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President Obama says, "#IStandWithAhmed"

 
When 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed brought his home-built clock to school, he was pleased with his latest invention and eager to show his friends and teachers his work. Once he showed one of his teachers, though, things quickly took a turn.

An Irving MacArthur High freshman, Ahmed was arrested when the teacher thought the clock looked like a bomb. After it beeped in class, the police were called in and questioned Ahmed for hours before handcuffing him and taking him to the nearest juvenile detention center. Police ended up dropping their charges, but the damage had already been done.

When people around the country heard about Ahmed's story, they were quick to support him using the hashtag #IStandWithAhmed, suspecting that the reason the teacher believed Ahmed had built a bomb instead of the clock he explained that it was was due to his race. Celebrities even added their voices to the mix—including one very special message from President Barack Obama.

 

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook and a leader in the tech industry, also joined in.

 

Though Ahmed is still working on various projects at homes, he's admitted that he no longer intends to share them with his peers. And though MacArthur High has welcome him back, Ahmed has no desire to return to his same school, and plans to transfer instead.

Though we're sad about why everyone knows Ahmed's name, we're glad his hard-work and tech inventions are now getting the attention and support they deserve. Keep on inventing, Ahmed! It's clear this whiz kid is going places.

How do you think this situation should have been handled? Share in the comments below.

Photos credit: IStandWithAhmed

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by Alexa Matthews | 2/1/2016
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