Follow
The Muslim community in Texas recently announced that it doesn’t put the blame on law enforcement or school district for arresting and suspending a 14-year-old Muslim student who panicked just about everyone after he brought in class a home-made clock that people took for a bomb.
The Islamic Association of North Texas (IANT) said Thursday that the real culprits are politicians who created a “climate of fear” around the Muslim community. And, because of that climate police officers and school principals have no other way than react when they see something like that, the association added.
The IANT manages the Dallas mosque used by the boy’s family for their daily prayers. Ahmed Mohamed’s story went viral on the Internet with hundreds of thousands of people commenting on the overreaction to his homemade clock.
Ahmed’s troubles began Monday after showing the device to his school teacher. He was quickly taken into principal’s office, questioned, and when the police came up he was also handcuffed and taken to the police department.
The IANT is upset that the boy was questioned without a lawyer or family member being present and was abusively handcuffed by police officers. Irvine Police Department chief explained that dangerous suspects need to be handcuffed in order to protect police officers and other people.
Local authorities do not plan to charge Ahmed for stirring panic because he had no intention to. He can also get his clock back at the local police station. The homemade clock has a digital display attached to a circuit board, as police photos show.
The school district declined to further comment, but according to previous statements school administrators were entitled to take the necessary measures if a student displays something that looks like a weapon or reacts in a way that disturbs significantly school activities.
Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed, the teen’s father, announced Thursday that the boy would be transferred to another school. He declined to say which school since he and other family members were still deciding which would be best.
Ahmed’s elder sister, Ayisha, is confident that her brother would help people change mentality on Muslims and Muslim community. She recalls that her heart skipped a beat when she learned about the boy’s arrest.
“It was a bad thing that turned into a blessing,”
the girl added.
While more than 1 million Twitter members showed their support for the boy, President Obama invited him to the White House. Moreover Facebook founder told the teen that he wants to meet him, while a NASA researcher made him a job offer.
Image Source: Wikimedia
