The Muslim schoolboy was arrested on suspicion that his homemade clock was a bomb, exposing deep-seated stereotypes. He has had a flood of support after his plight went viral on social media with the hashtag #IStandwithAhmed.
Invitations are flooding in after his plight went viral on social media, with US President Barack Obama praising his skills and asking him to the White House.
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
NASA has also extended a welcome to the young inventor, while Silicon Valley giants like Google, Reddit and Foursquare amongst many others are clamouring for him to intern with them. It’s been a welcome change from the fear the teen must have felt after he brought a home-made clock to school to show his teacher, only to find himself being questioned by school officers, and then arrested by police. The Irving, Texas police issued justified their actions, stating Ahmed was handcuffed “for his safety and for the safety of the officers” and taken to a juvenile detention center. They’ve since admitted there was nothing suspicious about the clock in question, amid claims of entrenched Islamophobia within the police force. See some of the incredible tweets Mohamed received encouraging him to continue being a scientific, creative thinker below:
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
Creative minds are always welcome at Space Camp, and we appreciate donors who help them come. Someone has provided a scholarship for Ahmed. — SpaceCampUSA (@SpaceCampUSA) September 16, 2015
People are also posing with clocks in large numbers to make a point about what Ahmed experienced.
Watch out, it’s a brown guy with a clock! #IStandWithAhmed @IStandWithAhmed pic.twitter.com/8lzzrEakoi — Tariq Khokhar (@tkb) September 16, 2015
