New Delhi: 14 year old Ahmed Mohamed was arrested in Irving, Texas... for bringing a homemade clock to school. The robotics enthusiast brought the project to school to impress his teachers. He had enjoyed robotics in middle school and thought the assembled clock would make an impression, but teachers mistook the invention for a bomb and called the police instead. Four police officers arrived at the school and took Mohamed into custody.
"It made me feel like I wasn't human," Mohamed said of the incident, which represents the growing face of Islamophobia in the United States.
The incident has sparked outrage, justifiable so, with the hashtag #IStandWithAhmed trending on Twitter.
US President Barack Obama tweeted his support for the 14 year old student. "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," Obama tweeted.
Ahmed has also found support from Silicon Valley, with Mark Zuckerberg asking him to visit Facebook. "Having the skill and ambition to build something cool should lead to applause, not arrest. The future belongs to people like Ahmed," Zuckerberg wrote.
"Ahmed, if you ever want to come by Facebook, I'd love to meet you." Google asked Ahmed to visit their science fair, adding "bring your clock."
Twitter posted a message of support. "Hi @IStandWithAhmed, we building things at @twitter too. Would you consider interning with us? We'd love it DM us! #IStandWithAhmed."
Twitterati also criticised the incident, using the hashtag #IStandWithAhmed to do so.
