Monday started like any other day in Irving, Texas, as Ahmed Mohamed, 14, arrived at his high school on time and prepared to learn. He was excited to show his engineering teacher a clock he’d built himself using a pencil box, which he’d brought with him to school that day in eager excitement. But Ahmed would never get to show his teacher his inventive creation, nor would he receive the immense praise he deserved for building such a zany device. Instead, Ahmed would leave his high school with his hands cuffed behind his back as two police officers escorted him to their squad car. Despite Ahmed’s repeated denial, school officials and police officers believed his clock was a bomb.
The word islamophobia has received a lot of attention lately in both media and social media spheres, despite the fact that many Americans are still ignorant to what it means. Injustices like Ahmed Mohamed’s arrest have been occurring all over the country because of islamophobia – the dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, especially as a political force – and without receiving the mass media attention Mohamed’s case so rightfully deserved. In a statement issued by Irving Police Department spokesman Officer James McLellan, the sad bigotry and racism which first landed Ahmed in handcuffs is transparent.
“We attempted to question the juvenile about what it was,” Officer McLellan explained, “and he would simply only tell us it was a clock.”
Yes, Officer McLellan. He did simply tell you that. Because it was a clock.
It didn’t take long after the story of Ahmed Mohamed was released, for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms to light up with passion and empathy for the 14-year-old tinkerer. Slowly, the legacy of Ahmed Mohamed as a martyr for muslims and people of color around the world began to unravel. After being arrested, the world began to understand the gruesome injustice that is islamophobia. Culturally connected individuals became enlightened to the idea of prejudice being directed towards people of all ethnic backgrounds, and began to rally behind the young inventor in support. As I write, citizens from all corners of the earth are sending their well-wishes to Ahmed Mohamed, all while vindicating islamophobia.
Ahmed and his clock helped to highlight the severity of islamophobia in America today. His role in educating the public to the perils of bigoted thinking was monumental though unintentional, and while he has helped bring consciousness to the persecution muslims must face everyday, it is important to remember that he, perhaps most traumatically, is a victim of that persecution, too.
Shortly after the events that proceeded Ahmed’s arrest, a Twitter hashtag was born in support of the young student called, #IStandWithAhmed. Using this hashtag, Ahmed has received heartfelt messages from cultural icons like Mark Zuckerberg and President Obama, and has felt the outrage of millions of people who stand by him in shunning the individuals who racially profiled him and ultimately detained him for using his mind. Here are a roundup of some posts supporting Ahmed Mohamed:
Speak out against islamophobia wherever and however you can. Injustices like Ahmed Mohamed’s arrest will no longer be accepted in U.S., as long as the American people band together with the common belief that everyone is truly equal. Decide what kind of country you want to live in, and make it a reality. In my America, ingenuity is to be praised, not punished.
Follow Matthew Zamudio on Twitter at @neutralcolored
Comments are closed.