14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed is a young-age builder, inventor and a school boy. His latest invention is a clock, built inside a $5-10 metal box that included a digital display and a circuit board.
He took his invention to school to show it to his high school teacher, on Monday. However, instead of praising him for his creation, the teacher mistook his invention as a hoax bomb and got Ahmed arrested and interrogated.
“I took the clock to impress my teacher. But, when I showed it to her, she thought it was threat to her. So, it was really sad that she took a wrong impression for it and I got arrested for it.”
He was even taken to a juvenile detention center before his parents came for him.
“It made me feel like I wasn’t human. It made me feel like I was a criminal,” Mohamed told The Dallas Morning News.
Irving School District and MacArthur High School sent a letter to Ahmed parents stating that police had responded to a “suspicious looking item” in the school campus and that it “did not pose as a threat” to students’ safety.
In a few minutes Ahmed’s story reached all the social media platforms. Angry twitter users started tweeting with #IStandWithAhmed because they felt that he was caught into the big mess that happened as he is Muslim. President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Mark Zuckerberg and other public figures also voiced their response.
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
Assumptions and fear don’t keep us safe—they hold us back. Ahmed, stay curious and keep building. https://t.co/ywrlHUw3g1 — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 16, 2015
You’ve probably seen the story about Ahmed, the 14 year old student in Texas who built a clock and was arrested when he…
Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday, September 16, 2015
He was publicly accused and harassed, so he deserves public apologies from teachers, the district, and the police. #IStandWithAhmed
— tasnim (@neuroluv) September 16, 2015
#IStandWithAhmed because we love to make things too. Never stop inventing the future. pic.twitter.com/n1ergHSTg8 — Foursquare (@foursquare) September 16, 2015
Hi @IStandWithAhmed, we ? building things at @twitter too. Would you consider interning with us? We’d love it — DM us! #IStandWithAhmed
— Twitter (@twitter) September 16, 2015
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
Ahmed and his family made an officail Twitter account for him so he could thank his supporters.
Thank you for your support! I really didn’t think people would care about a muslim boy. #Thankyouforstandingwithme#IStandWithAhmed
— Ahmed Mohamed (@IStandWithAhmed) September 16, 2015
The hashtag has been tweeted over 270,000 times in just past 2 days. Ahmed would not be charged as said by Irving Police Department.
