MIT hackers show support for Ahmed Mohamed
MIT hackers show support for Ahmed Mohamed
Four days after high school student Ahmed Mohamed was arrested for building a clock that his teachers mistook for a bomb, hackers at MIT showed their support for the 14-year-old by constructing their own digital clock display and hanging it over a banister in Lobby 7 last Friday.
The functional clock was displayed with a banner reading “#IStandWithAhmed” as well as exposed circuitry at the back.
The hack was eventually removed at around 12:40 p.m. due to concerns that it might fall down.
Ahmed, a 9th grader from Texas, was arrested on Sept. 14 after being accused of bringing a “hoax bomb” to school. In fact, he had constructed a digital clock at home and had brought it to school to show his teacher. An outpouring of support and encouragement on social media commended Ahmed’s creativity and condemned the arrest as an attack based on Muslim stereotypes.
Ahmed has since been invited to visit the White House, Facebook, and MIT, which he has said is his dream school.
—Adrian Sy