,750 dinars, or $2.50 - 50 percent more than a year ago.
Fartosi thinks foreigners are behind at least some of the problems in Fallujah and wonders why the Americans don't do more to control the borders with neighboring countries. He also notes that Hussein released thousands of ordinary criminals before the war - if American soldiers withdrew now, there would be a disastrous wave of looting like that after the war, he predicts.
Is anything in Iraq better since the Americans came?
"We can speak more freely now, we can use mobile phones, which was prohibited in the past," says Amanooel, who used to see soldiers in his store. "We can watch satellite TV channels."
But, he adds, "What is all this when you don't feel safe?"
