DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Ahmed Mohamed, the 14-year-old Muslim from Texas detained after his homemade clock was thought to be a bomb, will soon be moving with his family to Qatar to attend school thanks to the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.
Here’s a look at where he’s headed:
WHERE IS QATAR?
The small but wealthy OPEC nation juts into the Persian Gulf like a thumb off the eastern flank of the Arabian Peninsula. It is about an hour’s flight from the capital, Doha, to the Middle Eastern commercial hub of Dubai. Flying direct from Dallas, near Mohamed’s hometown of Irving, Texas, will take a lot longer at more than 14 hours.
A dramatic, yearslong boom fueled by Qatar’s vast reserves of natural gas has transformed the country from a sleepy backwater into a land of luxurious shopping malls and cutting-edge skyscrapers. Construction work continues as the country gears up to host the 2022 World Cup.