When American teen Ahmed Mohamed woke up to go to school last Monday, little did the tech-savvy 14-year-old know that he would go from being arrested to becoming a social media hero within the span of one week. Police officials detained and handcuffed Ahmed, after his school teachers mistook the clock he made for a bomb and called him a terrorist. His arrest raised pertinent questions on America’s views on Islam, race and ethnicity.
By mid-week, the news of Ahmed and his clock went viral and people poured messages of support via social media. US President Barack Obama called Ahmed’s clock “cool” and invited him to the White House, which Ahmed, of course, has accepted. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted that he’d love to meet with Ahmed and asked him to drop by Facebook. Presidential candidate Hilary Clinton also showed her support. Twitter offered Ahmed an internship as well.
Ahmed had always dreamt of attending the Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT) and now, this might become a reality. He was thrilled when a professor from MIT invited him to take a tour of the university.
Though all charges against Ahmed were dropped and he will be transferring to a new school, the incident highlights bigotry and racial discrimination. In a recent interview, the now globally recognised teenager confidently said, “This (the clock) isn’t my first invention and it won’t be my last.”
