IRVING, Texas (AP) – Encouragement poured in from across the nation for a 14-year-old Muslim boy whose homemade electronic clock led to his detention and suspension from school, with President Barack Obama, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and a NASA scientist among those offering support.
As word spread that Ahmed Mohamed had been placed in handcuffs after coming to class with the clock that officials at his suburban Dallas school thought resembled a bomb, the teen became a star on social media, with the hashtag #IStandWithAhmed tweeted more than 1 million times by Wednesday night. Many also took to social media to criticize police and officials at MacArthur High School, suspecting them of overreacting because of the boy’s religion. Officials say the boy’s religion was not a factor.
In a tweet, Obama called Ahmed’s clock “cool” and said more kids should be inspired like him to enjoy science, because “it’s what makes America great.”
Ahmed was invited to participate in an astronomy night the White House is organizing sometime next month with premier scientists.
In a post to his site, Zuckerberg said, “Having the skill and ambition to build something cool should lead to applause.”