Name: Dalia Benyamin
Date: November 5th, 2007

Personal Questions:

-Who is Dalia Benyamin? Tell us more about yourself
Well my name is no longer Benyamin as of 1 ½ years ago….my new last name is Davood, after I married a wonderful, amazing gentleman. I was born in Iraq, but practically grew up in the U.S. all my life. I am the oldest of three sisters. I would describe myself as fun, loving, laid back, however serious and anal when time comes.

-In terms of education, you recently graduated from medical school, and are now working as a doctor. Tell us about that. How has your first year in the job been?
Well, life as a resident is definitely not a life I would wish upon anyone, but I love what I do. I am currently a second year OB/GYN resident and yes at times it’s frustrating, hard, tiring, but it’s where I want to be and what I want to be doing. I work on average about 80 hours a week and sometimes when I’m on call I don’t really get to see my husband, however it’s all worth it especially having my husband’s support 100%.

-How long did you study to become a doctor and was it worth the time and investment?
Well I studied for a total of 8 years, not counting grade/high school. I feel like I have been in school all my life….but that is not counting the 4 years of residency I’m in. Looking back at it…..yes it was worth it and I would do it all over again in a heart beat ( I encourage more of my Assyrian brothers and sisters to pursue higher education-----trust me, it’s well worth it).

-If not a doctor, what would you have become?
I’m not really sure, I can’t remember ever thinking I would want to do anything else with my life

-How much support did your parent and family provide you with, to become a doctor?
I would not have been able to come so far in my life had it not been for them. They sacrificed a lot to get me to where I am and I owe them my life.

"( I encourage more of my Assyrian brothers and sisters to pursue higher education-----trust me, it’s well worth it). "

-If someone wants to study to become a doctor, what is the most important advise you can give them?
Put your mind to it and stick with it. It’s a long, hard road, but believe me, you won’t be sorry.

-As a doctor, and having to deal with different people, do you find your personality constantly changing and evolving to meet the new demands of the job?
This world is made up of different people, different personalities…in order to succeed and advance in the field I’m in, I would have to say yes, in order to deal with my colleagues, peers and especially patients.

-What are three adjectives or words that people can use to describe your personality?
I knew this question was coming and to be honest, I hate this question….because I really don’t know how to answer it…but here it goes: sincere, compassionate, patient

-Given your education and career, both of which are seen as the ultimate in what someone can accomplish or go for, you are still quiet simple and modest person. Do you agree with that. and do you see yourself like that?
I think this question would best be aimed at those who know me…but I think anyone who makes it far in life and education, should be thankful and modest because after all, there is not anyone who is above anyone else and definitely hich nasha leleh boosh rama or goorah shook min baban allah.

-You are the first married person to be interviewed in a long time. How has your marriage been?
my marriage is probably one of the greatest things that has happened to me…meeting, falling in love and marrying my husband was as big an accomplishment in my life as everything else. He is wonderful, understanding, loving and supportive all of which are important for a successful marriage

-You got married and became a doctor at almost the same time. Did that create any conflicts for you?
No none at all, as a matter of fact it couldn’t have worked itself out any better

-Do you treat your clients as business objects or true patients whom you have an obligation to take care of and cure, no matter what the financial implications are?
When I finished medical school and started residency, I made a commitment to “do no harm”, it’s part of the oath we took as we graduated. I feel that everyone in this world is deserving of medical care no matter what. Patients are patients, not clients.

-Given your new start, would you be willing to relocate to a hospital in Alaska, Hawaii or somewhere else that is far from your home state?
If it wasn’t for my parents and mother-in-law, I would never pass up Hawaii (esp. after having seen it), but family is important part of my life and Alaska or Hawaii or somewhere further is not worth it.

-Your dad is a priest, and we wonder if he has had any influence on your spiritual life and faith?
Yes, lots….my dad is the one person who has consistently shown me and told me that with God and faith anything is possible

-Speaking of your dad, tell us a little bit about him. We have heard a lot about him, and that he is a man of a lot of patience and true Christian spirit.
What you have heard is 100% true. He is one of the strongest and most loving people I know…kids, youth, adults, peers, colleagues all respect and love him mainly because he is patient, outgoing, compassionate…I could go on and on…but like you said, you’ve heard so I don’t need to elaborate further

-What part does Jesus play in your life?
Major…all my accomplishments in life were possible because of the strength and guidance through prayer and Jesus in my life

Assyrian Voice and Internet Related Questions:

-When was your first day on the internet and what was the very first website you visited?
WOW!! I am old kheena, so I honestly don’t remember.

