John Rich Weighs in on Muslim Teen Arrested for Bringing Clock to School
John Rich says it was "not a good idea" for a teenage boy to bring his homemade clock to school, which resulted in his arrest earlier this week.
14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed is an aspiring inventor, and he took a self-designed and self-built clock to MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas, on Monday (Sept. 14). Mohamed is a freshman at the school. The clock consists of circuit boards and extensive wiring, and when Mohamed — who is Muslim and immigrated from Sudan with his parents — took it to school, an alarmed teacher called the police, believing the invention could be a bomb. The boy was subsequently suspended from school for three days, and even got arrested by local authorities before they eventually closed their investigation. The incident made headlines all over the world, resulting in a massive debate centering on Islamophobia and school violence.
Rich, who is very vocal about his political and social positions, used social media on Friday (Sept. 18) to weigh in on the matter:
Mohamed has received criticism and support from all over the spectrum, and even much of the support has been unwanted. His family finally clarified that none of the political organizations that they feel have jumped in to exploit the situation for publicity actually represent them.
The 14-year-old does not intend to return to school at MacArthur High School, but he won't need to — in the wake of the attention he's received, he's been offered tech internships, a spot in Google's science fair and a visit to the offices of Facebook, as well as an invitation to tour the campus of MIT. President Obama even invited him to bring his clock to the White House.
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