Ayman Mohyeldin

Ayman Mohyeldin's picture
Ayman Mohyeldin
Correspondent | Egypt
Biography
Ayman Mohyeldin is a Middle East-based correspondent for Al Jazeera English. He is currently based as Egypt Correspondent in Cairo. From May 2008 until May 2010, Ayman was the only foreign journalist based in the Gaza Strip. During the 2008/2009 War on Gaza, he was one of the only foreign journalists reporting from Gaza. Since joining Al Jazeera in 2006, Ayman has reported from Europe, the U.S. and across the Middle East where he has covered the siege on Gaza, sectarian strife in Lebanon, Palestinian in-fighting and human rights abuse in the Arabian Gulf. In 2007, Ayman's exclusive report during Egypt's referendum on constitutional amendments exposed serious voting irregularities and violations. Ayman was also among the first journalists to report on Gaza's intricate system of tunnels along its border with Egypt. Before joining Al Jazeera in 2006, Ayman worked for American networks. He was based in Baghdad where he covered the immediate aftermath of the US-led invasion of Iraq. While there, he reported on the daily struggle of ordinary Iraqis and embedded with the US military to report on the Iraqi insurgency. Ayman was among the few international journalists allowed to observe and report on the US handover of Saddam Hussein to an Iraqi judge. He has also produced exclusive reports from Libya where he was the first journalist to enter one of Libya's nuclear research facilities. Ayman began his journalism career working for the American network NBC in Washington where he covered the inauguration of US President George Bush, the September 11 attacks and the war in Afghanistan.

Latest posts by Ayman Mohyeldin

By Ayman Mohyeldin in Middle East on November 28th, 2010

Here is a video I just shot outside of a polling station in Cairo. Campaigning on election day is banned and especially so close to a polling station, but this supporter, who is endorsing an NDP-affiliated candidate, clearly got passed the layers of security and is blasting music for everyone to hear in this Muslim Brotherhood stronghold. 

Here is also a picture of a ballot from one of the districts in upper Egypt. This ballot was obtained late on Saturday before the polls opened. Its  what monitors call the "revolving ballot".

Here is how it works: This ballot is given to an individual ahead of the election with a selection of the candidate already checked off in the box.

By Ayman Mohyeldin in Middle East on November 23rd, 2010
Photo by EPA

I have had the chance to cover a few elections and campaigns in my time, from post US-invasion in Iraq, to multiple elections in the Palestinian Territories, to Israel and the US. 

Few have been the spectacle of entertainment as the ones I have seen for Egypt’s parliament so far:


The other night, my colleagues and I decided to tag along with Dr Mohammed Beltagy, a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood and a member of the current parliament.

Dr Beltagy wanted to do what every other candidate in a respectable democracy does; hold a campaign rally. There was one caveat; Dr Beltgay wanted to hold the rally in his opponent’s neighbourhood stronghold. Oh and there is one other thing.

By Ayman Mohyeldin in Middle East on September 9th, 2010
Photo by AFP

* A single leader that’s been in power for 30 years, ruling with the tools of Emergency laws.
* A political system dominated by a single party, while all other parties are marginalised - the largest opposition party is technically outlawed and banned from any activities.
* Elections rife with voting irregularities and allegations of vote fixing.

Few in Egypt can refute these statements as anything but true, so you’d think that any serious politician in Egypt who knows how stacked the cards are against him or her, would forgo participating in “sham” elections.

Why in the world would any political party not part of the governing administration not boycott the elections?

That’s precisely the dilemma that Egypt’s opposition politicians are faced with.

By Ayman Mohyeldin in Americas on September 2nd, 2010
Photo by EPA

Spend as much time in the Middle East following the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as I have over the years and you begin to notice a sad pattern.

The two-state solution based on the Israeli-Palestinian equation of 'land for peace' has brought neither land nor peace but violence.

Now that the direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians have begun, so too, many are afraid, has something else: the countdown to the next round of violence in the region.

God forbid it happens.

Tags: Israel
By Ayman Mohyeldin in Middle East on June 15th, 2010
Picture from AFP

Despite the fact East Jerusalem remains, under international law, an occupied city, many Israeli officials, including West Jerusalem's Jewish Mayor Nir Barakat, profess that Jerusalem is a city open for all to live in and move around freely within, including Arabs.

Israel claims even Palestinian residents of the city (who endure systematic discrimination, home evictions, demolitions, land confiscation and other forms of state and non-state duress and oppression) are free to live where ever they please. 

But a new report by two Israeli human rights organizations says that the real estate market in Jerusalem is not free and that "80% of lands in Jewish neighbourhoods in Jerusalem cannot be purchased by Palestinians". 

So Palestinians in East Jerusalem whose homes and lands are constantly confiscated,

By Ayman Mohyeldin in Middle East on June 4th, 2010
Photo by AFP

For weeks the Israeli government has bombarded journalists with statements, press releases and videos - all professing that Gaza is not suffering a humanitarian crisis, there is no shortage of goods entering the Strip and even mocking the suffering of people in Gaza by recommending restaurants to visit in the coastal territory.

It also went so far as to claim those on board the Freedom Flotilla had links to al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.

By Ayman Mohyeldin in Middle East on June 1st, 2010
Photo by AFP

They were called "terrorists and al-Qaeda sympathisers"... they were "armed and had planned a premeditated attack"... and finally hours after waiting in the sun to see the evidence, Israel said it would take the media inside the Ashdod port and let us see the cargo carried aboard the Freedom Flotilla...

These are some of the images  (captured with my cell phone) of what I saw... children toys, medicines, text books, wheel chairs and much more...

By Ayman Mohyeldin in Middle East on May 15th, 2010
Photo from AFP

I know what you are thinking ... France wins the Word Cup? Is that a prediction? No it's a fact ... France has won the World Cup!! Allez les Bleus!! 

No not THAT World Cup ... that World Cup begins in South Africa in June ... the OTHER World Cup ... THE GAZA WORLD CUP!

Yup ... and boy was it thrilling ... the final was as dramatic as anyone could have wished for. The boys from France - who originally are the local amateur team from Rafah - were the favourites. But they were pretty much losing throughout the game to Jordan (no, thats not a typo).

By Ayman Mohyeldin in Middle East on May 11th, 2010
Picture from AFP

Here is a really good overall explainer of Gaza's current electricity situation as a result of the Israeli siege on the strip. 

It may appear quiet these days in Gaza... no major Israeli military operations, no airstrikes, no daily rocket attacks... but by no means has the humanitarian situation got better for the people here. 

This report by the UN's humanitarian office in the Occupied Palestinian Territories helps explain the impact electricity cuts have on the overall humanitarian situation.

By Ayman Mohyeldin in Middle East on May 3rd, 2010
Much of Gaza's goods come in through smuggling tunnels, photo by AFP

Ever wonder what foods and supplies Israel allows into the Gaza Strip? 

A new court case in Israel is challenging the military to reveal what items are allowed into Gaza, why it has prohibited certain items, and what the overall objective is of the siege that many have described as "collective punishment".

Here is the list of basic items allowed into the Gaza Strip which was compiled by the BBC using confidential information from international organisations.

Could you live off the items on this list compiled by the BBC?

Tags: Israel

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Ayman Mohyeldin's picture
Ayman Mohyeldin
Correspondent
Ayman Mohyeldin is Egypt Correspondent where he reports on the Arab World's most populous country and the region.

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