Ahmed Mohamed, the 14-year-old Muslim boy who was arrested when authorities mistook the homemade clock he brought to school for a bomb, is now the recipient of an outpouring of support online.
On Wednesday, #IStandWithAhmed trended in the U.S. and the UK as his story spread across social media, eliciting responses from the president, celebrities and more.
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Ahmed, a student who is passionate about engineering, brought the clock into MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas, on Tuesday, where a teacher saw it and called the police, despite Ahmed's explanation that it was a clock, not a weapon.
The Irving Police Department closed the case on Wednesday without charging the boy, citing no evidence of intent to create harm, and he was released to his parents. But authorities had threatened Ahmed with charges for making a hoax bomb -- and the fact that he was arrested, handcuffed, and questioned at the police station sparked outrage.
Police say the reaction would have been the same no matter who brought it to school #wfaa pic.twitter.com/TrnFxATzO7— D Fernandez (@DemondFernandez) September 16, 2015
His story rallied high-profile figures to his corner: The president, celebrities, and tech luminaries all expressed their support.
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
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
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
When a kid who loves robotics builds a clock & wants to show his classmates, we should celebrate him. Not arrest him. #IStandWithAhmed— Sophia Bush (@SophiaBush) September 16, 2015
I can't imagine if be working @nasa today if anything like this had ever happened to me. http://t.co/OajWwPXchB #IStandWithAhmed— Bobak Ferdowsi (@tweetsoutloud) September 16, 2015
I don't know how to build a clock. We need kids like Ahmed around to build clocks for us. #IStandWithAhmed— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) September 16, 2015
We're supporters of #STEM & inspiring kids like Ahmed to pursue their dreams. Get involved: http://t.co/Bye4JcO1Ho pic.twitter.com/XEHsZs21sS— NASA (@NASA) 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
So, @IrvingISD, we also make digital clocks—you gonna arrest us, too? Keep making, @IStandWithAhmed! http://t.co/OaP47h5GCF #IStandWithAhmed— Pebble (@Pebble) September 16, 2015
#IStandWithAhmed And we'd love to offer him an internship here next Summer! Build w us!— DoSomething.org (@dosomething) September 16, 2015
Like Obama, who invited Ahmed to the White House, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg invited him to Menlo Park to tour the company's headquarters.
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Other users echoed Ahmed's father's suspicion that the Texan student was arrested because he is Muslim -- they suggested that a white student would not have been subjected to such harsh treatment.
That moment when school can't tell the diff b/w a clock & a bomb but since the kid is brown, they arrest him just in case #IStandWithAhmed— shannonwoodward (@shannonwoodward) September 16, 2015
This happened in Texas but make no mistake, with extent of anti-Muslim stereotyping in the US, it could happen anywhere #IStandWithAhmed— Yousef Munayyer (@YousefMunayyer) September 16, 2015
#IStandWithAhmed because it make me sad we live in a place where we assume danger/evil, because the color of ones skin.— Philip DeFranco (@PhillyD) September 16, 2015
As a Texan, I'm honestly ashamed. White men can openly carry guns but brown kids can't make clocks. Jim Crow in disguise. #IStandWithAhmed— Charles Clymer (@cmclymer) September 16, 2015
If this looks like a bomb to you, then please ... don't touch technology. You are a stupid person. #IStandWithAhmed pic.twitter.com/Ur4pSQhovd— Nash (@Nash076) September 16, 2015
Some took their own clocks to work in a show of solidarity for the 14-year-old.
In solidarity with @IStandWithAhmed CAIR-Chicago staff brought our clocks to work too. #IStandWithAhmed pic.twitter.com/NK9CWhyfru— CAIR-Chicago (@cairchicago) September 16, 2015
Brought my clock to work today. #IStandWithAhmed #Solidarity pic.twitter.com/h4Jr0siF1A— Simran Jeet Singh (@SimranColumbia) September 16, 2015
Do I look dangerous yet? #IstandwithAhmed #ahmeding pic.twitter.com/15cAGd8Y7s— Ana Marie Cox (@anamariecox) September 16, 2015
Though the vast majority of responses on social media suggested the boy had been mistreated, a couple of users tweeted that the school was right to report Ahmed's project to the police.
@mashable @film_girl #IStandForSafeSchools— Jack Patterson (@JacPatterson) September 16, 2015
@mashabletech @Politics_PR @IStandWithAhmed School system erred on the side of caution. It's a HUGE responsibility to keep students safe.— nancy rice (@grammy2) September 16, 2015
On Wednesday, Ahmed responded to the support he'd received via a Twitter account his family had set up, expressing his gratitude along with a picture. He was still wearing the NASA T-shirt he'd had on when he was arrested.
Thank you fellow supporters. We can ban together to stop this racial inequality and prevent this from happening again pic.twitter.com/fBlmckoafU— Ahmed Mohamed (@IStandWithAhmed) September 16, 2015
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