1. Home
  2. Slideshows
  3. About time! The celebs standing with Ahmed Mohamed and his clock

About time! The celebs standing with Ahmed Mohamed and his clock

Published September 18th, 2015 - 03:31 GMT

Just when you think Islamophobia can’t get any worse in the US, it does!

Texan teen Ahmad Mohamed brought a homemade alarm clock to school in an attempt to ‘wow’ his engineering teacher. Other teachers were not impressed, thinking his clock to be bomb. The principal called the police, and the 14-year-old was handcuffed and arrested for having what panicked authorities labeled a “hoax bomb”. Global outrage ensued.

“They interrogated me and searched through my stuff and took my tablet and my invention,” the teen told the Dallas News. “Later I was taken to a juvenile detention center where he [police] searched me, took my fingerprints and mug shots of me. It made me feel like I wasn’t human; it made me feel like I was a criminal.”

The incident ticked off the Twittersphere, with the hashtag #IstandwithAhmed attracting messages of support from celebrities and world leaders.

Anti-Muslim sentiment has been rising since 9/11, punctuated with Islamophobic hate crimes such as the February 2015 Chapel Hill murders of three Arab-American students, and the torching of an Islamic center in Houston that same month.

There is an upside to Ahmad’s story. He has bagged an invites to the White House, the Google Science Fair and a science-based variety show hosted by Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield. Although – as of today - he remains suspended from school, he’s gained an enormous fan base.

Check out a few of his new friends in ‘high places’.

 

View as a slider
View as a list
Barack Obama tweet

US President Barack Obama tweeted in support of Ahmed. POTUS’s staff invited the young student to visit the White House for Astronomy Night on October 19, where he’ll stargaze from the South Lawn with scientists, engineers, astronauts and others.

Mark Zuckerberg tweet

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday said on his personal Facebook page that “the future belongs to people like Ahmed, adding that he’d “love to meet” the young man if he ever wanted to visit Facebook’s California offices.

Hillary Clinton tweet

Former US Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton made it known that she supports innovative people of all religions. “Ahmed, stay curious and keep building,” she said Wednesday on Twitter.

astronaut chris hadfield tweet

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield buttressed Ahmed’s cause on Wednesday with this tweet, where he invited the Texas boy to a science-based variety show taking place in Toronto in October.

Google Science tweet

US tech behemoth Google invited Ahmed to its Science Fair.

Pebble clock makers tweet

Smartwatch and digital clock manufacturer Pebble tweeted this snarky message to the Irving school district, where Ahmed is a student.

Grant Imahara tweet

Grant Imahara -- a robot-builder, inventor and host of the TV show Mythbusters -- posted a series of tweets in support of Ahmed where he appeared to identify with the teen.

US Congressman Keith Ellison

Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim member of the US Congress, made it known that he was on Ahmed’s side. Ellison also reportedly carried a clock around Capitol Hill on Wednesday to further drive home his point.

Shonda Rhimes

TV producer and writer Shonda Rhimes, responsible for hit shows “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal,” also jumped on the bandwagon supporting Ahmed.

American businessman Russell Simmons, who co-founded Def Jam Records, a hugely popular rap-music record label, had this simple message for his 3.5 million Twitter followers.

American businessman Russell Simmons, who co-founded Def Jam Records, a hugely popular rap-music record label, had this simple message for his 3.5 million Twitter followers.

bobak ferdowsi

NASA systems engineer Bobak Ferdowsi, who is of Persian descent, said that such an incident might have prevented him from working for NASA.

American journalist and columnist Ana Marie Cox, who writes for the New York Times Magazine and others, tweeted a photo of herself behind a clock, asking, “Do I look dangerous yet?” (No, Ana -- you don’t!)

American journalist and columnist Ana Marie Cox, who writes for the New York Times Magazine and others, tweeted a photo of herself behind a clock, asking, “Do I look dangerous yet?” (No, Ana -- you don’t!)

Larry Wilmore tweet

Larry Wilmore, host of The Nightly Show on Comedy Central, noted sarcastically that in Texas, it “actually is illegal to make anything that acknowledges that time moves forward.”

Guestlove Gomez

Questlove -- the American musician best known for playing with “The Roots” and for the in-house band on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” -- tweeted a message of nerd-solidarity in support of Ahmed.

Sophia Bush tweet

American actress and activist Sophia Bush, who is perhaps best known for her role in the TV show “One Tree Hill,” did not wish to be left out of the show of love for Ahmed Mohamed.

