Joy Adalia
Fourteen-year-old Ahmed Mohamed brought a digital clock that he made himself to MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas, to show his teachers. Just like any other teen who created something great, he was excited to show it to his teachers and his classmates. The first teacher he showed it to told him the clock was nice, but he should probably hide it from the other teachers. This advice he followed.
During English class, however, the alarm went off on his clock. So, Ahmed turned it off; then decided to show his invention to the teacher. The teacher was alarmed upon seeing the clock, saying it looked like a bomb to her. Despite Ahmed repeatedly explaining that the device was a clock, the teacher reported the matter to the school administration who then called the police.
Minutes later, Ahmed was interrogated by the police. Although the teen cooperated, he was confused as to why he was arrested, especially after a police officer allegedly insinuated that he made a bomb, not a clock.
Incredible Social Media Response
A photo of the confused Ahmed inside the police station quickly went viral on social media, with the hashtag #IStandWithAhmed also trending worldwide for several hours. Netizens showed their support for Ahmed through social media. Many even posted parodies wherein they were bringing their own clocks, too.
Big-time personalities like US President Barack Obama, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, and NASA scientists pitched in their support for this teenager who many believe was racially profiled because he was Muslim. Had he been white or Asian, he might have been treated differently and, perhaps, hailed for being a genius.