-When was your first day on AVN and who told you about it?
My sister told me about it and again here we go with the long term memory test…sometimes I can’t remember what I did weeks ago let alone years
 

-Can you live without the internet anymore?
probably not and not for anything else but the medical research and websites I use for work

-What role do you see AVN playing amongst the online Assyrian community?
definitely a big one as far as introducing Assyrians from all over to each other, especially at the AVN gatherings

-Since the mid 1990s and until now: has the internet been put to a good use by Assyrians? Or have they mis- or underutilized it?
For the most part I think it has been a positive addition to their lives, however I think we can contribute to more educational, i.e. teaching Assyrian language, history, religion, etc, websites, so that we can even further its positivity

-Do you believe the internet had a big role to play in inflaming the tensions with all the recent church issues?
OH YES!! Especially websites like Paltalk, Zinda, Assyrians truth and Justice (I think that’s what it is), amongst many others…I mean it’s like Perezhilton or TMZ, but for assyrians

-Who are some people whom you enjoy discussing things with, no matter how much you disagree with their views on the forum?
Senator Denavi, Sydneydude (god bless his heart), Shamirum, Radrides, there are others I just can’t think of right now

-In the past, you have always been very vocal and assertive when it comes to issues you believe in, and still doing it in a polite and proper manner. Do you believe that there are people out there who don’t like you as a person, because of disagreement with them, and despite being very civil in your disagreement with these people?
I’m 100% sure there are, but I wouldn’t hold it against them because I think we are all guilty of that once in our lifetime

-Some people think that we should never take internet debating seriously. While others believe the line between internet debating and real life debating is blurring and that we should take both them just as serious, especially when the issue at hand is essential or dear to us. What is your take on this? Do you think the two should be separate?
No not really, because what is debated on the internet would probably be the same stuff being debated in person, so it that case it really doesn’t matter

-(Knock on wood), we have had almost no instances of banning or booting on the forums lately. It is as if everyone or most people know the rules, and people know each other well, so no breaking of the law has occurred. How do you see it? Or do you attribute this to something else?
-Who is the most fair and honest moderator on the forums?
I have to agree and as sad as it is to say, but I think ridding the forums of the Church section has attributed a lot to it…of course, since I am not on here much, I don’t know all the moderators, but I would have to say Shamirum is always trying to play by the books and in very politically correct ways

-How would you compare today’s topics to topics from the distant past on the forums? -Do you observe any dominant theme on the forums lately? (i.e Assyrian topics, Social, Entertainment etc.)
Again being that I don’t have as much time as I used to, I’m not really sure what has been talked about most lately

-What do you think of the addition of the new ‘Assyrian Youtube Clips’ forum?
I love it, some of those clips are priceless…KEEP THEM COMING!!

-Are you into all the new Facebook, Youtube and MySpace craze? Do you believe these services help in making friendship and spending some good time on the web? Or are they just a waste of time, which people are using more than they should?
I am not, I mean I’ve had myspace forever and hardly use it…in some aspects yes they help in forming friendships, but for the younger crowd it’s kind of nerve racking because of all the perverts out there…I don’t think I would allow my kids to ever be part of it

-Assyrian Voice has a new paper version newsletter, which has been distributed all over Ontario, and soon in the US. Would you be interested in reading something like this? And what do you think could make more people interested in it?
of course I would be interested in it…I think sports, local/world news, news about our people should keep most people’s interests in the newsletter

-What comes to your mind when you first hear these names:
Geez, these questions are getting harder and harder…
Petervocal, Doosha, Sydneydude
dedicated to believes/cause

-Which AVNer would you choose for the following:
Assyria’s future minister of Defence
Riza O’Shourba
Assyria’s future minister of foreign relations
probably sydneydude
Assyria’s ambassador to the USA
Senator, I mean he’s the only one who I know is really into politics
Assyria’s president
this one I’m not sure about

-Give us the names of some new faces, who have only been on AVN for a few months, but are becoming pretty popular and active in discussions.
Waleeta, othur, azadoota

-One of Assyrian Voice’s original visions was to create a website which Assyrians can use to interact with one another, and even find friendship and love. Hearing about all the couples that have met and married through AVN, and all the hundreds of pictures of AVNers meeting in person, do you think this AVN Vision is already a reality?
Yes and hopefully the love, happiness and gatherings will continue

