On Monday, Texas high school student Ahmed Mohamed was arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school that administrators believed looked like a bomb.
The 14-year-old student was a member of the robotics club in middle school and regularly enjoyed building electronics for fun, the Dallas Morning News reported.
When he brought the clock to school to show his teachers, they told him it looked like a bomb and called the authorities, despite Mohamed's repeated insistence that it was just a clock.
Now, people on the internet are using the hashtag #IStandWithAhmed to show support for the ninth-grader.
The hashtag began trending on Facebook earlier Wednesday and almost 200,000 people have already tweeted using the hashtag on Twitter.
Here's an example. This teacher writes that he'll be teaching his students how to make Arduino clocks — the same kind of clock Mohamed was arrested for bringing to school — this year.
It's decided: I'm scrubbing my 8th-gd #hackshop curriculum 4 this year. We're making Arduino clocks. #IStandWithAhmed http://t.co/88fa783pSE
— Robert Friedman (@omnignorant) September 16, 2015
Many people using the hashtag are pointing out that if Mohamed had been a white student, the outcome might have been much different.
#IStandWithAhmed because if he were white he would be praised for his creativity and skills.. pic.twitter.com/Axgex9WemJ
— ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀✗O (@SSlXGODDESS) September 16, 2015
Teenager brings in homemade clock = bright future in robotics. Muslim kid does the same = he has created Ultron. #IStandWithAhmed
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) September 16, 2015
#IStandWithAhmed When a white kid builds nuclear fusion reactor it's cool but when a Muslim builds a clock it's not pic.twitter.com/TFwfg1lUf4
— wiss.➶ (@BUCKVBVRNES) September 16, 2015
Some of the tweets also include a photo of Mohamed on the day of the arrest where he was reportedly wearing a NASA T-shirt.
Here's the photo, originally tweeeted by Anil Dash:
I expect they will have more to say tomorrow, but Ahmed's sister asked me to share this photo. A NASA shirt! pic.twitter.com/nR4gt992gB
— Anil Dash (@anildash) September 16, 2015
This Twitter user even donned his own NASA T-shirt in honor of Mohamed.
Wasn't sure what shirt to wear today, then it became clear. Keep being smart, kid. #IStandWithAhmed @NASA pic.twitter.com/iEuVfhEF5c
— MassiveCity (@MassiveCityFFC) September 16, 2015
Some people on Twitter are impressed by Mohamed's engineering talent.
#IStandWithAhmed because I was pretty damn proud of myself for installing our cable and building a clock is way, way harder.
— Jane Coaston (@cjane87) September 16, 2015
This is so upsetting he's such a talented smart young boy, and was terribly discriminated against. Disgusting #IStandWithAhmed
— Subhanna (@subhanna_) September 16, 2015
While others are using humor to lend support.
Oh God No! SOMEONE PLACED A GIANT BOMB IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS TOWER! #IStandWithAhmed pic.twitter.com/FJZB4GpZtX
— Ol' QWERTY Bastard (@TheDiLLon1) September 16, 2015
Mohamed's family has set up an official Twitter account where you can get updates on the situation. Here's the latest from that account.
Thank you fellow supporters. We can ban together to stop this racial inequality and prevent this from happening again pic.twitter.com/fBlmckoafU
— Ahmed Mohamed (@IStandWithAhmed) September 16, 2015
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: Johnny Depp looks ready for an awesome comeback in this movie about Whitey Bulger
via http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/dh5suJNDH4g/i-stand-with-ahmed-hashtag-on-twitter-2015-9
RSS Feed
