Joy Adalia
Islamophobia?
It is believed that Islamophobia is to blame for the incident. Ever since the 9/11 incident, a lot of people just don’t trust Muslims and have come to fear or hate them. However, a lot of Muslims themselves are not in favor of the terrorist acts perpetuated by extremist groups who use the name of Allah in their twisted views.
Ahmed was first accused of bringing a bomb, then a hoax bomb when it was proven that the contraption was not a real one. The teen never said it was a bomb nor tried to scare anyone with his invention. In fact, he had always made it known that the invention was a clock, even when he first showed it to his teachers.
For his supposed ill intentions, Ahmed was suspended for three days. His father was afraid that he would experience bullying when he returned to school or that he would be singled out by the school staff who must have been humiliated by the experience. After all, a lot of people from across the world, even big-time US personalities, have expressed displeasure over the school’s treatment of Ahmed.
Recent reports showed that the teen has since moved to another school.
Good Things for Ahmed
Ahmed, who dreams of becoming an engineer and of studying at MIT, has received plenty of offers not just from Zuckerberg and Obama to meet him but from the likes of Google Science Fair, NASA, and many others. Twitter and several sites have also offered him an internship, in case he has extra time on his hands, of course.
The family has since started the hashtag #Thankyouforstandingwithme to thank Ahmed’s unexpected wave of supporters. According to his dad, “It gives him hope. Right now he is trying to just stay positive and is listening to the news about him and reading about people’s comments him on social media. It’s really too much for him to take in right now, but long term it will be good for him. He doesn’t want to show he is a victim.”
Ahmed’s Clock
Just in case you were wondering why Ahmed’s English teacher was worried about his clock, here’s a photo of the controversial device:
Although he received plenty of social media support, there were also those who believe the school merely acted on their gut feeling that the boy was bringing a bomb because the clock was digital and it was placed in a suitcase. People who are not bomb experts just might think it really was a bomb, many argue.
It is also argued that had Ahmed been bringing a real bomb, the teachers would have been hailed as heroes for saving the lives of many children. In this day and age where a lot of teens have resorted to violence, even suicide attacks, it pays to be cautious rather than regret your actions later.
Still, the question on the minds of Ahmed’s supporters is this: if he had been white, would the teachers and the police have reacted the same way?
Sources: CNN, Wired, RachFeed, Fox News Insider
