Fourteen-year-old high school student Ahmed Mohamed was arrested by Irving, Texas police on September 14 because his teacher mistook a homemade clock he brought to school for a bomb.
Mohamed told the Dallas Morning News that he just wanted to show his teachers his work.
The MacArthur High School engineering teacher told Mohamed that the electronic clock was nice, then added, “I would advise you not to show any other teachers.”
Mohamed’s English teacher claimed the clock looked like a bomb and had it confiscated. The teen was then brought to the principal’s office and was soon after arrested by police.
“This is all kind of sketchy to me because if the school was really scared the clock was a bomb, they should have evacuated the school,” said sophomore Cherlean Darko.
Many believe that his arrest had to do with Mohamed’s Muslim background.
Mohamed’s father, Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed, claimed that his son’s arrest was due to the school’s Islamophobia.
“Because his name is Mohamed and because of Sept. 11, I think my son got mistreated,” says Mr. Mohamed.
Mohamed says that he has been involved with his school’s robotics club and always makes little electronic devices like the clock, and was never questioned or reprimanded for any of them. He has made radios and one time made a Bluetooth for his friend.
On Wednesday, authorities said that charges will not be filed against Mohamed, but he was suspended from school for three days.
The news of the controversial arrest spread as many others joined Mohamed’s side. It seemed as though many others agree he was mistreated due to his religion.
“I also think that his arrest was due to the fact he is Muslim. He did not deserve to get arrested,” says sophomore Vanessa Mejia.
The story of Mohamed’s arrest blew up on the Internet on Wednesday, causing the hashtag #IStandWithAhmed to reach number one on Twitter. Even the president reached out to Mohamed:
Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It's what makes America great. — President Obama (@POTUS) September 16, 2015
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also invited him to visit the company’s headquarters:
Google executives even invited Mohamed to their weekend science fair at MIT, and will reserve a spot for him. MIT also happens to be the school Mohamed hopes to get into.
Hey Ahmed- we're saving a seat for you at this weekend's Google Science Fair…want to come? Bring your clock! #IStandwithAhmed — Google Science Fair (@googlescifair) September 16, 2015
Do you think that when Ahmed’s teacher reported the clock as a bomb she was just taking precaution for the school or do you think it was completely unnecessary?
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