Obama invites arrested Muslim schoolboy to White House
Obama congratulates 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed on his skills and issues a presidential invitation
The teenager was handcuffed and taken to police headquarters and was not allowed to call his parents. PHOTO: The Dallas Morning News
WASHINGTON:
US President Barack Obama on Wednesday invited a Muslim schoolboy to the White House after he was arrested and dragged off in handcuffs for bringing a homemade clock to class.
Obama congratulated 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed on his skills and issued a presidential invitation, in what amounts to a pointed rebuke to school and police officials who precipitated his arrest.
"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," the president tweeted.
Read: Muslim student arrested in US after home-built clock mistaken for bomb
The teen was led out of his Texas school after a teacher mistook his homemade digital clock for a bomb, prompting accusations of Islamophobia and an online backlash.
Among those voicing support for the boy was Hillary Clinton, who tweeted: "Assumptions and fear don't keep us safe - they hold us back. Ahmed, stay curious and keep building."
"My hobby is to invent stuff," the boy told The Dallas Morning News in a video posted on the paper's website that was filmed in his electronics-filled bedroom.
"I made a clock. It was really easy. I wanted to show something small at first... they took it wrong so I was arrested for a hoax bomb."
‘I'd love to meet you’
Meanwhile, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has said the future belonged to people like Ahmed.
“Ahmed, if you ever want to come by Facebook, I'd love to meet you. Keep building,” he wrote in a status update on his Facebook profile.
US President Barack Obama on Wednesday invited a Muslim schoolboy to the White House after he was arrested and dragged off in handcuffs for bringing a homemade clock to class.
Obama congratulated 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed on his skills and issued a presidential invitation, in what amounts to a pointed rebuke to school and police officials who precipitated his arrest.
"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," the president tweeted.
Read: Muslim student arrested in US after home-built clock mistaken for bomb
The teen was led out of his Texas school after a teacher mistook his homemade digital clock for a bomb, prompting accusations of Islamophobia and an online backlash.
Among those voicing support for the boy was Hillary Clinton, who tweeted: "Assumptions and fear don't keep us safe - they hold us back. Ahmed, stay curious and keep building."
"My hobby is to invent stuff," the boy told The Dallas Morning News in a video posted on the paper's website that was filmed in his electronics-filled bedroom.
"I made a clock. It was really easy. I wanted to show something small at first... they took it wrong so I was arrested for a hoax bomb."
‘I'd love to meet you’
Meanwhile, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has said the future belonged to people like Ahmed.
“Ahmed, if you ever want to come by Facebook, I'd love to meet you. Keep building,” he wrote in a status update on his Facebook profile.