#IStandWithAhmed - Millions Show Solidarity with Wrongfully Arrested Teen
 |
| Slate |
It's the kind of thing you almost expect to feature in some kind of satirical comedy sketch. Earlier this week an inventive, enterprising 14-year-old science enthusiast from Texas built a home-made clock and brought it into his school so that he could show it to his teacher. Later in the day, during an English lesson it started beeping and before long the boy found himself being led out of the school in handcuffs at the behest of several staff members and the local police, under suspicion that it was a bomb. Ridiculous, right? Well sadly there's a little more to it than that - the boy in question is also Muslim.
The look on this kid's face while he's wearing a NASA shirt and handcuffs should haunt all of us.
#IStandWithAhmed pic.twitter.com/7R02HZ0FnQ
— Charles Clymer (@cmclymer) September 16, 2015
Breaking News Everyone! #IStandWithAhmed pic.twitter.com/q4mVDSwfHh
— Rabia Anum (@RabiaAnumm) September 17, 2015
His name is Ahmed Mohamed and according to his family, friends and teachers, inventing things is far from out of character for him. In the past he's made radios, a bluetooth speaker and fixed his friend's tablet. This clearly wasn't enough to stop him being arrested on suspicion of planning to either blow up part of the school or start a hoax bomb scare.
when I was in high school a white kid made a rocket and TOLD PEOPLE it was a bomb and still wasn't arrested. #IStandWithAhmed
— farwz (@farwzaz) September 16, 2015
Soldiers test out dangerous new weapon on the battlefield #IStandWithAhmed pic.twitter.com/5q3Dr7rCs3
— ThioJoe (@thiojoe) September 16, 2015
The police claim that race had absolutely nothing to do with it and that they were just erring on the side of caution, given the dark history of school attacks and shootings woven into America's recent past. Other people say different, as reportedly Ahmed's last name was mentioned numerous times during the ensuing interrogation, as officers insisted that the device looked more like a bomb than a clock and refused to let him contact his family.
#IStandWithAhmed
When a white kid builds nuclear fusion reactor it's cool
but when a Muslim builds a clock it's not pic.twitter.com/TFwfg1lUf4
— wiss.➶ (@BUCKVBVRNES) September 16, 2015
It's hard not to the see the disturbing racial overtones of this story, and the image of an Asian boy in a NASA T-shirt being walked out of his school in handcuffs has resonated with a lot of people. A lot of people. Since the incident Twitter has exploded (sorry) with support for the boy, from expressions of outrage at the way he's been treated to glowing acknowledgements of his skill and aptitude for invention.
Mark Zuckerberg would love to meet Ahmed! #IStandWithAhmed pic.twitter.com/Nm2jyJGJYZ
— Larry Kim (@larrykim) September 17, 2015
Ahmed, don’t let this stop your creativity. Come hang out at Autodesk and we’ll make something new together. #IStandWithAhmed
— Carl Bass (@carlbass) September 16, 2015
The support has reached to soaring, dizzying heights as Obama has extended an invitation for Ahmed to visit the White House, Hilary Clinton has encouraged him to keep building, Mark Zuckerberg has asked him to come into Facebook, Google are 'saving a seat' for him at the upcoming Google Science Fair, Autodesk CEO Carl Bass wants him to come into their offices to do some 3D modelling and Reddit and Twitter have both mentioned potential internship offers.
#IStandWithAhmed cause I was once a brown kid in the south too. Plus sure he'll lead an amazing life & I'm trying to get in the bio pic game
— Aziz Ansari (@azizansari) September 16, 2015
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
Both Ahmed and his father, Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed, have been very gracious about the outpouring of sympathy and encouragement. Despite this, the McArthur High School still maintained a 3-day suspension and the police are still claiming that they did the right thing, suggesting that Ahmed has been more forthcoming with the press about the clock than he was during interrogation. And why on earth might that be? Perhaps, and this is just an outside guess, being intensely questioned and treated as a potential bomber by 5 police officers might be a somewhat frightening experience for a 14-year-old boy who's done nothing wrong? Just spit-balling here.
Ahmed had only been at the school for a few weeks and he's now allegedly contemplating moving to a different one. One can hardly blame him, if I were him I'd probably just get a job at NASA, I'm sure Obama would be more than happy to write him a referral.
Callum Davies
Callum is a film school graduate who is now making a name for himself as a journalist and content writer. His vices include flat whites and 90s hip-hop. Follow him @CallumAtSMF
#IStandWithAhmed - Millions Show Solidarity with Wrongfully Arrested Teen
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Rating:
Unknown
Keeping you up to date on social media, digital marketing, apps, news & reviews. Social media, and digital marketing as a whole, are rapidly and constantly changing, adapting to new developments at an ever increasing rate. Just keeping up to date can be a nightmare. Our team of writers know their field, and keep an ear to the ground. We aim to keep you informed of all recent developments in the online world, and teach you a little something along the way. So whether you just want to stay connected, or gain some knowledge for yourself, the Social Songbird will keep on singing! More articles are posted every day so keep checking back! Join the discussion on Twitter - #SocialSongbird Or contact us directly - @SocialSongbird_
Entrepreneur, international speaker on Social Media Marketing. First one in the UK to write and speak in conferences about Twitter as a marketing tool. Consultant to Corporate Companies, Government Organizations, Marketing Managers and Business Owners.
Aspiring novelist with a passion for fantasy and crime thrillers. He hopes to one day drop that 'aspiring' prefix. He started as a writer and soon after he was made Executive Editor and Manager of the team at Social Songbird. A position he held for 5 years.
Adrienne is a passionate writer with experience in editing, content creation, and social media marketing. She’s a lover of animals, helping others improve their writing, and 2000s pop culture.
Musician, audio technician, professional tutor and a Cambridge university English student. Interested in writing, politics and obsessed with reading.
Recently graduated with a BA in English Literature from the University of Exeter, and he is about to study an MA in Journalism at the University of Sheffield. He is an aspiring journalist and novelist; in his free time he enjoys playing chess, listening to music and taking long walks through nature.
Lucy is an undergraduate BSc Politics and International Relations student at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Anna Coopey is a 4th year UG student in Classics at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She is a keen writer and researcher on a number of topics, varying from Modern Greek literature to revolutionary theory.
Ellie is a recent BA English Literature graduate and aspiring publisher with a passion for writing. Her favourite pastimes include reading and shopping.