Ahmed Mohamed is a 14-year-old high school student who lives in the Dallas suburb of Irving.
He brought a homemade clock to school the other day as part of some classroom project.
The reaction from school officials? They called the cops, who then slapped handcuffs on the boy in front of his classmates. They thought he’d brought a bomb into school.
Ahmed was taken to a juvenile detention center and then released to the custody of his parents.
And why all the fuss?
Was it because he’s a practicing Muslim? Irving police and school officials, quite naturally, insist his faith had nothing to do with the overreaction. They insist they’d have reacted the same way with any student who brought a “suspicious-looking” device into school.
Well, I don’t know about you, but I am having a little difficulty believing that. I guess it’s best just to take them at their word.
President Obama, of course, entered the fray by tweeting something about Ahmed’s “cool clock,” while inviting the youngster to the White House to show the device off. He said the boy’s innovation is a big part of what “makes America great.”
The overreaction in one American city to this youngster’s attempt at creativity sends quite another message.
There is good news to report. Irving police won’t press charges against Ahmed.
Now, how about a public apology to the boy and his parents?