re: Yes really!
This was an issue some time back, and a lot of people who are a hell of a lot better at digging this stuff out than you or I are, have (after said digging) vouched for Salam being a currently resident authentic Iraqi.
If you want to read a number of other Iraqi blogs, you can find a bunch here. I cannot vouch 100 percent for their authenticity either, but they sure sound authentic.