{"id":742,"date":"2015-09-16T18:43:30","date_gmt":"2015-09-16T23:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/?p=742"},"modified":"2015-09-16T18:45:01","modified_gmt":"2015-09-16T23:45:01","slug":"when-fear-leads-to-the-ridiculous-muslim-teen-in-texas-arrested-for-making-a-clock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/when-fear-leads-to-the-ridiculous-muslim-teen-in-texas-arrested-for-making-a-clock\/","title":{"rendered":"When Fear Leads to the Ridiculous: Muslim Teen in Texas Arrested For Making a Clock"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the Name of God: The Extremely and Everlastingly Loving and Caring<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh my God, people. A teenager in Texas was arrested<\/a> after he showed a homemade clock to his teacher. The teen, Ahmed Mohamed, told reporters:<\/p>\n

I built a clock to impress my teacher but when I showed it to her, she thought it was a threat to her. It was really sad that she took the wrong impression of it.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mohamed wants to be an engineer, and he loves to tinker with things. He is also very good at robotics. Instead of praise, however, he was led out of the school in handcuffs and investigated by the police.<\/p>\n

\n

This is the photo of @IStandWithAhmed<\/a>‘s clock passed out by the @IrvingPD<\/a> at this morning’s press conference pic.twitter.com\/9bs2LEvi9P<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Robert Wilonsky (@RobertWilonsky) September 16, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now, after doing an investigation, the police came to the (obvious) conclusion that Mohamed did not make a bomb and did not charge the teen. He was still suspended from school, and he is serving this suspension. The teen has said that he plans on transferring to a different school.<\/p>\n

As a parent, I understand and greatly appreciate that schools have to be extra cautious when it comes to the safety of our children entrusted to their supervision. But, come on, let us think for a moment and not let fear get the best of us. If this kid was making a bomb, would he go and show it to a teacher? Does that make any sense? Did any kid who came to school with the intent of harming others go to a teacher and show them his\/her weapon?<\/p>\n

Of course not! But, sadly, in this day and age, it seems that a Muslim is guilty of terrorism until proven innocent. So very sad.<\/p>\n

What is most heartening about this case, and what makes me proud to be an American, is the overwhelming amount of support the teen received. The hashtag #IstandwithAhmed was the #1 trend on Twitter today. In fact, President Obama invited the teen to the White House:<\/p>\n

\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u2014 President Obama (@POTUS) September 16, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yes, there are savages who are Muslim that want to do us harm. We have to be vigilant against them at all times, and they must be fought with everything we got. But, Ahmed Mohamed is not one of these savages. The vast, vast majority of Muslims in America and around the world are also not these savages. We cannot let fear get the best of us. Come on, America. We are better than this.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the Name of God: The Extremely and Everlastingly Loving and Caring Oh my God, people. A teenager in Texas was arrested after he showed a homemade clock to his teacher. The teen, Ahmed Mohamed, told reporters: I built a clock to impress my teacher but when I showed it to her, she thought it…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[648,61,649,11,650,586],"class_list":["post-742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-american-islam","tag-ahmed-mohamed","tag-arrest","tag-clock","tag-islam","tag-istandwithahmed","tag-texas"],"yoast_head":"\nWhen Fear Leads to the Ridiculous: Muslim Teen in Texas Arrested For Making a Clock - Common Word, Common Lord<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A Muslim teen in Texas is arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school. Come on, America. 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Hassaballa","description":"Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago doctor and writer. He has written extensively on a freelance basis, being published in newspapers across the country and around the world. He has been a Beliefnet columnist since 2001, and has written for the Religion News Service. He is also a columnist for Patheos. His articles have been distributed worldwide by Agence Global, and he was also a guest blogger for The Chicago Tribune and has blogged on ChicagoNow\" . In addition, Dr. Hassaballa has appeared as a guest on WTTW (Channel 11) in Chicago, CNN, Fox News, BBC, and National Public Radio. Dr. Hassaballa is co-author of The Beliefnet Guide to Islam (Doubleday), and his essay, \u201cWhy I Love the Ten Commandments,\u201d was published in the award-winning book Taking Back Islam (Rodale). His latest book, Noble Brother, is the story of the Prophet Muhammad told entirely in poetry, and it is now published in its second edition. In 2007, his blog \"God, Faith, and a Pen\" was nominated for a Brass Crescent Award for a blog that is \u201cthe most stimulating, insightful, and philosophical, providing the best rebuttals to extremist ideology and making an impact whenever they post.\u201d \"God, Faith, and a Pen\" has also received an award for being one of the \"Top Muslim Blogs for 2010\" by Awarding The Web. In addition to writing, Dr. Hassaballa helped found the Chicago Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations and currently serves on their board of directors. He also co-founded the Bayan H. 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