If they thought Ahmed brought a ‘bomb’, why didn’t they evacuate the school?

He was asked to sit in the office with his ‘bomb’. Yes, that’s a wonderful idea. Let’s give the...

When they say they thought 14-year-old MacArthur High School student, Ahmed Mohamed, brought a bomb to school, they are lying. They are lying through their teeth.

Let’s examine the facts. This young student of Sudanese origin, who loves engineering gadgets in his spare time, brought a home-made clock to school to show to his engineering teacher. His teacher after examining the device, recognised it as a clock, but realised it could be misinterpreted as something dangerous, and warned Ahmed not to show it anyone else.

According to Dallas Morning News, Ahmed said,

“He was like, ‘That’s really nice. I would advise you not to show any other teachers’.”

Unfortunately for Ahmed, the clock beeped later in the middle of his English class. His teacher after checking it out claimed,

“It looks like a bomb!”

At this stage, Ahmed could have made a timeless clock joke and replied,

“Well, you look like an alarmist.”

Instead, he told her,

“It doesn’t look like a bomb to me.”

There is a meme going around with a picture of the United Kingdom’s most famous clock, Big Ben, and mocks American paranoia by claiming it is a bomb on a rocket ship.



Well, let’s have a look at Ahmed’s clock next to a suitcase bomb, and an actual clock.





If we are honest with ourselves, Ahmed’s gadget doesn’t look exactly like a clock.

Recently, public figures such as Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Mark Zuckerberg reached out to Ahmed and were wonderfully supportive of him.

Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It's what makes America great.

— President Obama (@POTUS44) September 16, 2015

Assumptions and fear don't keep us safe—they hold us back. Ahmed, stay curious and keep building. https://t.co/ywrlHUw3g1

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 16, 2015

Photo: Screenshot

That’s all very nice. But if they didn’t know who Ahmed was, and he went up to them with his suitcase clock, I am sure their security detail would think twice before letting him through.

But I digress.

In the wake of the horrific Boston bombings, it is understandable if American high schools and law enforcement officials wish to practice vigilance. Right-wingers in America, especially those who love Donald Trump, are praising the school’s actions. But is this how you behave if you actually think a student brought a bomb to school?

Here is an excerpt from the Washington Post report:

But the English teacher kept the clock, and during sixth period, Mohamed was pulled out of class by the principal.

“They took me to a room filled with five officers in which they interrogated me and searched through my stuff and took my tablet and my invention,” the teen said. “They were like, ‘So you tried to make a bomb?’ I told them no, I was trying to make a clock.”

But his questioner responded,

“It looks like a movie bomb to me.”

Let’s just pause for a second.

What the heck is a ‘movie bomb’?

Was this 14-year-old boy’s interrogator seriously claiming it was a real bomb because it resembled a fake bomb (I am assuming they don’t use real bombs in movies). Is this how they train the police in the US of A? By asking them to watch reruns of the Lethal Weapon films?

More importantly, did the teachers of this school, the principal, and the five police officers really think it was a bomb?

Think about it. What would you do if you came across a bomb?

Wet your pants?

Run like hell?

Scream for your mother?

I’d probably do all three.

As Facebook user Michael Harriot points out, instead, the school was not evacuated at first chance.

Instead, no one alerted the bomb squad.

Instead, this English teacher, who thought it was a bomb, kept it with her. Why would she keep a device which could kill her at any minute?

Instead, this principal, who thought it was a bomb, let it remain on school property for several hours, where it could kill thousands of school students, staff members, and cute little hamsters in the science lab.

Instead, this student was asked to sit in the office with his ‘bomb’.  Yes, that’s a wonderful idea. Let’s give the ‘terrorist’ his bomb when he realises you are on to him.

Instead, the police carried the ‘bomb’ in their vehicle rather than let a bomb disposal unit handle it. I suggest the police officer watch Katherine Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker instead of Tom and Jerry cartoons.

Also, if it truly was a bomb, did they actually expect the prime suspect to reveal his dastardly master plan like a badly written James Bond villain? Why were they asking Ahmed, instead of asking the only person qualified on school property to answer the question, like his engineering teacher?

Let’s assume it was a bomb. If Ahmed really had invented a bomb to destroy his school, would he have not used it instead of showing it around?

There are some claiming Ahmed’s intention was to manufacture a hoax bomb. If so, why was he at every moment claiming it to be a clock? It isn’t much of a hoax then, is it?

Here is an excerpt from a report by The Verge,

Police spokesperson James McLellan said Ahmed “kept maintaining it was a clock” when he was brought in for interrogation, but that he offered “no broader explanation”.

I don’t know James. Why do you think he offered “no broader explanation” for the inner workings of his clock? Could it be the very reason you wouldn’t explain the theory of gravity to a raccoon?

Just to complete the humiliation, the poor kid was handcuffed and taken to the police station where he was arrested. Yes, arrested. For the rest of his life, his record will be tainted by an arrest because he was smart enough to engineer a clock. With the American school system producing some of the worst performers in the developed world, one would think they would be nurturing their smarter students.

Photo: Twitter Anil Dash (@anildash)

I know that expression. I have a similar one on my face when I read obtuse comments on The Express Tribune Facebook page.

Unfortunately, when they had determined it wasn’t a bomb, the school still inexplicably suspended Ahmed for three days. More outrageously, a letter from the principal to Ahmed’s father was completely devoid of remorse, with no indication of an apology.

I suppose it is not surprising that the principal of this high-school lacks in emotional intelligence as well.

Photo: Screenshot

I don’t know what they are teaching at MacArthur High School in Texas, but they clearly aren’t educating their educators in common sense. While they had a right to be cautious, I believe they knew it wasn’t a bomb. The question is why did they orchestrate a circus with Ahmed as the central attraction?

The internet has let loose countless accusations of racism and religious discrimination against MacArthur High School. Although this is entirely possible, so far there is no evidence of bias. Yes, he happened to be a black Muslim, but mass school shootings taking place in the United States every year have led to ridiculous restrictions on students.

I leave you with the case of a 10-year-old student suspended for ‘making fingers into the shape of a gun’.

No, he wasn’t black. No, his name wasn’t Mohamed.