Student arrested for bringing a clock to school a victim of racial profiling?

Members of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations stands with Ahmed.

BY NOW, most everyone has heard the story about the Texas teenager who was arrested and suspended for bringing a homemade digital clock to school that everyone thought was a bomb.

Ahmed Mohamed wanted to impress his science teacher but instead he was taken out of a classroom, handcuffed,  interrogated and suspended from school.

Ahmed and his supporters believe he was the way he was treated by school officials and law enforcement was because he is Sudanese/Americans and a Muslim.

"His arrest and suspension is deeply troubling. I believe no one should be unfairly treated because of skin color, heritage or unfounded suspicion," said Rep. Mike Honda, Calif. "It was unfounded suspicion that led to the internment of over 100,000 Americans of Japanese descent, including me and my family, after Pearl Harbor. 

"After 9/11, I took to the House floor to speak against the fear mongering and discrimination facing the Muslim American Community. Ahmed's arrest is yet another troubling story of how a student's good work can be overshadowed by preexisting views outside his control," said Honda.

Ahmed's story was posted by the Dallas Morning News and attracted attention from coast to coast. MIT invited him to visit the campus. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg invited him to visit his California company. 

Even President Obama tweeted him:

In addition, Dr. John Holdren -- the President's top science advisor -- reached out to Ahmed and personally invited him to come to join us at the White House Astronomy Night on October 19, where we'll bring together scientists, engineers, and visionaries from astronomy and the space industry, along with students and teachers. They'll share their experiences and spend an evening stargazing from the South Lawn. 

#IStandWithAhmed trended on Twitter. NASA scientists and MIT researchers offered tours, along with praise for the teen’s ingenuity. Oh yeah, he got a new NASA t-shirt to replace the one he was wearing when he was detained.

Ahmed Mohamed handcuffed.

But the reactions of the school and city officials didn't happen in a vacuum. Earlier this year, the Irving City Council seriously considered an anti-Islam bill after Mayor Beth Van Duyne alleged that local Muslims sought separate laws and courts. According to local reporting on the issue, “The mayor provided no evidence and later acknowledged she had not spoken to" local Islamic organizers. The Islamic Center of Irving was compelled to ask police for increased security after it received a number of threats in the hearing's wake.

The Irving police chief could not say why Ahmed was not allowed to call his parents when he was brought to the station for questioning. He did say that the case is closed and no charges would be filed for lack of evidence.

Ahmed brought the clock to school on a Monday, three days after Sept. 11 observances of the terrorist attacks on America so sensitivities were certainly heightened. That may have been a mistake on his part. But then again, why should a 14-year old Texas boy interested in science have to worry about being called a terrorist?

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