"Sir," shouted one soldier, "As a police officer, you must set an example for everyone."
But no amount of good will could quell Abdel-Hameed al-Assadi's resentment of America.
"It is shocking," al-Assadi, a 56-year-old civil servant said about the American presence outside the mosque. Pausing before sunset prayers, he added: "To see Americans standing like this in front of the Imam's shrine? My God, it's a bitter medicine that we must swallow."
After the Americans arrived, a large sign went up on the mosque's outside wall declaring: "This is a holy place just for Muslims." Pointedly, the sign is in English.
Lieutenant Daniel Akbar, a platoon commander from Athens, Ohio, has instructed his men to be culturally sensitive. Don't get too close to the mosque, avoid making eye contact with women and be polite to everyone are among the "rules of engagement" in the area.
"We are not happy about the Americans being here," said Ahmed Hussein, a 24-year-old mosque guard.
"But what can we do?" he said, as the air filled with the melancholic voice of a sheik reciting Quranic verses over the mosque's loudspeakers.
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