Of course. I spend more time with the Iraqis I train and advise than I do with Americans. Most of them are good guys, and I have pretty strong friendships with some of them. The most important things to my guys are their families, and thus safety. That's the word you hear the most from them, we have no safety right now, downtown is very bad, I can't go home to my family because there is no safety, if I tell them I work in the military they kill me and my family, etc. etc. etc.
Despite working under such conditions they show remarkable fortitude IMO. I know I would have a hard time coming back to work if my family were threatened at gunpoint but these guys do. They live in crappy conditions, their chow is disgusting and not very nourishing, they don't always have power or water, they are jam packed into small rooms, yet they still come to work. They don't even have enough water to drink sometimes. They work for inept leaders they can't trust, who look out only for themselves, their pay is inconsistent and isn't always the same amount, etc.
When it all comes down to it, they are no different than us, they have different backgrounds and values, but want most of the same things. A decent house, a car (any old car will do, nothing flashy, just a car), a TV, maybe a few other luxuries like a microwave or coffee pot or laptop. They want to provide well for their wives and kids, and raise them to be more successful than their parents, just as most of us do. They don't have social security, they don't finance their houses or cars, if they can't pay as they go or pay cash they don't buy it. Their kids are their retirement fund, and if they raise them right they will take care of them when they stop working.
I have Iraqi friends who are grocery store owners, farmers, tailors, and other things outside of their current military job. If you want to know more about them, read about it
here. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. They really enjoy answering them, and spreading some cultural understanding. Many myths that Americans have about the ME and the people here can be easily dispelled. One of the most prevalent is that Muslims hate Christians or want to kill or convert them. That may be true of some radical sects, but all the Shiaa and Sunni I know feel differently, and I've asked enough of them to be sure they are not just sparing my feelings. One gave me a statuette of the Virgin Mary for Christmas, and it wasn't that odd or hard to find here. They lived beside Christians here for several thousand years without any problems pre-Saddam.
ETA: "Ali Baba" means thief, as in Ali Baba and the Forty thieves.