-What do you see AVN evolving to become in the future?
hopefully a site where people can go to to gather information about who we are, where we come from and what we plan to become in this world

-What is your biggest critique of AVN and how can we fix it?
I’m not sure really, if I come up with something I’ll let you know

-Have you ever said something to anyone on the forums, which you now regret and want to come clean about?
no because lately I’m barely on the forums and previously, whatever I said is what I believed in and I have no regrets

-What are your top three forum categories?
Chit chat, current affairs/politics and jokes sometimes

-Should we bring the Church Forum back?
no, shooklan rahat please

-Who on the forums has great English writing skills, but very poor debating skills, and vise versa: give us one name for each?
well, I can think of someone who has neither of the above, but won’t mention them…but I can’t think of anyone for either of the categories

-On a scale of 1-10, how would you assess Freedom of Speech on the forums (10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest)
10+10

-Can you asses the job that Shamirum has done in the last 12 months, since she took over the politics forum?
one word: wonderful (it’s not easy)

-Personally speaking, how attentive and helpful has ASHOOR been when you needed help?
well I have not really needed any help, but I believe he probably would be very helpful, he doesn’t strike me as someone who wouldn’t be attentive or helpful

 

Favorites
 

-favorite sport:
American Football

-favorite Assyrian/foreign singer:
Linda George

-favorite city/country:
Maui, Hawaii…talk about paradise

-favorite car:
where do I start, every luxury car you can think of, but seriously would have to be SL 500 Benz

-favorite TV reality show
I hate them all

-favorite NBA player:
don’t really have one, but if I had to pick it would be Ben Wallace

-favorite number:
14

-favorite book
Spirit catches you as you fall down

-favorite Assyrian song:
any bageeyeh

-favorite food:
Biryanee

-favorite nickname:
”D”

Assyrian Related Questions:

-Where do you see ourselves now? Are we going anywhere?
Sad to say, we are not going anywhere and even worse, we will never get anywhere….we are lacking education and unity amongst ourselves, two of the things that will lead to power and progress

-Is church our hope in getting somewhere, or should they stay out of it?
well I was never and will never be a believer of politics mixing with church or vice versa. They are both separate entities and should stay that way. I think religion/church is very important to our nationality and faith and should remain separate

-Are the church issues behind us now?
for the most part, yes (at least I hope so, for the sake of all our people)

-Did these issues put a big hole in our unity that will take decades to fix? Or this already forgotten and we are moving on?
Well technically there is not unity if we have 13470341 different churches and political parties, so I’m not sure if these issues really did anything that wasn’t already done

-You were a staunch supporter of Mar Dinkha and the ACOE when the church issue was in its peak. Do you agree and do you think it was the only right side to take?
there is no right and wrong. I was born ACOE, I live ACOE and I will die ACOE.

-Did your father ever take sides in this issue? Or was he trying to stay neutral, and only care for what is good for church?
honestly, I never spoke to my dad about his stance…he has a church to run and take care of and I believe that is priority

-In a few words, what do you think of Mar Dinkha?
Contrary to what some might think and say, he is probably one of the few humble, loving, caring and intelligent men of God I have met

-In a few words, what do think of Mar Bawi?
I have never really had to opportunity to meet or talk to Mar Bawaii, so I don’t think I can answer this question

-How can we get the two back together and talking?
”we” should have nothing to do with it…it’s church issues and I’m a firm believer of letting the church take care of it

-Emerging TV personalities such as Sam Darmo and Sargon Dadisho: are they helping the Assyrian cause, or making it worse for us, causing more divisions than ever before?
I think they contribute NOTHING to our cause…they need to stop and let those who can contribute positively speak up

-Have you ever watched Ishtar TV and what is your take on it?
no I haven’t, I don’t have satellite

-Is Zowaa the right leader for our nation?
 Yeah…the old Zowaa party was, prior to Kanna.

