In a city caught in a cycle of violence and crushed expectations, the al-Maghrib Community Center is a bright spot, evidence of how a vanquished and occupied Baghdad is trying to get back on its feet.

Until the April 9 ouster of Saddam Hussein, the center was a sleazy night spot frequented mainly by men. In May, the 3rd Battalion, 124th Regiment of the Florida National Guard heeded the call of local residents and began transforming the place into a community center.

After spending $5,000, the National Guardsmen, whose unit is based in Panama City, invited the United Nations Childrens' Fund, or UNICEF, and the Norwegian Church Service to chip in to complete the project. The soldiers continued to guard the facility while the work was going on.

On Thursday, after months of hard work, the head of the U.S.-backed al-Maghrib District Council, retired diplomat Amer Nagi, officially opened the center.

Some two dozen men from the 3rd Battalion, 124th Regiment took part in the celebrations, mingling with residents, posing for photographs and shaking hands with youngsters.

Such public interactions between Iraqis and U.S. soldiers have become rare in Baghdad, where U.S. forces come under almost daily attacks and many Iraqis fear for their lives if seen by Saddam loyalists to be friendly with the Americans. Many also are angered by the perceived failure of the Americans to full restore public services and security.

In the days and weeks immediately after U.S. forces captured Baghdad, many in the capital showed good will toward the American soldiers. In turn, many of the soldiers seemed comfortable in their role as liberators, waving back to children, chatting with men and women who approached and frequently stopping for an ice cream or a soft drink.

The soldiers now hardly patrol the streets on foot and stay inside armored vehicles or close to them when they take positions at major intersections.

Jinan al-Firawi, manager of the al-Maghrib community center and a member of the district's council, said she was not worried about retaliation from Saddam loyalists, who have vowed to punish people who collaborate with Americans.

"I am not doing anything wrong," the mother of two said. She came to Thursday's ceremony in a blue business suit and a blue-and-yellow head scarf. "I only fear God."

Al-Maghrib, a mostly middle class area, is located in northern Baghdad. Like the city's 5 million people, it has a mix of Shiite and Sunni Muslims, Kurds and Christians.

"We are trying to be friends with them," said National Guard Maj. Mike Ganzoneri. "All my soldiers join the military one weekend every month. They are plumbers, bankers and painters, just like the people in this neighborhood."

UNICEF and the Norwegian Church Agency will fund the center for the next six months. After that, according to Nagi, the facility will be supervised and funded by Iraq's Youth Ministry.

At the center, boys aged between 10 and 12 wrestled on a yellow mattress, shadow boxed or played a game of basketball on a dirt court. Others practiced karate chops.

"There are only a few girls playing," said Ganzoneri, a father of three teenage girls. "I guess it's the local culture."

Firawi disagreed.

"Starting Saturday, I'll be gathering all the kids, boys and girls, and register them for the sport they would like to play," she said.

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