source
Ahmed Mohamed is a 14 high school student living in Texas. He dreams of one day becoming an engineer. A few days ago, in hopes to impress his teachers, he created a clock by hand from a pencil case and brought it to school to show them. His day begun with excitement, but it ended in a much different way than he had imagined.
He was met with fear and suspicion
When he showed his creation to his teacher, he did not get the reaction he expected. “I built a clock to impress my teacher but when I showed it to her, she thought it was a threat to her,” Ahmed told reporters. “It was really sad that she took the wrong impression of it…They arrested me and they told me that I committed the crime of a hoax bomb, a fake bomb.” Police detained him and repeatedly questioned him without an attorney present. The teen was confused and scared by his arrest.
{adinserter CNP5}
Many believe that he was unfairly treated
Police spokesman Officer James McLellan reported that authorities kept asking the teenager what the device was and that he would only tell them it was a clock. Even though that is what the device was, the answer did not seem to satisfy the police. Chief Larry Boyd said Ahmed should have been more “forthcoming” is his description besides saying it was a clock. Once they finally determined that it was just a clock and nothing malicious, they did not press charges. But Ahmed was suspended from school for a day and did not get an apology for his treatment. His mother believes because he is Muslim and his last name is Mohamed, he was mistreated by the school and the police. Social media users agreed and started the hashtag campaign #IStandWithAhmed.
He is getting support from all over the world
Once Ahmed’s story had spread, several prominent figures tweeted their support for the teenager. Google’s Science Fair account invited him to come to the event with his clock.
Mark Zuckerberg Invited Him to Facebook
“Having the skill and ambition to build something cool should lead to applause, not arrest. The future belongs to people like Ahmed,” the CEO and creator of Facebook wrote. “Ahmed, if you ever want to come by Facebook, I’d love to meet you. Keep building.”
Politicians Weighed In
Presidential candidate and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton tweeted “Assumptions and fear don’t keep us safe—they hold us back. Ahmed, stay curious and keep building.”
It Went All the Way to President Obama
Ahmed is overwhelmed by the response
Ahmed thanked everyone for their support and said he “really didn’t think people would care about a Muslim boy” adding the hashtag #Thankyouforstandingwithme
SEE ALSO: French Muslim Girl Banned From School for the Most Ridiculous Reason.