-AINA has long been the prime Assyrian news provider. But some people think that they blow things way out of proportion. Do you agree? Or do you think they are neutral and just report the news as they see it?
I’m not sure I have ever read anything that they have reported, until I have I’ll hold on answering this question

-Is the US doing enough to protect Assyrians and Christians in general in Iraq?
Yes, but I think more can be done

-Do you believe that our prayers are what is saving the Christians in Iraq, and that it could be much worse without them?
Of course, prayer and faith, is what contributes to all positivities in life

-Do you think we are more united with Chaldeans than ever before, and that we are past the era of division between the two?
NO I don’t think we ever will be. I don’t agree with the term Chaldean being used as referring to a nationality because there is no such thing, so my answer is no

-The newly built church in Michigan was recently vandalized, and some Assyrians (even Chaldeans) were quick to point the fingers at Chaldeans, as the potential suspects. Later, it was found out that Chaldeans had nothing to do this. Why do you think was the blame put on Chaldeans? And do you think such accusations lead to more divide and distrust between the two?
Of course the accusations will lead to more divisions. I’m not sure why Chaldeans were blamed, I do know that was wrong because it was not known and there was no proof that it was. I do know that they are Christians and it was hard to believe that they would be capable of that

-You are originally from Iran: how would you describe the relations between Assyrians from Iraq and those from Iran? Do you the two as completely one, or do you still observe some avoidance and keeping some distance?
I actually am from Iraq, my husband’s family is from Iran…I thinks the concept of avoidance and keeping distance was in the past, there are more and more Assyrians from Iran and Iraq marrying one another and relationships becoming better

-Recently, in one of our Emagazine articles, we had called for Mar Dinkha to meet up with one of Iraq’s main supporters of the insurgency and Al-Qaeda, to try and push for a denouncement from this cleric to of all the violence against Christians in Iraq. Do you think this is a valid and possible call to happen?
Again, church is church and politics is politics…why doesn’t Kanna or all the other so called big shot Assyrian leaders rise up to the occasion? Why haven’t the chaldeans asked their patriarch to do the same or our brothers/sisters the ancient COE asked Mar Addai to do the same?

-Do you think more education or more money is what will help us in furthering our cause and getting closer to where we want to be?
Both, but money will not come without education and that my friends is where our nation is lacking…EDUCATION

-Do you think dance is an important part in preserving our culture?
no, LANGUAGE is and unfortunately as everyday goes by, less and less of the younger generation are able to speak the mother tongue

-Last, what do you say to all the Assyrians out there?
I pose a challenge to all my brothers and sisters alike…stay in school, further your education as much as you can so that we too can have ammunition to go up against all other nationalities and hopefully progress to success one day
 

General Questions:

-How do you asses Bush as a president? How will history judge him?
Like father like son. I don’t think he has done well for our nation…I think history will know him as the president who started something he couldn’t handle and finish (i.e. Iraq war)

-What is the most important issue in the US right now?
War and the lack of jobs…so two issues

-In a recent Time magazine article, it was stated that breast cancer is spreading around the world, more than ever before. As a doctor, why do you think this is happening and how can we stop it?
well many of the breast cancer cases are linked to genetics somehow. The other issue that it’s spreading is that the proper screening is not being done, meaning women aren’t following recommendations of screening. All women should start getting mammograms on a yearly basis once they hit 40 years of age. Going back to the genetics issue, the recommendation is that all women who have first degree relatives, i.e. mom, sister, who have had breast cancer, the screening should start 10 years prior to the age that the first degree relative was diagnosed with the cancer. Sometimes they have to do special genetic testing to make sure it doesn’t run in the family

-Do you believe pharmaceutical companies are like a wolf in a sheep’s body? Do you think they are doing more damage than good, by focusing on their profits first, before thee people?
Well yes and no. Yes they do put their profit before people, however, if it wasn’t for the pharmaceutical companies, we wouldn’t have all the meds we have today that are in return helping all these people

-What is your take on the following hot trends in the US in the last few years:
• Da Vinci Code
interesting, but a little nuts
• Google
I think I would be lost without it
• Harry Potter
great…still trying to start reading the books
• Paris Hilton
spoiled rotten rich b---h, with no life
• Facebook
can’t really give my take, never checked it out
• Halloween
fun times

-Why is the US population becoming more and more obese?
because of increasing laziness, lack of exercise and motivation and fast food joints

-What do you think of Canada?
It’s ok I guess, I’m not there on a regular basis to give better criticism

-Why do you think, all of a sudden, everyone has become green-conscious? (global warming)
what’s that…it’s probably all the “earthy” people right? All the pollution that’s in the air now and being produced on a regular basis is not going to disappear, so it’s a waste of time

-Do you believe the US is winning the war in Iraq and Afghanistan?
NO, everyone is at a loss here

