Ayman Mohyeldin Talks About Reporting In Gaza And Fasting In A War Zone

The MSNBC anchor stopped by See Something Say Something to talk about his work on-air and off.

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See Something Say Something
by See Something Say Something

See Something Say Something

It's Ramadan and See Something Say Something is celebrating by talking to Muslims in the media spotlight...

BuzzFeed News

...like Ayman Mohyeldin! You may recognize him as an anchor and host on MSNBC.

MSNBC / Via Twitter: @aymanm

Ayman co-hosts Morning Joe First Look Monday through Friday and hosts The Breakdown on Sundays.

He came by the studio to talk about what it's like to report in Trump's America, objectivity in media, and speaking truth to power.

Gabriel Sanchez / BuzzFeed News

Here's an excerpt:

Gabriel Sanchez / BuzzFeed

"There's valid criticism to say the media sometimes fails in covering a story correctly and accurately and fairly and objectively or show both sides of the story, especially in places like the Middle East. But I think the more important thing is to get viewers and listeners to say, hey, the way to change it...you have to have a diverse newsroom that reflects America. And for members of marginalized communities to say, I want to be a part of a news organization, to go out there and report. I have found that the more diverse a newsroom is and the more diverse the ideas within a newsroom, the more you're going to get a holistic picture and a comprehensive picture of what is actually happening."

He also talked about what it was like to fast while reporting from the Gaza war in 2014 and how it put things in perspective.

"You’re still at a very beautiful place in the world — you’re on the Mediterranean. I remember many times where you were breaking your fast on very simple, basic food. It wasn’t necessarily the fancy or traditional iftars that we think of when we think of Ramadan, like, a huge spread. But you would see, like, all of the hotel staff and all of the people that were there would kind of gather around this table and the basic food that we could come up with and get in the middle of a war zone. And have these very incredible, meaningful iftars. And everyone would talk and laugh and rejoice about the fact that they made it through another day in the middle of a war zone. And you see this humanity and camaraderie and brotherhood that I think is deeply touching, deeply gratifying, and I think in so many ways humbling, and really, kind of helps you reset your emotional and spiritual compass, to know what is important in life, not to take these moments or granted. And when you get out of these difficult situations, how to embrace those iftars when you are elsewhere and you do have that big spread of table in front of you, to remember what is actually really important is not necessarily the food but the company."

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"You’re still at a very beautiful place in the world — you’re on the Mediterranean. I remember many times where you were breaking your fast on very simple, basic food. It wasn’t necessarily the fancy or traditional iftars that we think of when we think of Ramadan, like, a huge spread. But you would see, like, all of the hotel staff and all of the people that were there would kind of gather around this table and the basic food that we could come up with and get in the middle of a war zone. And have these very incredible, meaningful iftars. And everyone would talk and laugh and rejoice about the fact that they made it through another day in the middle of a war zone. And you see this humanity and camaraderie and brotherhood that I think is deeply touching, deeply gratifying, and I think in so many ways humbling, and really, kind of helps you reset your emotional and spiritual compass, to know what is important in life, not to take these moments or granted. And when you get out of these difficult situations, how to embrace those iftars when you are elsewhere and you do have that big spread of table in front of you, to remember what is actually really important is not necessarily the food but the company."

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