Of course, the “clock kid” story provoked an inevitable backlash, too, with conservatives like comedian/ political commentator Steven Crowder attempting to tamp down support for Ahmed.

Of course, the “clock kid” story provoked an inevitable backlash, too, with conservatives like comedian/ political commentator Steven Crowder attempting to tamp down support for Ahmed.

Barack Obama tweet
Mark Zuckerberg tweet
Hillary Clinton tweet
astronaut chris hadfield tweet
Google Science tweet
Pebble clock makers tweet
Grant Imahara tweet
US Congressman Keith Ellison
Shonda Rhimes
American businessman Russell Simmons, who co-founded Def Jam Records, a hugely popular rap-music record label, had this simple message for his 3.5 million Twitter followers.
bobak ferdowsi
American journalist and columnist Ana Marie Cox, who writes for the New York Times Magazine and others, tweeted a photo of herself behind a clock, asking, “Do I look dangerous yet?” (No, Ana -- you don’t!)
Larry Wilmore tweet
Guestlove Gomez
Sophia Bush tweet
Of course, the “clock kid” story provoked an inevitable backlash, too, with conservatives like comedian/ political commentator Steven Crowder attempting to tamp down support for Ahmed.
Barack Obama tweet
US President Barack Obama tweeted in support of Ahmed. POTUS’s staff invited the young student to visit the White House for Astronomy Night on October 19, where he’ll stargaze from the South Lawn with scientists, engineers, astronauts and others.
Mark Zuckerberg tweet
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday said on his personal Facebook page that “the future belongs to people like Ahmed, adding that he’d “love to meet” the young man if he ever wanted to visit Facebook’s California offices.
Hillary Clinton tweet
Former US Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton made it known that she supports innovative people of all religions. “Ahmed, stay curious and keep building,” she said Wednesday on Twitter.
astronaut chris hadfield tweet
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield buttressed Ahmed’s cause on Wednesday with this tweet, where he invited the Texas boy to a science-based variety show taking place in Toronto in October.
Google Science tweet
US tech behemoth Google invited Ahmed to its Science Fair.
Pebble clock makers tweet
Smartwatch and digital clock manufacturer Pebble tweeted this snarky message to the Irving school district, where Ahmed is a student.
Grant Imahara tweet
Grant Imahara -- a robot-builder, inventor and host of the TV show Mythbusters -- posted a series of tweets in support of Ahmed where he appeared to identify with the teen.
US Congressman Keith Ellison
Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim member of the US Congress, made it known that he was on Ahmed’s side. Ellison also reportedly carried a clock around Capitol Hill on Wednesday to further drive home his point.
Shonda Rhimes
TV producer and writer Shonda Rhimes, responsible for hit shows “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal,” also jumped on the bandwagon supporting Ahmed.
American businessman Russell Simmons, who co-founded Def Jam Records, a hugely popular rap-music record label, had this simple message for his 3.5 million Twitter followers.
American businessman Russell Simmons, who co-founded Def Jam Records, a hugely popular rap-music record label, had this simple message for his 3.5 million Twitter followers.
bobak ferdowsi
NASA systems engineer Bobak Ferdowsi, who is of Persian descent, said that such an incident might have prevented him from working for NASA.
American journalist and columnist Ana Marie Cox, who writes for the New York Times Magazine and others, tweeted a photo of herself behind a clock, asking, “Do I look dangerous yet?” (No, Ana -- you don’t!)
American journalist and columnist Ana Marie Cox, who writes for the New York Times Magazine and others, tweeted a photo of herself behind a clock, asking, “Do I look dangerous yet?” (No, Ana -- you don’t!)
Larry Wilmore tweet
Larry Wilmore, host of The Nightly Show on Comedy Central, noted sarcastically that in Texas, it “actually is illegal to make anything that acknowledges that time moves forward.”
Guestlove Gomez
Questlove -- the American musician best known for playing with “The Roots” and for the in-house band on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” -- tweeted a message of nerd-solidarity in support of Ahmed.
Sophia Bush tweet
American actress and activist Sophia Bush, who is perhaps best known for her role in the TV show “One Tree Hill,” did not wish to be left out of the show of love for Ahmed Mohamed.
Of course, the “clock kid” story provoked an inevitable backlash, too, with conservatives like comedian/ political commentator Steven Crowder attempting to tamp down support for Ahmed.
Of course, the “clock kid” story provoked an inevitable backlash, too, with conservatives like comedian/ political commentator Steven Crowder attempting to tamp down support for Ahmed.

You may also like

Subscribe

Sign up to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content
Subscribe Now
Loading content ...