-Who will you vote for in the next US elections? And who do you think will win it all?
Well let’s see, there is only one female, we definitely need change and females can bring about change, so it will be Hilary of course…and she will win it all

-Will China or India become the next great power? Where will US be by then?
Ashoor, meekah mayet anee questions…I’m not really sure, hopefully by then we can bring up an ASSYRIAN nation

-Who will get to Mars first? Will it be the Americans or someone else?
The Russians

-The Penatgon’s annual defense budget is just over 400 billion, and that of NASA is in the tens of billions too. Do you think this money is justified and do you see any real good coming from two, or should it be spent on better things?
How about spending all that money on all the poverty in this world, God knows we’re not lacking it

-Do you see the influence of Christianity and its reach weakening or becoming stronger and stronger?
Well, I think it’s becoming weaker because there are more talks about Atheist and Islam…more and more people are for some reason converting which is sad

-Is Halloween becoming more and more commercialized? Is it losing its original meaning?
yes, it is…all we care about for Halloween is candy and trick or treating, where’s the real meaning of somekah

-Can we say the same about Christmas?
Just like Halloween, except here we care more about gifts and not the birth of Christ

-Do you trust the Chinese anymore, after all the recent food, and toys recall?
Yes, because all the rest of the stuff has always been ok…I think this is just coincidence

-What is your favorite search engine and how often do you use search engines?
I would have to say google, and at least once a day if not more

-What three websites do you visit on a daily basis?
My work website, google and yahoo

-Are you into Wikis, and what is your take on Wikipedia? Is it trustworthy enough?
I mean I’m not an avid user, but I think its trustworthy enough

-Do you think the internet is making people lazier, and less active? Or does its benefit worth all the laziness it can create?
Yes people are lazier because of the internet, and yes it does cause lots of trouble, i.e. pedophiles, but it’s definitely a great source

-What does the PC of the future look like to you?
something voice activated and hands off

-What does the internet of the future look like to you?
same as the future PC

-What is the greatest and most ironic irony in our human history?
The death of Jesus Christ…what more is ironic than that

-What are some of the books you have read lately?
Middlesex, The Color Purple, my medical books and I have start to read The Kite Runner

-You are sitting in your doctor’s office one day, with no other doctors around. Suddenly, two very ill patients in critical condition, come in at the same time, both of whom require immediate attention. One is Assyrian Christian, and the other is a total stranger. You can only treat one at a time. What would you do?
I know you said they are both critical, but I would see who that most stable is and treat the other…I would also call for help. In the world of medicine, to me it doesn’t matter who or what you are…if you need medical attention, then you will get it

-Has our society become too lenient and soft on people who make big mistakes in public? All it takes is one apology and to state that ‘everyone makes mistakes’ and people will forgive him. Is that acceptable? Should we demand more and try to impose better and higher standards, regardless of who the person in question is?
Yes we should, I mean people are literally getting away with murder…there need to be harsher and stricter punishments for all this crap that’s going on
 

Final questions:

-What was the hardest question we asked you? or didn't like?
All the politic type questions, they sucked

-One question you were glad we didn't ask you?
Hmmm…nothing really

-Why did you apply for this interview in the first place?
to give people a little insight into who I really am

-Will your husband or colleagues read it?
Of course, I’ll make sure of it

-Your best quote in life:
live life to the fullest, it’s not worth getting upset over every little thing

-Any shoutouts to anyone out there?
My lovely husband, my family and all the AVNer’s

-Have you read other interviews? which one did you like most?
I’ve read a few and Ashoor Chamoun’s was pretty interesting

-Do you recommend any person to be interviewed in the future?
Yeah how about one of the new names we’ve been seeing, like Othur or Waleeta

-It has been 18 months since you applied for this: has it been worth the wait?
sure, I really didn’t know it was that long

-Should ASHOOR let others do these interviews?
Only if Ashoor wants to

-Any question you want to ask a certain AVNer?
Not really

-Any question you would like to ask me?
Can’t think of one at this time

-Who should we NOT interview and why?
you can interview anyone you want and actually should try and interview as many people as possible, let’s us get to know that person

-Any final comments or thoughts?
I’m glad AVN gave me a chance to do this interview. It was great and hope to see more interviews coming up. Also to everyone out there, let’s get motivated and go to school, get our education, maybe some day our generation can make a difference for our Assyrian people, here and back home

We thank you for your time, and best of luck in your life.